Dyscalculia is a Specific Learning Disorder that affects ones' ability to comprehend, retain, and recall mathematical principles and basic facts. Approximately five million students in the United States have dyscalculia; these students are eligible to receive interventions and accommodations in math class. This study examined the efficacy of extra…

When do item adaptations veer from their intent and, instead of increasing access, modify the construct being measured? This study analyzed early elementary student achievement data from a statewide field test containing both standard and adapted science items. Four student groups were included in this analysis: English language learners, students…

This article briefly reviews the history of intellectual assessment of children and youth in the United States of America, as well as current practices and future directions. Although administration of intelligence tests in the schools has been a longstanding practice in the United States, their use has also elicited sharp controversy over time.…

Whenever a major intelligence or achievement test is revised, there is always renewed interest in the underlying structure of the test as well as a renewed interest in the scoring, administration, and interpretation changes. In this interview, Amy Gabel discusses the most recent revision of the "Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fifth…

The author discusses the use of hierarchical tests with learning disabled (LD) children and presents four examples to explain basic characteristics of this type of test. It is explained that a hierarchical measurement provides two associated scores - a composite score and an error of prediction score. The examples are used to portray the use of a…

The Raggio Evaluation of Attention Deficit Disorder (READD) is an objective measure for the diagnosis and management of attention deficit disorder (ADD) in children. Extensive research has been conducted on its clinical and psychometric properties, as described in Chapter 3, "Development and Standardization." The READD is a microcomputer…

THIS MONOGRAPH RELATES RESULTS OF A STUDY WHICH WAS UNDERTAKEN TO ATTEMPT TO ANSWER THREE QUESTIONS--TO WHAT EXTENT DO EIGHT TECHNIQUES COMMONLY USED TO DIAGNOSE BRAIN DAMAGE CO-VARY, TO WHAT EXTENT DO THE VARIOUS BEHAVIORAL SYMPTOMS THAT OCCUR WITH BRAIN DAMAGE CO-VARY, AND TO WHAT EXTENT DO THE DIAGNOSTIC MEASURES, SINGLY OR IN GROUPS, PREDICT…

Teacher-made tests can be adapted for learning disabled students during the process of test construction (incorporating aspects of directions, individual items, and test design) or during test administration. (CL)

This article presents guidelines for writing better test items to evaluate student learning better. Recommendations are provided for writing true-false items (test only one idea in each item), multiple-choice items (include the bulk of information in the stem), and matching items (only use homogeneous lists). Examples are provided. (Contains 7…

Discussed is the application of criterion referenced measurement techniques to the learning program of the learning disabled elementary school child. (DB)

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) stands at the forefront of contemporary efforts to create access to education curricula for all students, including those with disabilities. This policy reader comprises a notably wide range of articles that address the challenges and opportunities facing policy makers as they consider UDL's implications for…

The effects of physical modifications of the minimum competency test on the performance of third grade learning disabled (LD) students (n=345) on versions of a Florida state minimum competency test are evaluated. The test modifications included alterations in line length, groupings of items, answer formats, administration procedures, as well as…

This study evaluated the diagnostic validity of a task measuring abstract categorization ability in learning disabled (LD) and non-LD children. Data showed that the component of abstract category knowledge that best disciminates LD children from non-LD, is the knowledge of how members of abstract categories differ from each other. (Author/JAZ)

A study investigated the hypothesis that poor comprehension or recall of task demands, rather than a putative lack of goal directedness, is a possible source of learning-disabled children's poor performance of experimental tasks. Clear instructions substantially facilitated performance by both normally achieving and learning disabled children of…