The study investigated selected articulation characteristics of 8- to 12-year-old children with severe hearing impairments and the relations between these characteristics and judged adequacy of spontaneous conversational speech. Correlational analyses suppport the usefulness of a single index such as that derived from a comprehensive articulation…

Data contained in the Learning Potential Assessment Device report were compared with information in a standard psychological report for value in educational programming with 146 graduate special education students. Ss rated both reports negatively. Neither report was perceived to be valuable for program planning purposes. (Author/CL)

Nine questions that link performance on the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children to classroom teaching and pupil learning were posed. Results revealed the absence of empirical validation for linking K-ABC scores and altered teaching methods to known and desirable outcomes. (Author/CL)

The article describes a 6-step procedure for using efficiently single-word responses elicited by articulation tests. The procedure involves assessing all consonants within a word rather than only test-target consonants. Responses yield information about articulation ability; frequency of target attainment, substitutions, and deletions; variability…

This paper addresses three key topics related to making state National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) assessments more efficient: (1) reducing the burden for the states; (2) stabilizing the assessment schedule; and (3) facilitating and promoting the use of state NAEP data. The paper recommends promoting the use of state NAEP data for…

It is argued that publishers of achievement tests, especially those who publish tests intended for use in many parts of the United States, are for the most part not in a position to obtain any decent evidence about the consequences of the uses that are made of their tests. What responsibilities and actions publishers can reasonably be expected to…

Principals are increasingly being held accountable for student achievement in the public schools, but there are many questions about how to assess principals' achievement. There are many problems with using the results of standardized testing to assess the achievement of principals. Feedback from teachers appears to be a good way to assess the…

This paper describes the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), developed by I. Myers and K. Briggs (1940s) to assess personality type. Based on Jungian theory, the MBTI has become a tool for identifying the 16 different patterns of action into which every person fits. The 16 personality types are based on patterns of: (1) extraversion-introversion;…

Many individuals working in education-related professions have a variety of needs for educational and psychological tests results regarding their students or clients. This chapter addresses school counselors' use of tests in educational settings and the right to test as a competency-based issue. Although the subject appears on the surface not to…

Tests--typically cognitive achievement tests--are instruments for providing a more sensitive analysis of the learning sequence and of the instruction guiding it. In addition to an overall score, standardized tests provide a variety of subscores that help the teachers identify where a student might be encountering the greatest difficulties. The…

A client of American College Testing, Inc. (ACT) decided to implement a computer-based testing program to replace their paper-pencil format for professional certification. This paper reports on the results of the developed test after 1 year's use, especially as the results relate to test security issues. ACT research shows that a variable length…

This study examined a 20-item diagnostic assessment designed to assess readiness of preschool children for kindergarten. Examination of student scores on the individual items of the assessment led to the proposal of the extraction of testlets composed of groups of related items to use information about students' scores better. This approach…

An extensive review of literature related to the role of standardized tests in the assessment of young children was conducted, and recommendations were made for alternative approaches more appropriate to the assessment of young children. The first section of the paper contains a literature review that provides a brief history of standardized tests…

This paper provides a brief history of attempts to monitor testing in the United States. It describes proposals for monitoring from the first attempts in the 1920s to similar proposals in the 1990s. The discussion focuses on: (1) Giles Ruche's proposal for a consumer research bureau on tests; (2) Oscar K. Burros' reviews of tests and efforts to…

Examined the relationship between hopelessness and suicidal intent and whether the Beck Hopelessness Scale is confounded by social desirability, by interviewing attempted suicide patients (N=54). Results showed that hopelessness was the key variable in predicting suicidal behavior and ideation, and social desirability had no influence on…