A case is presented for adjusting the scores for free response items in the Advanced Placement (AP) tests. Using information about the rating process from the reliability studies, administrations of the AP test for three subject areas, psychology, computer science, and English language and composition, are analyzed. In the reliability studies, 299…

In 1991, a study was conducted at Golden West College (California) to determine whether there was a significant relationship between eligibility for English 100, a university-transferable writing course, and success in Introductory Psychology. The sample consisted of students appearing on first-day rosters of Introductory Psychology classes in the…

At Golden College (California), student writing samples are holistically scored by pairs of judges on a six-point scale. Judges are allowed to use plus and minus figures, thus converting the integer scale to a decimal scale of evaluation. In 1991, 499 writing samples written as part of the placement testing process for students in the Coast…

The purpose of this research was to compare two different forms of a placement test in French as a second language at the post-secondary level, a conventional test and a computerized test. First, expectations regarding a placement test as a measure of general proficiency are discussed and principles of adaptive testing that have been used to…

Students will be better equipped for college writing if they know how and by what standards their writing will be judged during their undergraduate years. At the college level, measures of writing skills serve the important functions of admission, placement, course equivalency, junior status, exit from courses, or barriers to graduation. Placement…

This study followed up 328 child participants (150 children with mild to moderate developmental delays and 178 typical children) ages 3-5 years to determine the effects of preschool placement (mainstream or segregated setting) on later school age special or regular class placement. Evaluation after 3 years indicated that children with…

This manual is intended to help parents understand how to work with school systems to obtain the best possible education for their children with learning disabilities. The guide begins with a definition of learning disabilities and describes the characteristics of successful advocates. The importance of keeping written records of requests,…

A study evaluated different approaches to placing students in adult literacy classes using 168 adult basic education (ABE) and General Educational Development (GED) students. Students in classes at Rochambeau School in White Plains, New York, were given the Tests of Adult Basic Education (TABE), the Tests of Adult Literacy Skills (TALS), an oral…

This Digest discusses the increase in the number of immigrant secondary school students who come to the United States with limited education and effective programs for serving this student population. For these students to succeed in school, they must learn to read, write, understand, and speak English, develop academic literacy in English to make…

A study evaluated a new freshman writing course offered to students at the University of Minnesota who were underprepared for study at a major research university. In the fall of 1997 it was proposed that all freshmen be placed in for-credit, strengthened, basic writing courses rather than placing certain students in non-credit, pre-college-level…

Inclusion is the practice of educating children who have disabilities in classes together with their peers who do not have disabilities. This packet on "least intervention" contains resource materials that help ensure appropriate inclusion. The first section of this packet contains discussions of appropriate inclusion and a description of the…

Many migrant students are not identified for needed special education services in a timely manner. This digest describes the obligations of schools to provide such services, and discusses approaches for student referral, assessment, and placement and working with migrant families. Federal mandates concerning special education are summarized, and…

This study examined whether discrepancy between aptitude and achievement is used to determine eligibility in the classification of learning disabilities. Test scores of 50 middle and high school students from eight school districts were used to determine whether Federal Code eligibility criteria were used to determine initial eligibility for…

This paper presents a procedure for the assessment, identification, and placement of second language learners in the Chester Upland School District in Pennsylvania. The second language learner educational program is designed to: (1) make instructional use of both English and the student's native language; (2) enable second language learners to…

California Assembly Bill 922 was signed into law as an urgency measure in October 1995. It assigned responsibility for expelled students to counties and school districts. This report is the first of a series of evaluation reports that will be disseminated on programs implemented in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) to satisfy the…