Primary school educators in South Africa often experience difficulties in applying recommended adaptive assessment methods in large multilingual classes, with these challenges being exacerbated when teaching and assessing English as First Additional Language (EFAL). In this article, we report on a study that explored Grade 6 educators' knowledge…

Background: Early-grade reading proficiency is well documented as in important factor for later academic success. Researchers and educators consider the achievement of reading proficiency by the end of grade three to be crucial to future academic success and financial independence (Hein et al., 2013; La Paro & Pianta, 2000; Singh, 2013). As…

Building on theories of cross linguistic transfer, reading proficiency of Spanish-speaking Emerging Bilinguals may be enhanced by providing tiered instruction through multitiered systems of support. To realize the benefits of this systems-level framework, technically adequate universal screening assessments to support teachers' decision making are…

The Psychology of Education Section 2017 Annual Conference was held in Edinburgh between October 27-28, 2017. Learning, teaching and assessment in education was the theme of the conference. The program offered two keynotes given by Professor Christine Merrell from Durham University and Professor Lisa Woolfson from University of Strathclyde and the…

We investigated the associations between teacher-rated and direct assessments of early elementary students' speech and language skills to explore whether using teachers as primary screeners yielded assessment data that reliably identified young students with language difficulties who many need a more comprehensive evaluation. We assessed first-…

Assessment of young children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds holds the potential to provide important insights into learning. Two researchers investigated an Allied Health screening program that was conducted in three kindergartens in a disadvantaged area of outer Melbourne, Australia. Drawing on narrative inquiry…

Discusses the entrance examination used by Georgetown University's Division of Interpretation and Translation, which follows the American Association of Language Specialists system. The skills tested are comprehension of content and purpose of discourse, expression in the target language, and speed of work. The condidates' general background is…

The steps in the manual are designed to ensure that developmentally normal limited English proficiency (LEP) students are properly placed and to increase the validity of the special education referral-assessment-placement system. The construct of LEP is explained, and procedures for selecting two language proficiency tests are outlined. Criteria…

This paper presents the validation of an adaptive test developed for placement purposes in French at the post-secondary level, the French CAPT. Results from a second experiment are presented in which verbal protocols were obtained from nine college students of various levels with the thinking-aloud technique used during completion of the exam. The…

The purpose of this study was to determine if there were differences between learning disabled and nonlearning disabled students in skill areas and total scores on the Brigance K & 1 Screen for Kindergarten and First Grade. The study investigated whether students with learning disabilities would show significant weaknesses in language-based…

The ninth volume in the SER-LARS (Special Education Resources Location Analysis and Retrieval System) series, a diagnostic-prescriptive instructional data bank for teachers of the handicapped, presents information on tests used for measuring intelligence and mental maturity; general achievement/readiness; reading; mathematics;…

This article discusses the use of language sample analysis (LSA) as a screening tool for preschool linguistic minority children due to the difficulty of using standardized tests in assessing language delays in speakers of minority dialects and languages. The use of LSA with seven African American preschoolers is examined. (CR)

Focusing on the realities and constraints operating in public school settings, this book suggests ways that school personnel with responsibilities for hearing-impaired and other language-delayed children can produce effective language assessments and interventions. Following an overview of language development, the book is organized into sections…

Several assessment procedures were analyzed to determine their ability to discriminate below-average from above-average readers among 50 first graders. Results indicated that language tests were more successful in classifying reading skills than were sensory-motor and perceptual procedures. Clear cut asymmetrical hemispheric specializations,…

The workshop examines testing approaches for use with bilingual or limited English speaking students in determining eligibility and need for special services. The workshop covers the following areas: (1) an overall process for deciding whether a student may be in need of special services; (2) ways to alleviate or avoid problems which may impact on…