This article examines the effects of some of the testing procedures used in current second-language reading research on learners' performance on these tasks and suggests guidelines for developing future research instruments and classroom reading comprehension tests. (Contains 40 references.) (VWL)

Undergraduate technology education students were divided into 4 groups: 47 took an in-class test, 61 a take-home test, and 63 no test. Both types of tests appeared to promote retention learning. Choice of test depends upon the learning situation and the specific objectives to be tested. (SK)

Examined relative utility of two scoring systems for Modified Version of Bender-Gestalt Test in predicting performance on Developmental Test of Visual-Motor Integration. Findings from 53 kindergarten and 47 first grade students indicated that Qualitative Scoring System was significantly better predictor of visual-motor integration skills than…

Reviews the current status of computerized test generators, which can assist teachers in the development and writing of good tests. Provides comparative strengths and weaknesses of 11 major test-generating programs. Shows how word processors and database programs can also assist the production of tests. (HB)

Many school buildings with high radon levels also exhibit high carbon dioxide levels that starve the minds of students for oxygen. Administrators must realize that the world's best educator cannot teach minds made dysfunctional by their environment. This article describes Environmental Protection Agency testing results and offers radon monitoring…

Describes and compares various assumptions of instructional design and of constructivism, some of which have been raised in other articles in this issue. Topics discussed include instructional design theory; instructional systems theory; mental models; categories of knowledge; knowledge representation; instructional strategies; collaborative…

Presents a table that may be used to determine the probability of obtaining various Verbal Performance Scale discrepancies on the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence-Revised (WPPSI-R). The table of differences is age referenced and should be used to determine the reliability of differences between Verbal and Performance Scale…

Examines significant changes in the assessment of adolescents who struggle with reading (beginning in the early 1900s with the beginning of test development and the problem of what to do with adolescents who were poor readers). Discusses the broader improvements in educational assessment in general. (SR)

Examined the educational testing and measurement literacy of elementary and secondary teachers. Surveys of 95 teachers indicated that, overall, they did not have extensive knowledge about testing and measurement, though they regularly used the knowledge they had when assessing student progress. There were few differences between elementary and…

Considers the nature of distance education and presents specific ways in which computers and computer-assisted language learning (CALL) can be used effectively. Topics include costs; and designing curricula for CALL distance learners, including testing, appropriate training, student attitudes, and learning dynamics. Contains 32 references. (LRW)

Examines one aspect of elaboration in student writing as a product of the encounter between writers and readers. Studies a stratified random sample of student placement tests. Finds patterns that correlate significantly with readers' evaluations of texts. Concludes these patterns are two strategies for managing discursive conflict in this…

Investigated language functioning in a group of 89 children diagnosed with autism. Children were administered a battery of standardized language tests, tapping phonological, lexical, and higher-order language abilities. Among children with autism, there was significant heterogeneity in their language skills, although across all the children,…

In choosing language testing alternatives appropriate for their language education contexts, language teachers need to keep in mind the purposeful nature of language assessment. Purposeful language assessment involves focusing what is to be accomplished by language assessment, specifying intended uses of language tests, selecting appropriate…

Summarizes research related to humor in testing and presents new evidence on the effectiveness of humor in constructed-response items. Findings from a survey at Johns Hopkins University's School of Nursing indicated that students feel that humor makes a difference in their test performance. Describes specific strategies for using humor in tests.…

Tests Kaufman's hypothesis that WISC-III Freedom from Distractibility and Processing Speed scores will be lower than those from corresponding factors (i.e., Verbal Comprehension) when children display inappropriate test-taking behaviors. This hypothesis was not supported. Encourages clinicians to rely on behavioral indices other than WISC-III…