Using age norms in the Neale Analysis of Reading Ability-Revised assessments of reading ability can distort the diagnosis of reading difficulty, as evidenced in the assessment practices of the New South Wales (Australia) Department of Education. Grade-normative data (year-level norms) and abandoning the reporting of precise reading scores are…

S. Matthey shows that errors may be inherent in the misuse of age-normative data in assessing reading ability. However, Matthey ignores the policies and procedures of the New South Wales (Australia) Department of Education to guard against such misuse. (SLD)

Describes a study that tested the applicability of the Tennyson-Cocchiarella concept teaching model for undergraduate nursing education, and investigated the effects of three different learner control strategies on concept learning. The computer-based concept lesson used is described, and effects on recall and retention are discussed. (33…

Examines whether Fourth Amendment of United States Constitution applies to relationship between student athlete and educational institution and whether drug testing is illegal search and seizure in violation of the amendment. Suggests that institutions strike an appropriate balance between helping student athletes protect their own health, while…

Discussion of menu design strategies for computer-assisted instruction (CAI) focuses on a study that investigated whether menu design would affect undergraduate learners' usage patterns during a CAI lesson. Sequential versus random selection of options is discussed, and new measures for describing usage patterns in CAI are explained. (eight…

Discusses the development of American Indian tribal colleges and presents a model for assessing the role of libraries in meeting the institutional goals and objectives of tribal colleges. Hypotheses are discussed that will help establish a framework for conducting a longitudinal study of the role libraries play in meeting tribal college…

Effects of task demands, age, and skill level on memory and metamemory performance were examined for 62 average and 66 low-achieving learning-disabled children. Memory improved with age and skill level, and strategic metamemory revealed age and skill-level differences, but taxonomic metamemory revealed age differences in the average group only.…

In evaluating remedial reading programs, 10 guiding principles should be observed. Programs should educate teachers, increase time on task, provide taped books, transfer new skills to children's textbooks, test appropriately, employ video and telecommunications technologies, provide feedback, talk to parents, encourage children to take learning…

Oregon's statewide social-studies assessment (a randomized, multiple-choice maze) is part of a "democratic" national standards movement that threatens good teaching and multicultural studies. If multiculturalism's key goal is accounting for historical influences on current social realities, then Oregon's standards and tests earn a…

At Illinois College of Optometry a peer-review committee evaluates the exams of both basic science and clinical courses to provide an objective means of evaluating a faculty member's teaching ability. Five aspects of the exam (content, construction, statistical analysis, adjusted questions, instructor's rationale) are evaluated to determine the…

Examines the performance of six student interpreters attending a training course at the University of Oslo. Data are drawn from video recordings in which the students interpret dialogs in two test situations. Students use consecutive interpreting with short speaker intervals and perform in Norwegian/Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian. Compares students'…

Kohn believes the "tougher standards" movement is incompatible with personalized learning, excellence, and marginalized kids' interests. Horizontal standards that shift how teaching and learning happen in classrooms are terrific, but vertical standards using traditional pedagogy are macho and mindless. Kids need freedom to design their…

Describes the first- and second-language literacy levels of a sample of Turkish children living in the Netherlands and identifies factors related to individual variation in literacy performance. Measures of school literacy were taken in both Turkish and Dutch. Results indicated that these children attained lower levels of literacy than did their…

Using one set of standardized tests to determine if a student graduates or is promoted makes students pay for society's failure to provide an equal, quality education; encourages teaching to the test instead of teaching critical thinking skills; and ignores research findings and test publishers' advice that multiple measures are necessary for…

In Texas, control of schooling has shifted from the public toward business-controlled management accountability systems--exemplified in the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills ("the Texas Accountability System"). TAAS adversely affects teaching and learning by mandating a "test-prep" noncurriculum, discriminating against…