Analyzes the case of a Vietnamese-speaking science student who has repeatedly failed an English competency examination that analyzes essay content, rhetorical organization, and preparation for writing. Raises questions regarding the purposes, development, and evaluation of writing competency tests. (RDS)

The scales of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), as constructed, do not yield meaningful criterion-referenced interpretations. Poorly defined NAEP goals and the present knowledge base do not allow the measurement of what examinees can and cannot do. Inappropriate interpretations of NAEP data are discussed, with specific…

Ten groups (2-5 members each) of tenth-grade Israeli English-as-a-Second-Language students took first a group quiz and then individual quizzes on the same material. Comparison of the results showed that, especially for weaker students, group work and group grades offered some advantages over individual work and assessment. (CNP)

Examines the problems with standardized tests as they apply to language minority students, and offers an alternative assessment process called an authentic assessment. Some classroom uses for authentic assessments are briefly noted. (GR)

This article describes the translation goals, challenges, strategies, and solutions employed in the development of a computer-based, self administered, psychiatric diagnostic instrument, the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for the Deaf (D-DIS-IV) in American Sign Language (ASL) with English captions. The article analyzes the impact of the…

Describes a 15 minute tape-slide sequence designed to counsel students in the taking of examinations by indicating such things as how exam questions are put together, what they entail, and how they should be answered. Includes the main text of the tape sequence. (MLH)

THE RELEVANCE OF INTELLIGENCE TESTS FOR EDUCATIONAL USES IS CHALLENGED ON TWO GROUNDS--(1) TESTS WHICH MERELY PREDICT THE LIKELIHOOD OF FUTURE SUCCESS DO NOT PROVIDE USEFUL INFORMATION FOR THOSE WHO WISH TO PRESCRIBE TREATMENTS TO ENHANCE PERFORMANCE, AND (2) INTELLIGENCE IS NOT DEFINED AND HENCE THE INTERPRETATION OF SCORES IS MISLEADING. IT IS…

The public demand for accountability, legislative mandates, and increased unionization of teachers have focused attention on the inadequacies of traditional teacher evaluation procedures. Attempts to design models that differentiate effective and noneffective teaching have not produced agreed-upon sets of competencies, characteristics or behaviors…

The difficulties of testing and evaluating physical education pupils are discussed. (JD)

The reliability of the proposed short form of the Revised Illinois Test of Psycholinguistic Abilities (ITPA) was computed on data derived from six-year-old ITPA standardization test booklets (128 Ss). (Author/CL)

The author argues that general intelligence assessment should be abandoned on moral and theoretical grounds, but that the conceptualization, testing, and identification of specific intellectual abilities is both defensible and worthwhile. (MB)

Reviews Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) performance as a function of ethnic group membership in Asian Americans, Blacks, Hispanics, and Native Americans. Recommends issues raised in the review be addressed by research before it can be concluded that new norms for the MMPI are needed for specific ethnic groups. (Author/NB)

The results of exercise testing in 192 apparently healthy women were examined to assess the false-positive rate in cardiovascular response. Findings are presented. It is suggested that varying methods of testing and interpretation may account for the high rate of false positivity in some testing centers. (Author/MT)

Three tests of grammatical ability (Carrow Elicited Language Inventory, Test of Language Development, and Clinical Evaluation of Language Functions) were evaluated for content-oriented test construction. Content domains were found deficient when judged against an external standard as well as when examined according to their own content…