Educational refinement is defined as attempts to improve education through incremental improvements in the existing structure, while educational reform refers to change in the structure itself. A strong move is underway to reform education in the United States. It is argued that the development of assessments in support of educational reform…

This monograph provides an overview of computer-based assessment and error analysis in the instruction of elementary students with complex medical, learning, and/or behavioral problems. Information on generating and scoring tests using the microcomputer is offered, as are ideas for using computers in the analysis of mathematical strategies and…

This report presents Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) performance results and results on the Texas Educational Assessment of Minimum Skills (TEAMS) in October 1990. This volume is comprised of the following sections: (1) Section I, an executive summary of TAAS performance for each grade level; (2) Section II, an overview of the program…

Learning mode preferences of secondary school students were compared for 1,259 students from Sydney (Australia), 837 students from Perth (Australia), 2,125 students from England, and 570 students from Minneapolis (Minnesota). Students were in grades 7 through 12. Preferences for cooperative, competitive, and individualized learning modes were…

Suffolk Community College Eastern Campus (SCCEC) designed and implemented a retention program built on the belief that access for students does not necessarily lead to success. The goal of the retention program was to increase retention of students by providing them with the skills and supports necessary to succeed. The group targeted for the…

Reports on the student assessment systems of states participating in the North Central Regional Educational Laboratory are presented. These reports were developed from the database of the Council of Chief State School Officers and the North Central Regional Educational Laboratory. Detailed information about each state's student assessment program…

This manual is a guide to the Work Temperament Inventory (WTI), a self-report measure of 12 work temperaments that were originally identified and defined by the U.S. Department of Labor. The WTI consists of 134 items requiring a simple "like" or "dislike" response and a reading level of seventh grade. It can be completed in 15…

A discussion of language testing looks at the relationship between the processes of language learning and language testing, particularly from the point of view of pragmatics theory. It outlines some of the theory of Charles Sanders Pierce and its role in the evolution of linguistic theory, as well as the work of other theorists concerning the…

The 1992-93 school year saw the second statewide implementation of the Vermont portfolio-assessment program, and RAND continued its ongoing evaluation of the program's implementation, effects, and data quality. While the first year's study found evidence of the impact of the assessment program and low reliability of portfolio scoring, this year's…

Testing and instruction are sometimes seen as unrelated elements in the educational process, rather than as integrated components. This paper, organized in three sections, views testing and instruction as complements in the educational process, taking into account both testing and instruction in schools and classrooms with diverse student…

Electronic troubleshooting expertise was explored in the three contexts (design, production, and repair) that reflect distinct problem solving task environments. The purpose of the effort was to provide a more precise definition of the boundaries of expertise in electronics troubleshooting and the relationship of context to the development of…

Mastery learning can combine the strengths of direct instruction with the strengths of discovery learning. This paper describes how mastery learning is being used in Missouri schools to enhance the quality of instruction in science at all grade levels. In addition, the dramatic results in student science achievement that have occurred within the…

The International Personnel Management Association Assessment Council (IPMAAC) is a section of the International Personnel Management Association dedicated to the improvement of public personnel assessment in such fields as selection and performance evaluation. Before the IPMAAC's fifth annual conference in 1981, four workshops were conducted on…

This report analyzes the performance of the portion of the graduating class of 1991 from the Houston (Texas) Independent School District (HSID) who took the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and related tests associated with the College Board's testing program. In 1991, 3,907 (52%) HISD students took the SAT; 556 (14.2%) of the HISD students who took…

At San Juan College, the effectiveness of student basic skills assessment and course placement advisement was significantly improved through the implementation of Computerized Placement Testing (CPT). The CPT lab houses 15 personal computers and is staffed by professional counselors and student services aides. Students are not allowed to leave the…