This document discusses a test devised for a university level English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) course that tests students' conversational ability. The test has been used successfully in a Japanese university English communication class over three years. Learning not only to speak but to listen and respond appropriately to others is also an…

The aim of this study was to look at the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) data for 10th graders from 1998 and investigate whether these differences were significant when using the mathematics and science achievement scores. In addition, the variables of socioeconomic status, gender, and types of courses taken in mathematics and…

Generally, immersion is carried out in circumstances where children who speak the majority language are taught the minority language. In this way, the security of the language learners is secured in intensive teaching. In Pietarsaari, Finland, an experiment on language immersion has been started, in which minority Finnish children with a…

The purpose of this research is to examine the detailed components of Japanese students' English speaking ability in terms of communicative competence by using an oral proficiency test based on Bachman's Communicative Language Ability model (included in an appendix). Eighty college students were tested on four tasks--speech making, visual material…

This digest reviews testing and score reporting requirements contained in the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) and examines factors that could delay or dilute the Act's guarantee of educational accountability for the academic achievement of all children. It outlines how states will implement federally-mandated testing requirements,…

This report provides K-12 educators with instructional strategies that research shows have the greatest likelihood of positively affecting student learning. The 12 chapters include: (1) "Introduction"; (2) "Identifying Similarities and Differences (comparing, classifying, creating metaphors, and creating analogies); (3)…

This Action Plan has been developed to ensure the success of the Arkansas Smart Step Initiative, the part of the Arkansas Comprehensive Testing, Assessment and Accountability Program (ACTAAP) that focuses on grades 5 through 8. As do other aspects of the ACTAAP, the Smart Start Initiative has four components, each of which is described here: (1)…

At the administration of the Delaware Student Testing Program (DSTP) science and social studies tests in 2000, a questionnaire survey was given to students in grades 4 and 6. Survey questions were developed in three categories: (1) Opportunity To Learn; (2) Science; and (3) Social Studies. Student responses were analyzed by test, grade, gender,…

This final report presents findings of a Wyoming research project designed to test the possibility of using interactive technology in the assessment, at a distance, of infants and toddlers in rural or frontier areas. The project compared the quality of reports developed when a transdisciplinary assessment team conducted assessments either in…

This bulletin examines the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention's Juvenile Accountability Incentive Block Grants (JAIBG) program, which asserts that juvenile offenders should be held accountable for their crimes as a matter of basic justice and to prevent and deter delinquency. It reviews the developmental perspective shaping…

A project was conducted to revise the list of assessment instruments that Pennsylvania Department of Education, Bureau of Adult Basic and Literacy Education (ABLE)-funded agencies are permitted to use to report learner gains. Through a mail survey, the project researched 19 standardized assessment instruments used by agencies for reporting learner…

This guide provides information about the assessment and inclusion of all students in statewide and district assessment programs. In particular, it focuses on tactics for including students with disabilities in assessment to achieve a more complete picture of student learning and educational accountability. It is designed to help Wisconsin…

This final report discusses the outcomes of a project designed to extend the nation's current emphasis on health-related, criterion-referenced fitness testing and programming to children and adolescents with disabilities. It summarizes project activities leading up to the Brockport Physical Fitness Test and related measures. Activities included:…

This paper describes the development work and research findings of an initiative to create a statewide literacy assessment in New York to inform teaching and learning and report on group performance trends. The Early Literacy Profile (ELP) is a classroom-based, standards-referenced performance assessment for students in the primary grades…

This study provides some evidence of significant differences between the Redundancy and Bottom-to-Top Models in sequencing four-semester elementary and intermediate Spanish courses using the ACT Spanish Test Form 1 as the dependent variable. T-test results of independent samples (unequal variances model) were 0.056. Results also indicated that…