Compared the efficacy of two methods of cluster analysis, the unweighted pair-groups method using arithmetic averages (UPGMA) and Ward's method, for students grouped on intelligence, achievement, and social adjustment by both clustering methods. Found UPGMA more efficacious based on output, on cophenetic correlation coefficients generated by each…

Discusses some of the attributes of microcomputer-based school administration packages that are currently available that can provide small- to medium-size schools with full function computing capabilities for much less cost than mini and mainframe computer systems. (TW)

Meaningful and relevant tests of oral competence in foreign languages must address problems impeding communicative competence such as lack of student motivation, unimaginative questions, inhibitive personal questions, and pictorial tests. Examples of test questions are presented in French. (CB)

Examined children whose Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) verbal and performance Intelligence Quotient discrepancies placed them beyond the 90th percentile. Longitudinal study showed 23 percent of the discrepant cases to be discrepant at two or more ages. Studied frequency of perinatal difficulties, early childhood…

Explains the design and development of BISTATS, a computer application using dBASEIII for compiling bibliographic instruction statistics that was developed at State University College at Buffalo. Highlights include system design and development, data items included in the records, programming procedures, and testing and modifications. (LRW)

Discusses the status of the testing of computational estimation. Suggests ideas to promote needed immediate actions and examines issues related to effective assessment of computational estimation. (PK)

Discusses the use of a bank of about 9,000 test items in a computer-assisted instructional program at Adelaide University (South Australia). Describes the program and outlines the steps in producing an instructional program. (TW)

Compared the performance of 338 children on the Miller Assessment for Preschoolers (MAP) in a follow-up study, to eight indices of school functioning, including retention in school, teachers' observations, assignment to special classes or services, and report card grades. Preschoolers with low MAP scores were significantly more likely to be…

Reviews two articles from "School Psychology Review," volume 15, 1986, which were devoted to preschool assessment, focusing on their relevance to counselors: one article discusses historical and legislative background, offering a conceptual framework on preschool assessment; the other focuses on family assessment using an ecological systems…

Contains four articles about various aspects of science education. Addresses a graded assessment scheme in Great Britain, factors affecting school science achievement in Nigeria, the need to address differentiation in science curricula, and the encouragement of developing science hypothesis in elementary schools. (TW)

Reviews study of 30 graduate students that investigated the possible contribution of pictures to the recall and retention of information presented in written prose. The two variables considered were the durability of picture effects, and the effect on recall of information that was not pictured. (LRW)

Discusses the use of standardized achievement scores to measure the quality of practice-oriented school improvement activities in school districts. Focuses on four areas of concern: the multiple functions of schooling; documentation and data collection; real world complexities; and ethics. Recommends that cautions be taken against exclusive…

A national study of assessment in American undergraduate education by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching concludes that the current debate over assessment does not adequately consider educational goals and reflects divisiveness within and between faculties. (MSE)

Five legal questions are discussed in the conflict between the move to institute minimum competency testing (MCT) for students and the effort to protect the educational rights of handicapped children. The threshold question is whether handicapped children should be subject to the same MCT requirements as the non-handicapped. (PS)

The central thesis of this article is that the process of eliminating validity threats depends fundamentally on no-difference findings, a fact that has not been made explicit by researchers. The implications of this neglect are explored using examples from a number of different substantive areas such as psychology, health, and medicine.…