This study, involving 30 elementary students with learning disabilities, found that students performed significantly better on mathematics tests given using a computer than by paper and pencil. It found no differences among variations of computer-assisted instruction, with either static or animated pictures and either utilizing or not utilizing a…

This paper discusses developments in special education classroom observational assessment. Conceptual advances include increased focus on assessment with practical value for teaching and benefits gained from merging classroom instructional factors with behavior. Methodological advances include development of ecobehavioral observation protocols and…

This study compared the effects of five constructed response answer evaluation strategies on both student achievement and instructional time during computer-based learning: (1) computerized evaluation only; (2) student self-evaluation; (3) computerized and self-evaluation; (4) self-evaluation with required elaboration; and (5) computer and…

Describes the production of a computer-aided, self-testing system for university students enrolled in a first-year course in biological psychology. Project aspects described include selection, acquisition and description of software; question banks and test structures; modes of use (computer or printed version); evaluation; and future plans. (11…

Discusses the research and steps needed to develop performance-based and computer-adaptive assessments that are culturally responsive. Supports the development of a new conceptual framework and more explicit guidelines for designing culturally responsive assessments. (SLD)

Describes the use of the Northwest Evaluation Association's Achievement Level Test for Reading as an assessment tool in an elementary school to measure student progress in reading. Discusses interpreting scores across grade levels; computerized versions; linking test items to new curriculum; reducing reading class size; and the role of technology.…

Examines the process of developing an English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) cloze test by computer based on a language corpus. Two such tests developed and pilot-tested in Hong Kong were found to have test items that were not as good as they would have been if designed by a competent human, but better than expected. (Author/MSE)

Describes two methods of introducing computer-assisted assessment (CAA) using Question Mark software. The University of Luton uses CAA for summative assessment; Loughborough University uses CAA mainly for formative assessment. Both have central units to provide support and development for staff wishing to use CAA in instruction. Students at each…

Describes a tool for building software systems which replace the role of the examiner during a typical Italian academic exam in technical/scientific subjects. Such systems are designed to exploit the advantages of self-adapted testing for reducing effects of anxiety, and of computerized adaptive testing for increasing assessment efficiency.…

Examines the use and effectiveness of software to help students pass the mathematics portion of the Ohio Ninth Grade Proficiency Test. Results indicated that administrative support, teachers' instructional style, teachers' perceived priority of learning about computers and software, computer availability and access, technical assistance, and…

This article presents further analyses of a pilot study that examined the effectiveness of a computerized language screening instrument for 60 multicultural children (ages 7-8). Results suggest that because of its computerization and language learnability features, this innovative instrument may be an effective alternative to current screening…

At the Orange County Public School District in Orlando, Florida, assessing reading skills among the youngest students used to be quite a process. Relying on rudimentary products such as paper and pencils, the strategy hinged on the bubble sheets teachers administered to students once a year. After teachers scored the exams, they sent them to the…

Research on computer-based writing evaluation has only recently focused on the potential for providing formative feedback rather than summative assessment. This study tests the impact of an automated essay scorer (AES) that provides formative feedback on essay drafts written as part of a series of online teacher education case studies. Seventy…

Student evaluation of instruction in college and university courses has been a routine and mandatory part of undergraduate and graduate education for some time. A major shortcoming of the process is that it often relies exclusively on the opinions or qualitative judgments of students rather than the learning or transfer of knowledge that takes…

The attractiveness of computer-based tests (CBTs) is due largely to their capability to expand the ways we conduct testing. A relatively unexplored application, however, is actively using the computer to reduce construct-irrelevant variance while a test is being administered. This investigation introduces the effort-monitoring CBT, in which the…