This paper examines the nature of dictionaries and encyclopedias, focusing on some of the preparation that has gone into the construction of a dictionary of language testing at the University of Melbourne (Australia). It discusses the purpose of such dictionaries, the nature and size of dictionary/encyclopedia entries, and the readability of…

This paper examines the proposed use of student self-report data as proxies for College Basic Academic Subjects Examination (College BASE) scores and as policy indicators of good educational practice. A recent study by the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems had recommended this use of student self-reports. For this study 540…

This report describes states' eligibility policies for developmentally delayed and at-risk children, aged birth to 3 years to be served under Part H of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The report is based on policy analysis of 49 states' eligibility policy documents. Results indicated that the wording in states' definitions…

Applicable to all levels of education, the eight digests and four FAST (Focused Access to Selected Topics) bibliographies included in this special collection focus on testing and assessment in the fields of reading, writing, listening, and speaking. The material in this special collection is designed for use by teachers, students, administrators,…

The purpose of this document is to address issues related to the release of test scores to a variety of audiences: parents, school board members, school staff, the news media, and the general public. Guidelines or recommendations for reporting test data are provided. The recommendations are based both on experiences in reporting test results and…

These language testing guidelines--grouped according to the five categories of the oral language interview: grammar, comprehension, pronunciation, vocabulary, and language utilization (communicative competence)--are presented for the language proficiency examiner. Brief guidelines for assessment are given for each of five levels of proficiency,…

The Irving, Texas, Independent School District developed and implemented Project Eureka, a 1 year program, with Elementary Secondary Education Act Title IV, Part C monies, for grade 5 middle school gifted students. Of the 1,750 students tested on the School and College Aptitude Test and the Scientific Research Associates Achievement Test, and…

The Montgomery County (Maryland) Public School system is currently in its second year of a multiyear evaluation of the ESOL/bilingual program. The focus of the first year's effort was an analysis of test results and teacher evaluations of the overall classroom performance of over 3,000 students receiving ESOL/bilingual services. Findings were as…

Teaching students to use language creatively and for communication requires creative and communicative tests. Creative tests allow students to give divergent answers; communicative tests allow for both meaningful language usage and meaningful contexts. This discussion of creative, communicative tests has four parts: (1) a review of formats that…

To investigate the dependence of mathematics achievement and attitudes on each other and other factors, achievement test scores and ratings of 2,368 13-year-old students who participated in the 1977-78 National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) were analyzed. Achievement was significantly associated with attitudes, sex, ethnicity, father's…

The Austin Independent School District (AISD) became interested in evaluation and testing skills of teachers when district and school averages on competency ratings in the area were among the lowest since 1979. School districts, as well as teacher preparation programs, should devote serious attention to the improvement of these teacher skills. In…

Native Americans have various sorts of serious problems in the realm of education. The author considers and discusses the specific problems native Americans have during preschool, elementary, high school and higher education. She makes a number of suggestions for change in the educational system to help Native American students. (Author/SE)

This article discusses the advantages and disadvantages of using the mother tongue in foreign language instruction, specifically in the explanation phase, in exercises and drills, in testing, and in the presentation of new grammar. (CLK)

Testing models of three instructional programs (Individualized Prescribed Instruction, Program for Learning in Accordance with Needs, and Mastery Learning) are described and compared. Several important lines of research that could contribute significantly to the quality of testing and decision-making within the context of these and other…

Based on the assumption that the kind of instruction provided during testing is important when examining children's zones of proximal development, two methods of dynamic assessment, "graduated prompt" and "mediation," were compared to each other and to static assessment. In dynamic assessment, the examiner sets up a learning…