This report presents the preliminary development and field-testing of an observational system designed specifically to describe teacher-student dyadic interaction in second language instructional settings. (Author)

Reviews the test titled Psychological Testing of Minorities and notes that this book brings to the forum by which education may be made accessible to the underprivileged people of society without penalizing them for not belonging to the middle class mainstream culture. (Author/AM)

For the benefit of policy makers who envision a change in the controls placed on student examining, a case study is presented of an institution that has not attempted an honor system and that has not seen a noticeable decline in courses with formal examinations. Procedures at Harvard's Faculty of Arts and Sciences are described. (LBH)

This Handbook is intended to help educators understand testing, interpret test results, and defend the selection, construction, and use of tests. The Handbook, tailored to the needs of educators, analyzes only tests used by educators. The Handbook contains more than 100 reviews of tests used routinely to make education decisions and assess skills…

This digest presents an overview of accommodations for students of limited English proficiency (LEP) and an overview of inclusion practices on statewide assessments, with emphasis on the accommodation known as linguistic simplification. The inclusion of LEP students in statewide testing programs over the last decade has been uneven. In the…

Alternate assessments provide a mechanism for students with complex disabilities to be included in assessment systems. An integral part of maximizing the benefits of assessing students is to include the results of alternate assessments in school accountability systems. This report addresses policy options for including the results of alternate…

This book explains the range of assessment techniques that monitor learning effectively. It provides step-by-step procedures for a standards-based approach to classroom assessment and strategies for aligning curriculum, instruction, and assessment. Examples show how to implement each form of assessment. The chapters are: (1) "An Overview of…

This guide is designed for companies that are working to strengthen schools. It is meant to help state and local business leaders become more effective advocates for building and sustaining the necessary community support for rigorous assessments of student achievement. The ultimate goal of educational improvement efforts must be to improve…

This reference guide contains clear and concise explanations of concepts related to educational testing and standards. The book may be read straight through as a primer on educational assessment or may be used as a reference for particular topics. The sections are: (1) Accountability (Consumers, Taxpayers, and Citizens); (2) Authenticity in…

The Department of Measurement, Statistics, and Evaluation (EDMS) at the University of Maryland is working to develop Master's degree programs that are oriented around developing assessment professionals for work in applied settings. Two fundamentally different sets of experiences are being developed: (1) assessment development, administration, and…

This paper discusses students with disabilities who do not fit into large-scale traditional assessment systems, seeks to clarify what is meant by "gray areas of assessment," delineates the primary issues that surround and contribute to gray areas, and provides suggestions for developing fully inclusive systems. It provides brief case studies of…

Describes the formative evaluation of Project IMPACT, a computer-based information system designed to provide school personnel with frequent systematic evaluation information on student progress. Preliminary evidence indicates that with this information instructors can modify instruction to meet the needs of the students and thereby may increase…

Discusses reasons why standardized tests and their use are important topics of discussion. Testing is: widely used in schools and supported by the public; criticized by both educational and noneducational groups; only minimally a part of teachers'/administrators' training; constantly being changed and developed. (LC)

Instructional programs organized according to modern educational technology are discussed within the purposes of criterion-referenced measurements used. The problems of criterion-referenced measurements include scoring and score interpretation, item and test analysis, and mastery testing. An overview of solutions and approaches to the problems and…

Whether culturally biased tests are useful depends on what is meant by that phrase and the purpose for which the test is to be used. Keeping the distinction between aptitude and achievement in mind, different definitions of fair use of tests come from different sets of societal values. (Author/CM)