Methods for using postage stamps to their greatest potential in any level Spanish class are outlined, with illustrations and examples provided. Among the subjects that can be addressed through this medium are economics, politics, anthropology, archaeology, history, language and literature, geography, and music. (MSE)

Discusses the "fill-in" test, explains how to construct it, and gives statistical evidence for its effectiveness in testing English as a foreign language reading comprehension. In addition, a comparison is made between this test and the more conventional multiple-choice and cloze tests, citing the advantages and disadvantages of each.…

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) and other recent changes in federal legislation have placed greater emphasis on accountability in large-scale testing. Included in this emphasis are regulations that require assessments to be accessible. States are accountable for the success of all students, and tests should be designed in a way that…

Every spring, education-related newspaper and magazine stories raise the alarm that schools are "teaching to the test." Scores of articles and editorials paint a disheartening picture of frustrated teachers forced to abandon good instructional practices for a relentless stream of worksheets based on boring, repetitive test-preparation…

This is the twelfth edition of the most comprehensive reference book covering the wide range of learning disabilities resources available nationwide. This directory contains well over 7,000 entries and covers the schools, learning centers, vocational training programs, associations and organizations, and government agencies involved in learning…

This manual describes the procedures for administering and coding the enactive social knowledge interview for preschool children. This interview is comprised of two segments, an enactive procedure and a reflective procedure using line drawings. The purpose of this interview is to assess preschooler's responses to hypothetical social situations.…

A group of seven Japanese-language Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) testers licensed by the American Council on the Teaching of foreign Languages (ACTFL) conducted research related to ACTFL-OPI criteria. They first examined 24 audiotaped interview tests to see what kind of consistency there would be when individual testers applied general criteria…

The report details development and validation of a test designed to assess the ability to comprehend and summarize, in English, recorded conversations spoken in Taiwanese. The language and topics of the exam are representative of conversations that federal law enforcement or intelligence agencies may need to monitor in this language. The report is…

This guide, "a work in progress," is one of a series designed to serve as companion documents for the New York state learning standards defined for each major curriculum area. It is intended to establish a connection between the state-mandated learning standards and classroom instruction and to further elaborate on the standards that…

High stakes assessment involves testing students for purposes such as grade level retention or advancement, high school graduation, selection for special programs or services, or for other "high stakes" consequences. Issues surrounding the high stakes assessment of English language learners (ELLs) were the focus of an August 1997 invitational…

With the many layoffs and downsizing of companies during the 1990s, many displaced workers have turned to temporary employment to earn a living while looking for permanent employment. Others have adopted "temping" as a more long-term work style. Although it may not be possible to predict whether an individual will find satisfaction or…

This paper considers the influence of the values and the discourse behaviors of the native-speaking assessor as interlocutor. These variables in the assessments of oral proficiency interrelate in complex ways with features of test design such as tasks, prompts, topics, guidelines, and assessor training. This paper reviews some previous studies,…

Guidance on the administration, scoring, and reporting of new state tests for teachers and administrators is provided. The tests are designed to track the English Language Arts and Mathematics proficiency of students in the 4th and 8th grade. Regents examinations assessing the English, Mathematics, Social Studies, and Science proficiency of high…

In order to make an intelligent advance in any school practice a knowledge of what schools are doing in that practice is almost indispensable, since a transition in procedures must be a growth from the one to the other. This bulletin gives this background of facts concerning the use of tests and examinations by the different subject departments in…

The effect of anxiety on learning in a variety of educational contexts is examined, and two areas of anxiety research that are especially relevant to educational psychology are discussed in detail: the interaction between anxiety and instructional methods, and test anxiety reduction programs and their outcomes. (Author/RD)