Results of standardized tests taken by students in the Austin (Texas) Independent School District are reported. Emphasis is on tests developed for the state of Texas, but results from other standardized tests are also reported. In October 1990, 22,443 students in grades 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11 took the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS),…

A test of English language proficiency designed for administration to school children with severe disabilities is presented. The test packet contains a manual for test administrators, a five-page form for recording student testing data, and a score sheet. The manual offers an introduction to the instrument, including its rationale, definitions of…

The use of log-linear models for investigating differential item functioning (DIF) associated with examinee/respondent background characteristics was examined. The Likert-type items used in this study were drawn from a 36-item self-report measure--the Suicide Probability Scale. Specifically, log-linear models were used to investigate whether…

Leading educational researchers focused on education in the 21st century in a discussion of their ongoing work. Discussion was initially limited to the issue of cognitive strategies, skills, or styles that might be relevant to the year 2050. Subsequent discussion turned to consideration of aspects of ongoing research that hold the greatest promise…

Problems with performance assessment (PA) and multiple-choice tests (MCTs) are outlined, with reference to the literature on accountability. PA for individual teachers who should integrate their assessments with their instruction; PA as a supplement to more traditional examinations for licensure decisions; and some limited, experimental tryouts of…

Based on Fiedler's Contingency Model of Leadership Effectiveness and Leader-Match program, this study's hypothesis is that experienced school principals increase their effectiveness by changing key organizational variables to suit their personal leadership styles. Following V. D. McNamara's application of Fiedler's contingency model in a study of…

Issues arising from the need to develop better English proficiency testing for foreign students are discussed, considering three distinct groups of interested people: (1) the students; (2) decisionmakers responsible for the students' admission throughout the institution, including all faculty; and (3) field specialists, including teachers of…

Teacher education is faced with critical problems, including establishing its own credibility. One assumption often made is that other professions do a more creditable job of monitoring those who enter their ranks and that teacher education might profit by emulating those groups who have been presumably more successful. The concept of relicensing…

In 1979, Act 187, known now as the Educator Improvement Act, was mandated by the legislature of the State of South Carolina. One tenet of Act 187 was the establishment of an Educator Improvement Task Force to develop an instrument which could effectively measure minimal teaching competencies. To help in the content and design of the instrument,…

The Center for the Study of Evaluation Systems Project focuses on assessing the costs and impacts of managing testing, evaluation, and instructional (T/E/I) systems through a collection of nine papers: (1) "School District Evaluation Offices: Are They Worth the Money?," by Richard C. Williams and Pam McGranahan; (2) "How Two…

Although the results of minimum competency tests need to be interpreted with caution, data on the Texas Assessment of Basic Skills (TABS) for 1980-82 clearly indicate the inadequate results of remedial programs for minority students in Texas. Secondary analysis of the data shows that overall performance on exit level math and reading tests…

This handbook is intended to provide parents and students with an orientation to the high schools in the Rowland Unified School District (California). It can also serve as a model for other districts and schools which are developing orientation handbooks. Topics which are covered include: (1) school district personnel; (2) counseling and guidance…

Perspectives concerning college admissions and the transition to postsecondary education are analyzed, based on June 1982 hearings and discussions held in Chicago, Illinois, for the National Commission on Excellence in Education. Issues addressed in the public hearing include: (1) the relationship between declining enrollments and admissions…

This guide was prepared to assist vocational teachers in developing and implementing competency-based education in their classrooms and laboratories throughout secondary vocational and adult programs in Virginia. The guide may also (1) provide general and specific information on competency-based education (CBE); (2) serve as a resource for…

A student flow model is presented to raise the awareness of administrators and community leaders regarding the impact of proposed testing requirements in the state of Florida; i.e., the addition of a State Student Assessment Test (SSAT) of functional literacy, a statewide college entry level test, and the College Level Academic Skills Test (CLAST)…