The impact of test item multidimensionality was examined as it affected fitting items on a teacher licensure test to an item response theory (IRT) model. Test item data from the 1990 study of G. W. Guiton and G. Delandshere are used. The Connecticut Elementary Certification Test (CONNECT) is a licensure examination designed to assess the subject…

This study investigated different loci of instructional control and prior background knowledge in terms of two aspects of metacognitive effects (utilization and correctness of metacognitive monitoring) and two aspects of cognitive effects (knowledge acquisition and application). The study also investigated the effectiveness of learner strategies…

The results are provided of an initial analysis of the reliability (generalizability) of the System for Teaching and Learning Assessment and Review (STAR) as a comprehensive measure of classroom teaching and learning for making teacher certification decisions. The STAR contains 140 indicators of teacher effectiveness and student learning, which…

The statute authorizing the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) calls for the National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB) to set appropriate achievement levels in all areas and grades tested by the NAEP. These levels are intended to establish what students should know, not just what they do know. In 1990, the NAEP posited three…

Issues related to the Education Reform Bill of Ohio are discussed. Administration of norm-referenced achievement tests in reading, mathematics, language, and related school-ability tests is required for grades 4, 6, and 8 (effective by 1990) and grade 10 (effective by 1991). The reform bill specifies rewards and sanctions in addition to statewide…

Minimal class participation by students with limited English proficiency (LEP), and LEP student failure to pass regular classroom tests were addressed through cooperative learning in a second grade science class. Classroom techniques used included strategies for using the scientific method of investigation, hands-on activities, experiments, music,…

Designed to assist community college practitioners in understanding and utilizing standardized test results for making instructional, guidance, and administrative decisions, this three-part guidebook examines the uses of test results, the evaluation of standardized tests, and procedures for interpreting test scores. Section I discusses the…

Five papers presented at a symposium during the 1991 annual conference of the National Council on Measurement in Education explore the design, development, and implementation of the Texas Master Teacher Examination (TMTE) Program. Educational policymakers have begun to maintain that the professionalization of teaching can be substantially…

The activities of Sacramento City College's (SCC's) Assessment Center are described in this report for April 1, 1982 through October 31, 1982. After revealing a 12.13% increase in the use of the Assessment Center over the previous year, the report provides data on the reading levels of SCC students and shows that through the college's assessment…

To assess the impact of economic deprivation on students' reading scores in standardized tests, the vocabulary and reading comprehension portions of the California Achievement Test and the Degree of Reading Power test were admininstered to two groups of eighth grade students--60 students participating in the federal free lunch program and 60…

The oral Red Cloud Reading Test provides a complete analysis of reading level and skills for American Indian students in grades 1-7 or for high school and adult students reading at or below high school levels. The test determines the basic and recreational reading levels, identifies reading problems, determines reading speeds, and analyzes the…

This learning module, one in a series of 127 performance-based teacher education learning packages focusing upon specific professional competencies of vocational teachers, deals with assessing student affective (attitudinal) performance. Addressed in the individual learning experiences are the following topics: understanding the rationale and…

This study was performed to develop and test a theoretical model of the barriers and supports experienced by employees at a major land-grant university that affect their likelihood of incorporating place-based or indigenous knowledge (IK) into their teaching, research, and/or outreach activities. To test this model, we conducted a statewide survey…

South Africa's perpetuation, through its various public agencies, of separating its ethnic/language groups has gradually fostered a negative response among university educators toward the role of second language teaching and testing. As a result of this attitude, future language teachers are not learning the necessary skills or appropriate…

In an effort to improve the science education program in the Washington School District (Phoenix, Arizona) the school system focused its efforts in the 1983-84 school year on the development of an activity oriented laboratory science program for grades 4-6. This document describes the plan for implementing that program. The implementation…