Describes current procedures used for testing bilingual teachers in the United States and focuses on one means of assessment used in Arizona. Examinee questionnaire responses, teacher questionnaire responses and test section analysis all contributed evidence for validity. (33 references) (Author/CK)

Examines vital design issues pertaining to the "Online Self-Test," a simple solution for dealing with concerns about lack of time and lack of motivation in distance education. Presents experiences gained during the implementation of the Online Self-Test Center for Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University, Nashik, India, and…

Examined effects of computers on writing efficiency and quality among intermediate learners of Japanese. Subjects corresponded with Japanese peers by email and took computer and hand-written tests. Response times, accuracy rates, and t-units were compared. Results suggest learners benefited from computer writing. (VWL)

A discussion of alternative evaluation techniques looks at tests that college students retake at home immediately after completing in class; exams requiring thoughtful application; group multiple-choice tests; paired testing; answer justification; a variety of take-home exams; immediate feedback; cost/benefit testing; retesting; and reaction or…

Curriculum modifications are presented, along with empirical support when available, for teaching spelling vocabulary to students with learning disabilities. The article discusses selecting words to be learned, daily testing and practice of small word sets, strategy training, self-regulation, motivation, students helping each other, and frequent…

"The Fit Kids" program, which assessed the physical fitness level of more than 1000 students, resulted from a public school-university-business alliance. Development and implementation of the program are described, and guidelines are provided on how to use community resources to develop, promote, and implement a comprehensive fitness…

Describes an investigation to determine whether junior high school students generate important meanings from their social studies textbooks, and to assess the kind of information students derive from text when they have tests in mind. Indicates that adolescents isolate and particularize their reading to meet perceived test demands. (MG)

Cites changes to occur on the Medical College Admissions Test to include: a reduction from six to four sections, biology and physics content-specific sections to absorb chemistry, elimination of multiple-choice questions to a problem-solving format, and the inclusion of graded essay questions. (RT)

Presented are a rationale for identifying hearing loss in infancy and a history of screening procedures. The Crib-O-Gram and auditory brainstem response (ABR) tests are evaluated for reliability, validity, and cost-effectiveness. The ABR is recommended, and fully automated ABR instrumentation, which lowers expenses for trained personnel and…

A discussion of vocational education in the Netherlands covers the options available to students, enrollment and distribution trends, testing, and the link between vocational education and employment. (MSE)

Discusses a study that was conducted to determine the effects of school affiliation on the level of language competency attained by Spanish 1 students. Competency in all four language skills was measured by a Spanish 1 exam, and the differences between the two groups in attitude toward foreign language learning were examined. (JL)

This article examines the acceptability, to regular classroom teachers, of various interventions for adapting instruction and accommodating students with disabilities in the general education classroom, emphasizing the areas of homework, grading, and testing. (Author/DB)

Presents a study conducted to provide a comparative analysis of five item analysis indices using both IRT and non-IRT indices to describe the characteristics of flagged items and to investigate the appropriateness of logistic regression as an item analysis technique for further studies. The performance of five item analysis indices was examined.…

Considers the benefits of extensive reading, examines some of the reasons for its failure to take off, describes two programs, and offers teachers some leading questions to help them develop their own programs. (three references) (Author/CK)

The purpose of this study was to derive the criteria/dimensions underlying learners' second-language oral ability scores across three tests: an oral interview, a narration, and a read-aloud. A stimulus tape of 18 speech samples was presented to 3 native speaker rater groups for evaluation. Results indicate that researchers might need to reconsider…