The need for effective ways of monitoring the quality of scoring of portfolios resulted in the development of a software package that provides scoring leaders with updated information on their assessors' scoring quality. Assessors with computers enter data as they score, and this information is analyzed and reported to scoring leaders. The…

The purpose of this study was to develop a psychometrically sound instrument to measure teachers' attitudes toward students with special needs, the Scale of Teacher's Attitudes Toward Inclusion (STATIC). Approximately 1,440 inservice teachers were asked to complete the STATIC. There were 516 respondents from 5 school districts in Alabama. Various…

How self-esteem is related to social environment and the elastic-plastic processing of mindies was studied in students aged 13 to 16 years. A "mindy" is a unit process of the mind constructed through using a mental shape. Subjects were 12 students aged 13, 31 students aged 14, 31 aged 15, and 6 aged 16 at a secondary comprehensive school…

In 1995, nearly three-quarters of a million high school dropouts took the General Educational Development (GED) tests. The half million individuals who passed the test accounted for approximately one-sixth of all high school diplomas issued that year. On average, GED recipients perform as well as graduating high school seniors on the five tests…

This paper discusses the efforts of the Department of Mathematics at the United States Coast Guard Academy (USCGA) to determine the degree to which their courses support the published academic outcomes of the institution, and presents the results of a survey of student attitudes toward the academic outcomes. A survey questionnaire was developed…

This document, which draws on the findings of a survey of further education (FE) colleges in the United Kingdom and case studies of 9 FE colleges, presents good practices for managers of tutoring programs and tutors. Chapter 1 provides an overview of the changing role of tutors in the post-16 sector and the importance of recruiting, training, and…

Prekindergarten students (n=1,137) in an ethnically and socioeconomically diverse urban public school took a kindergarten diagnostic assessment in September prior to entry into the regular kindergarten program. The assessment was a pilot version of a longer instrument that had been used at the school for several years. Results were used for…

This report discusses the outcomes of a study that investigated the consistencies and the differences revealed among teachers and school counselors when using the Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scale (BERS) to rate the strengths of children at three separate school levels: elementary, middle, and high school. The sample included 60 children (ages…

The ways in which potential problems in terms of validity were addressed by a beginning researcher conducting research into teacher attitudes are described. The researcher, a doctoral candidate, studied the beliefs, attitudes, and values of four experienced high school biology teachers. Principles and practices of research were set into place…

This paper reports on research conducted to determine whether science curriculum reform efforts in Korea have had a positive effect on the classroom learning environment from a constructivist point of view. The Constructivist Learning Environment Survey (CLES) was administered to 1083 students and 24 science teachers in 12 different schools. One…

This manual describes the rationale, use, and validity of the Temperament and Atypical Behavior Scale (TABS), a norm-referenced measure of dysfunctional behavior appropriately used with infants and young children between the ages of 11 and 71 months. TABS is intended to identify children who are developing atypically or are at risk for atypical…

This study investigated the use of an online authentic assessment tool to evaluate students' fluency with the World Wide Web (WWW). Participants included 120 middle and high school students with a strong technology background and a familiarity with navigating the World Wide Web. Using the online Web Expertise Assessment and accompanying WWW…

This guide helps educators and policymakers in developing and implementing policies that involve the use of standardized tests as part of decision making that has high stakes consequences for students. The guide applies to standardized tests that are addressed in the "Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing" (Joint Standards, 1999).…

School psychologists are in a unique position to add to the discussion about accountability efforts and the effect on students, teachers, and education. At the end of North Carolina's 2000-2001 school year, End-of-Grade (EOG) scores will be used to hold individual students accountable for their own achievement. Fifth graders will be required to…

This study explores the applicability of the Career Decision-Making Self-Efficacy Scale (CDMSE) to Chinese college students. The reliability and validity of the scale are examined using two independent samples (128 students from a polytechnic institute and 157 students from a teacher's college in China). The results indicate that the CDMSE is…