Presents two views of the place of technology in the National Standards Project, which aims to establish a national examination system to improve the performance of U.S. school children. Standards to promote technological literacy, the use of technology to assess performance, and the timetable for setting standards are discussed. (KRN)

Reports on a study investigating whether a field-specific oral proficiency test would be a better predictor of field-specific performance than a general purpose oral proficiency test. A theoretical discussion is presented on field-specific language testing and guidelines for the construction of oral proficiency tests in specific purpose contexts.…

At Mundelein (Illinois) High School, alternative assessments of student learning (portfolios, debates, learning logs, interviews, mock trials, and research reports) are replacing traditional testing practices. Alternative assessment bumped into everything else, necessitating changes in master scheduling, records management, curriculum, and teacher…

This article presents a schema designed to guide the development of theory, methodology, and research related to the psychoeducational assessment of African-American learners with gifts and talents. The relationships among African-American worldviews, needed psychoeducational assessment theory and methodology, and desirable assessment and…

In two studies, college students and sixth and ninth graders determined a hypothesis from data and were given opportunities to gather further data and test the hypothesis. Little evidence for students' confirmation bias, or tendency to avoid seeking and considering data that disconfirmed the hypothesis, was found. (BC)

Argues that Jensen's article contains an inaccurate and misleading account of Spearman's work and distorts the basic concepts of factor analysis. The target article has failed in all its main objectives; its major failing is a result of the irrelevance of factor analysis to the study of group differences. (SLD)

Two experiments with approximately 377 newly enlisted Air Force personnel and 182 college students investigated the validity of a reading span test combining a knowledge verification task with a word memorization task. Results support the hypothesis that word recall reflects the amount of working memory functional in reading. (SLD)

Describes how alternative assessment differs from more traditional forms and outlines the forces causing the recent fascination with alternative assessment (demands for accountability, negative consequences of high-stakes testing, and increasing criticisms of standardized tests). Identifies some major issues involving alternative assessment,…

Computer activities can help children learn fundamental principles and collect information for use in problem solving. Because standardized tests do not accurately measure students' problem-solving skills and teacher-made tests are often unreliable, educators should peruse the "Mental Measurements Yearbook" series for more appropriate…

Seventy-nine male and 89 female adolescents participated in a study concerning identification and socioemotional situations. Subjects included 22 many-sided gifted achievers, 45 one-sided gifted achievers, 27 gifted underachievers, and 74 controls. Results suggest that the general self-concept of high school students, including the gifted, is…

Compared Career Key (CK) with Career Decision Making System (CDMS) to find out how helpful students find these instruments in learning about suitable occupations and to explore extent to which they stimulate career exploration. Findings from 221 eleventh graders revealed that students gave CK positive ratings on helpfulness. Neither CDMS nor CK…

An experimental study was designed to evaluate the effect on French language proficiency of an integrated, formal, analytic and functional, communicative approach to second-language teaching in French immersion. The study consisted of 315 grade 7 early French immersion students. (28 references) (VWL)

The degree to which reading ability and intelligence, as measured by the Raven Progressive Matrices Test, were related was studied for 486 students in grades 2 through 12 in a small town, rural school system. Results indicate the strong and consistent relationship between general intelligence and reading ability. (SLD)

Describes an intensive 2-week Operation Physics Institute at Western Washington University for 67 elementary and middle school teachers designed to improve science instruction. Presented several discrepant events in physics; teachers explained the events with scientific methods with the aid of concept lists. (KS)

Comments that multiple-choice tests are objective, test some knowledge, and are easy to grade, but often ask for little more than rote recall. Offers a structure for multiple-choice questions that require evaluative thinking skills as well as knowledge of the facts. Includes discussion of objectivity, preparation, and memorization. (DK)