Dyscalculia is considered to be a learning difficulty or difference. It is increasingly being recognised and "diagnosed" within adult learning. However, practitioners are often unclear about whether learners who are considered to have dyscalculia are entitled to access arrangements for examinations and assessments, and which access…

Promoting the development of students' scientific inquiry capabilities is a major learning objective in science education. As a result, teachers require effective assessment approaches to evaluate students' scientific inquiry-related performance. Teachers must also be able to offer appropriate supplementary instructions, as needed, to students.…

Discusses research related to assessment data for vocational-technical programs and categories skills as basic, transferable, and generalizable. Use of generalizable skills can identify functional learning abilities and problems of students in those programs. (JOW)

A computer-based interactive system for diagnosing academic and school behavior problems is described. Elements include criterion-referenced testing, an instructional management system, and a behavior evaluation tool developed by the author. (JW)

The process of diagnosis in education is basically a process of needs assessment and of finding ways of meeting the needs of the learner thus identified. The model described suggests that the basis for this process is three elements: (a) the needs of the students; (b) structure of the learning program; (c) placement data regarding the individual…

Assessed handwriting of first graders (N=95) with 10 measures of printing errors, then used printing errors to predict academic achievement 5 years later. Found Simner printing error measure effectively predicted academic achievement. (Author/CM)

Modified Assessment Techniques (MATs) are nonstandard diagnostic activities used with standardized tests and other assessment tools to gather information unavailable through standardized methods. Suggestions are offered for implementing MATs in several cognitive areas by modifying modality, language, complexity, spacial, and temporal elements and…

Introduced by S.A. Kirk in the early 1950s, the term "learning disability" was intended to eliminate controversial psychological and neurological labels which had come to be applied to students with reading disabilities, but has itself generated much controversy. The four historical phases in remedial treatment of learning disabilities have…

Results confirm previous findings that the revised State University of New York at Stony Brook observation code is a valid instrument for quantifying and discriminating the classroom behavior of children referred because of hyperactive behavior. (Author)

A prototype expert system for the diagnosis of elementary students experiencing educational problems is described. After input of initial data, the system provides guidance on what further information might be sought and/or what remedial activities might be beneficial. The system includes databases of tests and remedial materials and strategies.…

A three-stage model to diagnose and treat learning difficulties is presented. The three stages include: status assessment; cause estimation; and treatment recommendations. This paper concentrates on the first part of the second stage--that of generating likely causes for the learning difficulties in a given case. A list of questions is offered to…

Eighteen judges with backgrounds in assessment, decision making, and learning disabilities were asked to use an array of information to differentiate learning disabled (LD) and non-learning disabled students. Each judge was provided with forms containing information on 42 test or subtest scores of 50 school-identified LD students and 49 non-LD…

Readers are invited, in this article, to test their abilities in diagnosing the learning difficulties of a junior high school student and prescribing the right kind of instructional program for the student. (Author/MLF)

Examined the test-retest reliability of the McCarthy Screening Test (MST) with five- and six-year-olds tested early in the school year. Those "at risk" on the first test were retested. Results suggest the MST is not stable enough to be used alone to identify children with potential learning problems. (Author)

A checklist is presented to identify common problems students exhibit in arithmetic. Alongside general areas of need, common mistakes are listed to help diagnose error patterns for targeting specific skills and designing effective intervention. General areas include readiness, problem solving, whole-number computations, fraction computations, and…