The authors of this volume's stimulus papers have taken on the challenge of developing measures of teachers' mathematical knowledge for teaching (MKT). This task involves multiple decisions and considerations, including: (1) How does one specify the body of knowledge being assessed? What warrants are offered for those choices?; (2) How does one…

The Secondary Level Proficiency (SLEP) test, offered by the SLEP School Services Program at the Educational Testing Service, measures English language listening comprehension and reading comprehension skills. It was developed for use with nonnative-English speaking students in grades 7 through 12. The SLEP is administered and scored locally, and…

A study compared the performance of 44 applicants seeking admission to an alternative high school (n=19) and nursing assistant program (n=25) at a Wisconsin postsecondary institution on the Assessment of Student Skills for Entry Transfer (ASSET) test and the Nelson-Denny Reading Test. (Applicants who did not achieve a minimum score on ASSET then…

This report deals with the question of obtaining insights into states of prior knowledge and exploring knowledge state tests and knowledge state profiles. The first part introduces a few basic terms important in the context of prior knowledge state. Evaluation and the validity, reliability, and usefulness of tests are considered in a prior…

In 1991 the Measurement and Evaluation Center of the University of Texas at Austin was asked to develop a test for credit by examination in four lower division courses in Japanese. The test (in Japanese) was constructed from locally developed items provided by instructors of Japanese. The developed test consisted of 80 items distributed among…

The Second International Mathematics Study was conducted in 20 countries under the sponsorship of the International Association for Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA). Among the instruments used in this study was a questionnaire investigating student attitudes about school, instruction, and mathematics. The fit of an a priori model that…

The term "Flow Experiences" refers to periods of deep, intense involvement in activities that challenge but do not overwhelm one's skills. As conceptualized by M. Csikszentmihalyi (1990), Flow represents a distinct state of consciousness that integrates high but effortless concentration, intrinsic motivation, loss of awareness of self…

Available test score evidence does not support the common claim that student achievement has declined. On the other hand, the existing evidence cannot be used to prove that student achievement has risen. This paper offers reasons why student achievement in the past cannot be compared accurately with student achievement today: (1) tests, curricula,…

This book examines approaches to the evaluation of students' critical thinking on programmatic, school-based, and classroom levels. The first chapter examines the nature of critical thinking and offers a definition as well as an appraisal of the definition. The second chapter looks at methods of gathering quality information on students' critical…

This packet contains the user's manual and profile sheets for the Vocational Assessment Protocol (VAP), a functional skills profile of vocational-related factors intended for use in the vocational rehabilitation of persons who have acquired a traumatic brain injury. The VAP consists of nine structured rating instruments and a structural summary…

To facilitate learning, teachers often employ varied teaching strategies and activities to accommodate different learning style preferences in students. This study explored elementary school students' preferences for learning environments, providing a pilot validation of the 40-question "If I Were in Charge of the Class" learning preference…

The evolution of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) and certification process is traced. The challenges posed by combining, for certification purposes, the scores from internal and external assessments of school candidates are discussed in the face of the low reliability of teachers'…

A study at Brigham Young University (Utah) investigated the feasibility of computer-assisted language placement testing in higher education. Benefits and problems of this approach for test administration, individualization of item selection, and recordkeeping were examined. Four steps were followed in production of a test for Spanish placement:…

This study offers field estimates of the factor validity and internal consistency reliability of the Self-Esteem Index (SEI) using SEI data from 208 regular and special education students in grades 3, 4, and 5. Exploratory factor analytic results support the existence of four factors as anticipated; however, various inconsistencies are noted…

A method was developed for assessing the extent to which a test reflects the topics addressed in the problems presented in a problem-based learning environment (curriculum validity). The intended curriculum for a unit from the second year of medical school at the University of Limburg in Maastricht (Netherlands) was analyzed, and an 132-item topic…