Argues in favor of the slow-school concept, an approach to education in the 21st century that emphasizes instruction and curriculum addressing the intellectual needs of students rather than focuses on curriculum and teaching driven by state and national standards-based testing. (Contains 29 references.) (PKP)

Described is a South African program in which gifted boys, aged 12-14, were combined into a single class. The program included accelerated learning; formal examinations only in English, Afrikaans, and mathematics; and development of social relationships. Questionnaires completed by 30 students, parents, and siblings identified the program's…

Data on 180 pediatrics and 302 internal medicine residency training programs concerning vacation, leave of absence, extension of training because of absence, and related policy suggest wide variation depending on postgraduate year of training, discipline, program size, and program type. Implications for accreditation, testing, and certification…

Reports on the creation and trial of three new exit tests for (mostly Asian) students attending pre-course English language training. Test creation and trial involved analysis and selection of appropriate content, design of formats and test booklets, pre-testing, administration, and statistical analysis of the results. (Author/CB)

Sociolinguistics is recommended as a resource for second language teachers, to increase understanding in such areas as the nature of language, the goals and concerns of language teaching, perspective on curriculum and materials design, identification of appropriate goals, and evaluation of a learner's ability to use a second language. (43…

Reforming Japanese higher education will not be easy. Stagnant budgets, rigid seniority systems, and a conservative bureaucracy that fears losing control all stand in the way of change. A series of changes proposed by the former Prime Minister are discussed. (MLW)

Discussion of testing methods that adequately measure the ability to perform manipulative tasks focuses on criterion-referenced performance tests (CRPT) to evaluate trainees. Topics discussed include predictive validity; physical fidelity; test construction; testing constraints; performance conditions; criteria for attainment standards; scoring…

A survey and comparison of 60 graduate-level physical education programs indicated such current trends as the consideration of standardized examination scores and grade point average as admissions standards, residency requirements, written and oral comprehensive examinations, and dissertation defense. Programs greatly varied regarding masters…

Examined classroom processes taking place during reading instruction in two settings: (1) schools with a large Hispanic Limited-English-proficient student population, and (2) inner-city schools where the student population is more ethnically diverse. Results indicated that the type of reading instruction taking place in both types of schools is…

This report discusses an experimental study in which Spanish dominant students were taught to use metacognitive reading strategies while reading in Spanish. Results of the study lend credibility to the notion that bilingual/bicultural children should be challenged to develop and employ more powerful levels of thought processing within the context…

A study investigated whether internal medicine training program directors found feedback on their students' test performance helpful in understanding where their residents ranked nationally. Results suggest that directors have learned to rank their own candidates against a common standard but may have lowered the standards they used. (MSE)

A study investigated the use of a clinical competency test for foreign medical graduates applying for medical residency. The test, developed by the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) consists of integrated clinical encounters with 10 standardized patients, 60 laserdisc pictorials, and analysis of previously completed…

A test of pharmacists' practice knowledge, for use in professional continuing education, was developed by having practitioners prepare 673 assessment items related to specific competencies. Item pool was refined by psychometric evaluation and content validation. Two parallel tests, each containing 120 items, were pilot-tested with first-year…

This literature review discusses the match between tests and curricula, measurement validity and instructional utility when sampling student performance in general and advantages/disadvantages of sampling performance in the curriculum. It concludes that sampling from the curriculum is not essential and outlines three critical features ensuring the…

Some 76 hearing children in prekindergarten classes, half receiving sign instruction and half not, were tested on English vocabulary acquisition. Children who received the sign instruction scored significantly higher on the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test than children receiving sign instruction. (Contains 15 references.) (Author/LB)