Results of a survey of 47 state departments of public instruction regarding eligibility criteria for the identification of children with mental retardation are compared to results of 1981-82 and 1985-86 surveys. Although states continue to vary widely in definitions and procedures, more states now specify assessments of intelligence, adaptive…

Discusses methods of evaluation that can be used to measure public library effectiveness, based on a conference sponsored by the Council on Library Resources. Topics discussed include the Public Library Effectiveness Study (PLES), quantitative and qualitative evaluation, using evaluative information for resource acquisition and resource…

Adherence to the arbitrary 0.05 level of significance as a benchmark for decisions about publishing research largely accounts for the popularity of one-tailed hypothesis tests. Effect size estimates, accompanied by confidence intervals or exact two-tailed probabilities, are generally more compatible with the growing meta-analytic view of social…

An Australian survey found that early childhood teachers were very supportive of early identification of gifted and talented children, though many had only a fuzzy definition of giftedness and suggested teacher observation as the best identification technique. Teachers who had been involved in gifted education recommended more specific…

A Better Chance, Inc. (ABC) is a national academic talent search agency that identifies gifted minority children and provides them with college preparatory education. ABC uses multiple assessment techniques, including objective factors such as scores on the Secondary School Admission Test, and subjective factors, such as an independent mind and a…

Presents a model for evaluating performance-based instruction that is intended for use by human resource development/performance technology professionals. Highlights include goal setting; program design and implementation; evaluating the use and impact of training; instructional tasks, including sequencing; quality of student products; and…

Discusses budgets for library materials and how to select and evaluate book and serial vendors. Trends in automation, publishing, and economics that affect both libraries and vendors are discussed; and examples from the University of California at Berkeley that include serials service charges and approval plan discounts are presented. (six…

Provides short synopsis of biochemical education leading to a master of science degree at the University of Gulbarga, India. Discusses admissions policy, teaching methods, seminar availability, evaluation schemes, student input, current research areas and projects, and liaison with other institutions and industry. (JJK)

The interrater reliability for 33 pairs of evaluators of a group assessment procedure developed from assessment center techniques was supported in 3 studies in Israel (admission to a counseling program for 109 candidates, admission of 94 candidates to teacher training, and selection of 69 candidates for Army teaching posts). (SLD)

Study of New Zealand public library effectiveness duplicates research by Childers and Van House which examined the multiple constituencies model of organizational effectiveness. Librarians, users, and councillors rated performance indicators identified from the literature, and similarities and differences between the two studies are reported. A…

Research indicates faculty and preservice teachers rank abstract foundations of education courses lowest in contribution and interest level, whereas concrete courses receive high rankings. The paper recommends eliminating student evaluation of faculty and implementing a system of external review of faculty teaching competence and scholarly…

Discusses how legal issues impinge upon teacher competency testing, describing key legal provisions (antitrust protection, due process, equal protection, substantial adverse impact, and business necessity), and examining each one's impact on testing and teacher certification. Recommendations to help teacher educators ensure legal, credible, and…

Documents the changes that occurred in one junior high school reading class as students prepared for a state-mandated test. Shows that discrepancies between the authentic instruction the students were used to and the rigid demands of the reading test were a shock to all involved. Maintains that authentic reading instruction deserves authentic…

This article examines whether Ontario's Special Education Tribunals have expanded the educational rights of exceptional children beyond those legislated, with emphasis on the nature and quality of psychoeducational assessments provided by school boards. The review of litigation finds a number of expanded rights in this area. (Author/DB)

A study compared the performance of 232 Brown University (Rhode Island) medical graduates on senior-year examinations in clinical skills examinations and during residencies, as evaluated by their residency directors. Results indicated a strong correlation between the two evaluations, suggesting that the performance-based undergraduate assessments,…