Describes the Local Child Welfare Services Self-Assessment Manual. The concept of self-assessment, the format of the instruments, rules for checklist administration and summation of responses, as well as field testing procedures, selected results and project outcomes and plans for dissemination are discussed. (Author/RH)

This article examines Umgeni Water's External Education Unit (EEU) to explore the potential of one approach to environmental education. The EEU uses a simple water quality monitoring kit to educate communities on the state of their rivers and catchment areas and warn them of potential dangers facing users of untreated water. (LZ)

The standardization of the French version of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS-III) was conducted after carefully adapting the French version from the U.S. version and extensive field testing. The standardization sample was composed of 1,104 participants from 16 to 89 years. To assess the construct validity of the French version,…

This study examined the extent to which student engagement is associated with a traditional assessment of student knowledge. In this study, ETS Business Major Field Test (MFT) scores were compared to student's self-reported survey responses to specific questions on the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). Areas of the NSSE survey such as…

Second Life is a three-dimensional (3D) electronic environment where members can socialize, hold virtual meetings, or conduct economic transactions. Utilizing virtual environments like Second Life is believed to provide educators with a new medium for teaching and information dissemination that bypasses the normal boundaries associated with…

This article presents the universal design features that were identified during the alpha development of a scheduler software program, known as MySchoolDayOnline, for use in schools, and provides preliminary research on the usability of these features. The study presented here investigated the accessibility and usability of MySchoolDayOnline for…

Purpose: This research was conducted to develop a clinical tool--the Index of Narrative Microstructure (INMIS)--that would parsimoniously account for important microstructural aspects of narrative production for school-age children. The study provides field test age- and grade-based INMIS values to aid clinicians in making normative judgments…

The purpose of this study was to identify the major components of a secondary school counselor's job and translate these job responsibilities into an instrument that could be used by school administrators to identify high quality secondary school counselors during the employment interview. A review of literature resulted in the identification of…

This article discusses field tests that can be used in physical education programs. The most common field tests are anthropometric measurements, which include body mass index (BMI), girth measurements, and skinfold testing. Another field test that is gaining popularity is bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA). Each method has particular strengths…

This document describes a 1998 commissioning statute passed by the Minnesota legislature requiring that mechanical HVAC systems undergo an inspection process to uncover and rectify problems before or shortly after a school building is occupied. The document presents the statute, describes the commissioning/system-inspection process and optional…

External and implementation factors and their potential threats to field test validity and the practical realities of the field testing process on results are discussed. External factors include site selection, negotiations, contracts, site monitoring, training, and type of product. Implementation factors include motivation, dependence on local…

This study investigated the construct and concurrent validity of a 12-minute crawl stroke swim as a field test of swimming endurance. It was found to be valid. (JD)

Advocates the use of randomized field trials to evaluate the effectiveness of educational reform programs. To be useful, evidence from randomized field trails must be disseminated to policymakers and the public. Provides graph showing that since its inception, the "American Education Research Journal" has published only 35 articles…

This article examines the role that field testing plays in environmental measurements now and for the future. Such issues as when field testing should be conducted, the reliability of field tests, regulatory acceptance, cost efficiency, and the use of mobile laboratories are reviewed. (LZ)

The Cooperative Extension Program Evaluation Survey tests seven variables: behavioral change, tax dollars, support, family coping, quality of life, self-esteem, and stress and depression. Tests in family life programs in two states with 244 participants demonstrated its usefulness. (SK)