The principal goals of the State University of New York (SUNY) Brockport's large-scale writing assessment are to determine if a writing program actually helps students to write better and, if so, whether that growth can be measured during the college years. Portfolio assessment has become an attractive alternative to single-test essay at SUNY…

This booklet presents seven complete portfolios (each consisting of four pieces of writing) and selections from seven other successful portfolios submitted by 1992 incoming freshmen to Miami University. The portfolios or selections in the booklet were considered to be truly outstanding among the 465 portfolios submitted in 1992. Authors of the…

This paper discusses issues concerning inclusion of children with special health care needs in the regular classroom. Six categories of health conditions are discussed in terms of their implications for the educational setting. These are: (1) "hidden" conditions (e.g., juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, sickle cell anemia, asthma, and cystic…

This paper examines the process of developing a measuring instrument to measure basic skills in mathematics for those students entering post-secondary vocational education programs. The paper is organized around the steps in the process of developing such an instrument. The first section addresses the need to define conceptually the construct of…

Inclusion of students with disabilities, especially those with mental retardation, has come to mean the placement of all students in general education classrooms, sometimes with limited planning for the individual needs of each student. Several court cases, laws, and movements have brought about the level of inclusion that exists today. However,…

The extent of grade retention in Massachusetts is assessed in this report, which examines current research on grade retention and suggests alternative practices for dealing with low achieving students. Data were derived from the Chapter 188 Individual School Report for 1987-88, an annual survey of Massachusetts conducted by the Department of…

In response to a state-wide request in 1986-87 from the governor of Missouri, public institutions of higher education undertook assessment projects related to their students' basic skills. English faculty at Missouri Western State College conducted a composition assessment project in which they used timed holistically scored writing as a means of…

The practice of student grouping from the perspective of critical school district involvement in the proposed program is examined in this report, with a focus on the relationship between grouping program outcomes and the degree of district support. Four school districts in Texas participated in two substudies: the first examined the performance of…

The final report details results of the Albuquerque Integration Outreach Project, designed to increase awareness about serving young handicapped children in mainstream settings. The performance section presents data on seven project objectives, including developing a project brochure, conducting awareness workshops, disseminating research results…

Research is reviewed on second language learning and implications for student assessment and placement of limited English proficient (LEP) students in special education are addressed. To support her contention that the most effective mode of instruction for an LEP child requiring special education should be within the framework of the child's own…

Designed to assess a reader's achievement in various reading skills for the purpose of instructional placement, the instrument contains three forms (A, B, C), each of which contains 50 items. The items test comprehension of idioms and direct statements, with emphasis on drawing inferences. Administration time for each test is 25 minutes. (This…

The impact of the reforms instituted at Miami-Dade Community College (MDCC) during the past 5 years is examined in this report. After noting the success of the Academic Alert program in providing earlier classroom assessment and feedback to students, the report looks at the influences of the reinstatement of placement testing for…

As part of an ongoing effort to understand the nature of student performance and persistence at Southwestern College (SC), a study was conducted in fall 1976 to determine the effect of reading ability on student course performance. An analysis of the Nelson-Denny Reading Test (NDRT) scores of 4,610 students revealed that, on an average, students…

Covered in an interview with a parent, an administrator, and a policy specialist are issues related to due process procedures for handicapped children. (CL)

Summarized were results of an analysis of placement factors with 7,427 children enrolled in primary and intermediate classes for the educable mentally retarded in Virginia during 1971-72. (DB)