This document contains 4 issues (spring 2002-winter 2002-2003) of "WCER Highlights," a publication of the Wisconsin Center for Education Research (WCER). Topics covered by the articles include: new tools for educational data management; the practice of science; the FAST (Families and Schools Together) program; South African students meet…

This is the twelfth edition of the most comprehensive reference book covering the wide range of learning disabilities resources available nationwide. This directory contains well over 7,000 entries and covers the schools, learning centers, vocational training programs, associations and organizations, and government agencies involved in learning…

This study investigates relationships between teachers' receipt of high-stakes test score results of their students and subsequent changes in instructional and classroom assessment practices the following year. The sample consisted of 722 elementary, middle, and high school teachers. The results indicate that most teachers reported using the…

During academic year 2001-02, approximately 165 students in eight sections of Introductory Spanish and French completed weekly online quizzes as part of their final grades. While most of them completed traditional quizzes, two third-semester Spanish classes completed multimedia listening comprehension quizzes based on audio and video from the Web.…

The California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE), established in 1999, requires all high school students beginning with the class of 2004 to pass the CAHSEE to earn a high school diploma. A study was conducted in a large urban school district in central California of the first year of implementation of CAHSEE. The study gathered evidence about…

This book is an effort to examine the theory and practice of educational assessment while taking a step toward the development of a new paradigm. Fundamental changes in the way education is conceptualized must accompany the effort to rethink assessment theory and practice. The following chapters are included: (1) "The Need for a New Science…

This document contains the spring and fall 2001 newsletters of the National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented (NRC/GT). The spring 2001 issue contains the following featured articles: (1) "Using Gifted Education Strategies with All Students" (E. Jean Gubbins and NRC/GT Research Team); (2) "New Center for the Pyschology of…

This manual describes the procedures for administering and coding the enactive social knowledge interview for preschool children. This interview is comprised of two segments, an enactive procedure and a reflective procedure using line drawings. The purpose of this interview is to assess preschooler's responses to hypothetical social situations.…

One valuable ingredient that is missing from common teacher practice is the measurement of ongoing student performance in the classroom in a way that supports improvement in student performance and in teacher instruction that can be shared with parents, teachers, and other professional colleagues. Treatment-only designs (TODs) with self-recording…

This paper describes Williams syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that results in mental retardation. An overview of this condition is presented from the perspective of a family who traveled through the many stages of the disability from infancy to young adulthood. The etiology and characteristics of the disability are discussed, including…

The Texas Academic Skills Program (TASP) measures reading, mathematics, and writing skills through multiple-choice test items and a writing test essay. It is administered, by law, to students entering Texas public institutions of higher education before they complete 9 semester hours. Passing all sections indicates a general readiness to perform…

A group of seven Japanese-language Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) testers licensed by the American Council on the Teaching of foreign Languages (ACTFL) conducted research related to ACTFL-OPI criteria. They first examined 24 audiotaped interview tests to see what kind of consistency there would be when individual testers applied general criteria…

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), often called the "Nation's Report Card," is the only nationally representative, continuing assessment of what U.S. students know and can do in various subject areas. NAEP provides a comprehensive measure of students' learning at critical junctures in their school experience. The…

The report details development and validation of a test designed to assess the ability to comprehend and summarize, in English, recorded conversations spoken in Taiwanese. The language and topics of the exam are representative of conversations that federal law enforcement or intelligence agencies may need to monitor in this language. The report is…

This guide, "a work in progress," is one of a series designed to serve as companion documents for the New York state learning standards defined for each major curriculum area. It is intended to establish a connection between the state-mandated learning standards and classroom instruction and to further elaborate on the standards that…