An alternating treatments design was used to evaluate the effects of the interspersal procedure on an elementary student who was referred to a school psychologist for high rates of off-task behavior during independent seatwork. Results showed that the procedure increased the student's on-task levels during classroom mathematics assignments.…

Content characteristics of 1,400 Graduate Record Examination (GRE) analytical reasoning items were coded for item difficulty and discrimination. The results provide content characteristics for consideration in extending specifications for analytical reasoning items and a better understanding of the construct validity of these items. (TJH)

Defines the Cognitive Difficulty Level (CDL) as number of schemes required for solution (NS) times the required learner's resources (Problem Solving Taxonomy [PST] level). Describes the validation procedures of the CDL index in high-school level electronics. (Author/YP)

Classroom activities used in acting courses that can be useful in developing French second language skills are described. Appropriate adaptations for variety, different purposes, and different skill levels are discussed. (MSE)

Four experiments studied effects of difficulty of word identification on optional conceptual processing by second, third, and fifth graders, and college students in a cued recall task. Results indicated that contrastive processing facilitates recall, and that difficulty of word identification may limit the extent of optional contrastive…

Evaluates the syntactical features (readability) and demands placed on students' memory (number of steps) by basal reader worksheet directions in the three most common basal reading series. Concludes that, with the exception of one series' demand on memory, worksheet directions are not designed according to students' competency level. (RS)

In applying I. I. Bejar's method for detecting the dimensionality of achievement tests, researchers should be cautious in interpreting the slope of the principal axis. Other information from the data is needed in conjunction with Bejar's method of addressing item dimensionality. (SLD)

Eleven preschool children with Down Syndrome were taught new words/graphic symbols (Rebus or modified Bliss) using various treatment conditions. Incorporation of graphic symbols into language intervention programs may facilitate language acquisition, provided the tasks and procedures are appropriate to the child's developmental age and level of…

This holistic approach to speechreading instruction proposes: enhancement of the child's self-motivation, strategy-based instruction, an interactive processing approach that focuses on meaning and psycholinguistic guessing, bisensory instruction, and a hierarchical continuum beginning with easy, successful activities that gradually increase in…

This paper addresses neglected questions in item response theory (IRT): measurement of ability or trait parameters and item difficulty in the Rasch model; measurement of individual change based on a Rasch test; and the general framework for detection of differential item functioning under the Mantel-Haenszel procedure. (SLD)

The power of the nonparametric person-fit statistic, U3, is investigated through simulations as a function of item characteristics, test characteristics, person characteristics, and the group to which examinees belong. Results suggest conditions under which relatively short tests can be used for person-fit analysis. (SLD)

As part of a neuropsychological assessment, 95 adult patients completed either standard or computerized versions of the Category Test. Subjects who completed the computerized version exhibited more errors than those who completed the standard version, suggesting that it may be more difficult. (SLD)

This article evaluates the extent to which syntactic, lexical, and conversational factors can significantly predict the frequency and loci of stuttered moments in children's speech. A synthesis of the experimental and clinical evidence suggests ways in which the assessment and remediation of fluency disorders in children can be tailored to…

An experiment is reported in which 225 high school students were asked to choose among several multiple-choice items but then were required to answer them all. It is concluded that allowing choice while having fair tests is only possible when choice is irrelevant in terms of difficulty. (SLD)

This study assessed the effects of curriculum on technical features (criterion validity and developmental growth rates) within curriculum-based measurement in reading with 91 elementary level handicapped and nonhandicapped students. Correlations between oral reading samples and reading comprehension as well as developmental growth rates were…