The Media Development Project for the Hearing Impaired is a project to serve the educational technology needs of the deaf and hard of hearing population, by identifying, adapting, developing, and evaluating the effectiveness of instructional media and materials. (BD)

A description of the revised baccalaureate examination. The performance objectives for modern languages in oral and written expression, especially for French, comprehension and critical judgment of a text are discussed. Results of the inter-ministerial study and sample sections from examinations are given. (Text is in French.) (AMH)

Discussed in relation to career education for handicapped students are advantages and disadvantages of four types of measurement: applied performance testing, criterion validity studies, product vs. process measurement, and criterion vs. norm-referenced measurement. Available from: Division on Career Development, The Council for Exceptional…

Reports on a study in which students in a first-year engineering materials class were asked to grade their own examinations, and those of others. Comparisons were then made to the same papers graded by their teachers. (TW)

Argues that teachers should be encouraged to use not just pencil-and-paper tests but also observations, interviews, and even students' journals to gather information on which to base their evaluations. (PK)

This study concerns the selection of mathematically talented students at the beginning of secondary school in Australia, using a version of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT). Age and sex differences were found. Younger and older students responded to SAT items in qualitatively different ways. (MNS)

Two-hundred forty-seven students in AP Calculus BC classes in 15 schools were compared to 229 students in college calculus courses in nine colleges, using a testing instrument valid for both groups. The AP Calculus BC students achieved as well as, or better than, their college counterparts. (MNS)

Describes principles for designing a proficiency-based course to prepare students for the ACTFL/ETS Advanced Plus/Superior level according to Interagency Language Roundtable guidelines. Proposes ways to combine grammatical and "functional/notional" syllabuses with a proficiency approach. Examines the implications of these principles for…

A comparison of the actual final grade distribution with what the grade distributions would have been had only the true/false components or the short-answer components been used is presented. The responses to a course evaluation survey that asked students to compare the two types of questions are summarized. (MLW)

Results of a rational, multiple-choice, cloze Spanish achievement test indicate the validity of such a test to measure achievement. It is suggested that with only minor adaptations, such a test could be used as a way to measure macro- and microprogress with specific materials at any point in a course or program where reading may be tested. (SL)

Reviews the legal implications of particular types of educational reform in relation to improving teacher quality. Identifies the central legal principles that should shape state action in three areas: entry level teachers, teacher performance, and teacher dismissal. As states develop teacher reform strategies they should consider multiple areas…

Reviews judicial decisions involving school staff evaluation systems. Courts remain reluctant to interfere with the summative evaluation process of a school district. Administrators must apply reasoned, ascertainable standards in employment decisions in order to withstand judicial scrutiny amid the array of legal constraints on the evaluation of…

Describes development of a test using slides and corresponding multiple-choice questions for second-year occupational therapy students in child studies course. Reasons for choosing the test format are discussed and an outline of test construction procedures is given. An evaluation of the test indicates problems encountered and benefits gained.…

Recent changes in the objectives and techniques of testing India's university students are examined, including trends toward continuous rather than biennial or annual evaluation; internal (institutional) rather than external, standardized examinations; replacement of essay exams with more objective methods; and a letter grading system. (MSE)

Results obtained from 11- and 15-year-olds on tests of understanding of decimal place value and its influence on addition and subtraction skills are reported and discussed. (MNS)