Compares the use of four different versions of a map by fourth and fifth grade students with a computerized adventure game which simulated an environmental exploration. Variables examined included type of map and student gender, ability to learn place location information while playing the game, and enjoyment of the game. (RP)

Reviews historic approaches to grade retention, what research does and does not show about retention, and some factors to weigh when considering retention. Focuses on models developed by H. Wayne Light and Laurence Lieberman. Includes a sample elementary school promotion policy and a sample retention referral form. (IW)

Lists suggestions for alternative methods of evaluation that will bring teaching and evaluation methods into close correspondence (as opposed to following creative teaching with a memorization test). Contends methods of evaluation should become part of the learning process, not just measure recall of information given by the teacher. (SKC)

Discusses achievement motivation among distance education students, and describes a study of Kenyan primary school teachers enrolled in an in-service training course taught primarily through correspondence. A modified Thematic Apperception Test will be used to determine the correlation between achievement motive and performance score in written…

Developed a teacher's rating scale of self-esteem for children. Participants were 231 school children in grades K-7. Used sociometric measures, popularity ranking by teachers, and the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory to estimate validity. The Self-Esteem Rating Scale for Children (SERSC) included 12 behavioral characteristics rated most…

Describes statewide results on minimum competency testing (MCT) programs newly implemented in Texas, and discusses initial efforts to predict the impact of a specific statewide MCT program on retention and graduation in Houston. Suggests that the new MCT requirements, by discouraging high risk students who previously might have stayed in school,…

Describes efforts in Ohio to assess the mathematics and English skills of high school juniors so that students can undertake corrective education if needed prior to entering college. Explains Clark Technical College's Early English Assessment Program, which uses the College Board's Written English Expression Placement Test. (DMM)

Describes the computer literacy requirement of the Professional Teacher Preparation Program at Arizona State University. Highlights include microcomputer-based software used; word processing; database skills; spreadsheet tasks; teacher utilities for producing graphic materials, generating tests and practice exercises, and keeping records; and…

Precision teaching can accelerate basic skills progress of special needs children. Issues discussed include using probes as performance tests, charting daily progress, using the charted data to modify teaching methods, determining appropriate age levels, assessing the number of students to be precision taught, and carefully allocating time. (JDD)

Reports on a study using two alternatives for evaluating the quality of teaching and courses in an undergraduate engineering program. Results indicate that the relationship between a global problem and individual questions is highly correlated. (TW)

Two experiments investigated perceptual primacy of dimensional and similarity relations in stimulus classifications of younger and older subjects. Results support a differential-sensitivity view of perceptual development which asserts that individuals at all ages primarily perceive and use separate relations. (RWB)

The Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children and Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence (WPPSI) were administered to Anglo- and Mexican-American children aged four to six. Both scales measured similar, but not identical, intellectual and achievement factors, indicating concurrent validity. Anglo children scored higher on WPPSI verbal…

Reviews a number of tests that persons applying for engineering jobs may encounter including drugs, honesty, polygraph, personality and job skills tests. Discusses some problems with tests. Defines discrimination in hiring. States that job applicants usually will not take a test for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). (CW)

Presents the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) position statement and administrative and teacher guidelines on the selection, use, and interpretation of standardized tests in the testing of young children (ages three to eight years). (BB)

Itemizes several concerns for schools as they attempt to meet mandated assessment procedures in mathematics. Areas which are discussed include the amount of paper work, pupil transfer, parental involvement, staff changes, unmotivated pupils, pupil overload, storage space and the need for moderation. (PK)