This paper discusses how to maintain the integrity of national nomative information for achievement tests when the test that is administered has been customized to satisfy local needs and is not a test that has been nationally normed. Alternative procedures for item selection and calibration are examined. (Author/LMO)

Curriculum mapping has evolved as an invaluable communication, planning, and teaching tool. Using this dynamic method, educators can document what is being taught, what students are learning, how well they are learning, and how closely the curriculum reflects local and national standards. This lively, easy-to-use resource is a cohesive and…

There is growing interest in the possibilities of combining research approaches in education and social sciences, as dissatisfaction mounts with the limitations of traditional mono-method studies and with the schism between quantitative and qualitative methods. This book argues the case for combining multiple research methods, and provides…

In this book, experienced educator and presenter Betty Hollas offers scores of strategies for building strong writers in the classroom. Designed with an eye to saving teachers time, the book focuses on: (1) The 3 key things every student needs to remember about each trait; (2) Which books make good read-alouds for the classroom--even for just…

This report is the first in a series of reports on teaching and learning in Foundation-supported schools. This report takes a careful look at instruction and students' academic work. In a subset of reforming schools, it examines whether students are exposed to challenging learning opportunities and whether challenging learning opportunities open…

An ideal companion to "Academic Skills Problems, Third Edition," this user-friendly workbook offers numerous opportunities for practicing and mastering direct assessment and intervention procedures. Practice exercises and forms--some of which are reprinted from the text--are presented in a convenient 8 1/2" x 11" format with…

Columbus State Community College is committed to assessment (measurement) of student achievement of academic outcomes. This process addresses the issues of what each student needs to learn in his or her program of study and if each student is learning what they need to learn. The assessment program at Columbus State Community College has four…

The purpose of this report is to provide a detailed overview of the development and initial validation of the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ). The MSLQ is an 81-item, self-report instrument designed to measure college students' motivational orientations and their use of various learning strategies (Pintrich, Smith, Garcia, &…

Student-centered approach of scoring the concept maps consisted of three elements namely symbol system, individual portfolio and scoring scheme. We scored student-constructed concept maps based on 5 concept map criteria: validity of concepts, adequacy of propositions, significance of cross-links, relevancy of examples, and interconnectedness. With…

Reliability methodology needs to evolve as validity has done into an argument supported by theory and empirical evidence. Nowhere is the inadequacy of current methods more visible than in classroom assessment. Reliability arguments would also permit additional methodologies for evidencing reliability in classrooms. It would liberalize methodology…

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), often called the "Nation's Report Card," is the only nationally representative, continuing assessment of what U.S. students know and can do in various subject areas. NAEP provides a comprehensive measure of students' learning at critical junctures in their school experience. The…

The initial development of a testlet-based algebra test was previously reported (Wainer and Lewis, 1990). This account provides the details of this excursion into the use of hierarchical testlets and validity-based scoring. A pretest of two 15-item hierarchical testlets was carried out in which examinees' performance on a 4-item subset of each…

The achievements and fictional exploits of Davy (or David) Crockett have entered the American imagination--it is difficult to distinguish what he did and said from what has been attributed to him. And it is also difficult to discuss the influence of the frontier on the American temperament without reference to David Crockett. This lesson plan…

This technical manual provides all major existing information about the technical characteristics of the Kentucky Instructional Results Information System (KIRIS). The assessment component of the Kentucky Education Reform Act Accountability System was in use between 1991-92 and 1993-94 and was referred to as Cycle One. Two sets of test…

This technical manual provides information about the technical characteristics of the Kentucky Instructional Results Information System (KIRIS), the assessment component of the Kentucky Education Reform Act Accountability System. The time period covered is Accountability Cycle 2, which spanned the school years 1992-93 through 1995-96. Sections of…