The goal of the project was to validate, refine, and develop plans for implementation of a performance-based challenge test in the cognitive and psychomotor aspects of basic clothing construction skills that could be utilized for grades 7-14. An advisory board and a jury panel representing the three instructional levels provided assistance in…

Group process and rating techniques were used to create a scale for measuring severity and frequency of 24 problem behaviors in institutionalized mentally retarded persons. A substantial correlation was found between scores and staff-time allocations, indicating usefulness of the scale as a predictor of staffing requirements for behavior…

Reports progress on developing a self-concept scale for preschool children. Discusses promising psychometric properties for the Piers Preschool Pictorial Self-Concept Scale. Directions for future research include: (1) item comparisons and scale validity studies using related instruments, (2) comparisons for subjects from diverse ethnic…

Discusses some difficulties that medical students experience in taking exams containing multiple choice questions. Differentiates between multiple true/false type questions, in which several answers may be true, and one-out-of-four type, in which only one answer is correct. Provides tips for taking and making multiple choice tests. (TW)

Describes design of an item bank for use with lower ability mathematics students in Scottish secondary schools. Aspects of bank usage discussed include raw score translation to measures on validated scales, test design for various purposes, and ways of recording and analyzing results. Test examples with corresponding outputs are given. (Author/MBR)

Finding ways to improve the design of large-scale tests is a timely issue. Recent changes in Federal legislation (including the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001) have placed greater emphasis on accountability via large-scale tests. Students who have previously been exempted from large-scale assessments, including students with disabilities and…

The purpose of instruction, whether face-to-face or online, is to facilitate student achievement of intended learning objectives. Traditionally, the major function of classroom assessment in undergraduate and graduate university courses has been to measure the individual student's learning in order to provide feedback to the student and to…

"Research Highlights" is an annual publication documenting developments in the Australian Council for Educational Research's (ACER's) research programs for the previous year. The 2003 edition highlights research on the following themes: (1) Australian students excel in international study; (2) Assessing the moral and ethical outcomes of…

Developing a comprehensive strategy for postsecondary education that will meet the needs of America's diverse population and help ensure our ability to compete in the global economy is vital to the growth of our nation. Key to improving performance of our colleges and universities is measuring that performance. In this paper, the authors assert…

Since its introduction in 1983, Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences has attracted widespread interest among educators. The chapters in this book describe alternative assessments that capture the range of intelligences, allow the intelligences to be given more equal weight, use intelligence-fair formats, and focus on student…

The annotated bibliography describes foreign language assessment instruments currently used in elementary and middle schools. The instruments are drawn from a wide variety of program models: Foreign Language in the Elementary School (FLES), middle school sequential instruction, and immersion (total, two-way, partial). The bibliography has six…

This document, which is intended for curriculum managers, student services managers, and learning support managers in further education (FE) colleges throughout the United Kingdom, presents the practical experiences of FE colleges that have implemented a range of approaches to initial assessment and offers technical information, good practice…

The Physical Therapy Department of Nova Southeastern University (NSU PT) changed its curriculum to problem-based learning, and in conjunction with changes needed new evaluation forms for accreditation and program requirements. The purpose of this practicum study was the development and validation of faculty and course evaluation forms for students…

An online survey investigated the development of alternate assessments for students with disabilities who cannot participate in state and district-wide assessment programs. Responses from all 50 states, American Samoa, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Marshall Islands, Virgin Islands, and Washington, D.C. found there is a divergence in who is involved in…

The purpose of this study was to develop a reliable and valid measurement for the identification of Internet addictive high school students. There were 615 subjects selected by a stratified sampling from the population of Taiwanese 10th to 12th graders. The final version of the Internet Addiction Scale for Taiwan High Schoolers (IAST) contained 20…