The validity of inferences drawn from readiness tests used to place children in a regular or a 2-year kindergarten program was investigated. Data from nine school districts in Virginia were used in the study. The study explored technical characteristics of four commonly used readiness tests: the Brigance Kindergarten and First Grade Screen, the…

During spring 1988, an initial survey was conducted among two- and four-year colleges in New York State to identify the primary reading test used for diagnosis and placement. In order to address several questions raised by the study, a follow-up survey of participating two-year colleges was conducted during fall 1989. Of the 28 two-year colleges…

Methods are proposed for the construction of weakly parallel tests, that is, tests with the same test information function. A mathematical programing model for constructing tests with a prespecified test information function and a heuristic for assigning items to tests such that their information functions are equal play an important role in the…

In 1989, a study was conducted to determine whether General Educational Development (GED) certificate holders and students with high school diplomas achieved the same degree of academic success at Lorain County Community College (LCCC). The study subjects were LCCC students who were admitted just prior to the 1988-89 school year, including 40…

This booklet explains parent and student rights concerning special education for children with disabilities, as outlined in federal law and Texas law. The booklet offers definitions of terms and outlines the steps involved in the child-centered educational process leading to special education services. Components of the process are then described,…

The position that intelligence and achievement are essentially different measures of the same construct has often been referred to as a "jangle fallacy." Such a position challenges the present practice of placing children in learning disabilities programs based on a discrepancy between Intelligence Quotient (IQ) and achievement. This…

This module addresses the issue of ensuring equal access to recruitment, enrollment, and placement of handicapped and disadvantaged students in vocational programs. Specific guidelines are offered as well as suggested resources. The guide includes a list of definitions and uses a question-and-answer format to provide information on equal access,…

This paper reports on the external evaluation of a project to expand existing services in the Orange County (Florida) school district to handicapped students with limited English proficiency (LEP). Major goals of the project include development, demonstration, and packaging of methods, procedures, and materials for identifying, placing, and…

Johnson County Community College, a suburban Kansas community college, conducted annual one-year and three-year follow-up studies of career program completers and their employers. The college used the follow-up studies as a component of an institutional effectiveness assessment program, the purpose of which is to elicit evaluations of college…

In January 1982, Wytheville Community College (WCC) adopted the English Qualifying Exam (EQE) as its English placement instrument and made the exam mandatory for all students wishing to enter English 101 or 111 after the spring 1982 quarter. A study was conducted to determine the correlation between students' EQE scores and their English 101/111…

This paper examines the connection between educational policymaking and the organization and functioning of the public schools. First, the authors describe hierarchical levels of educational organization (districts, schools, classrooms, instructional groups, and individual students); consider the linkages between levels; and discuss the…

Contradictions are inherent in the evaluation of placement test writing, contradictions that at once value and devalue writers and writing, readers and reading. In testing, the evidence for the essay's effectiveness rests almost entirely on the writer's choice of linguistic forms. The characteristics that distinguish evaluation in competency…

Tracking--the system of grouping students for instruction on the basis of ability--reflects the class and racial inequalities of American society and helps to perpetuate them. In the junior and senior high schools studied, there were clear differences between upper and lower tracks in: (1) content and quality of instruction, (2) teacher-student…

This document contains California's guidelines for serving students with severe orthopedic impairments in the public schools. Elements characteristic of well-designed programs are described in the guide's three chapters, and each description is followed by a series of questions for program evaluation. The first chapter addresses approaches to…

This special report documents the results of the program of credit by examination offered at the University of Texas at Austin during the 1984-1985 testing year. The data present a basis for a comprehensive picture of the impact of the program on this campus. The examinations covered 64 subject areas with 234 courses taught by 39…