AIMS, the Assessment and Instructional Management System is a computer-based rating and documentation system designed to include students with disabilities in educational accountability systems. Describes AIMS, illustrates some of the components of the system, and highlights teacher training efforts. Two tables present the AIMS rating rubric and…

Summarizes the results of a study of 245 university undergraduates and describes the range of individual differences in cognitive style within that sample. Identifies four broad categories: (1) cognitive personality elements, (2) information processing style, (3) approaches to studying, and (4) instructional preferences. Discusses the differences…

Regression analysis and principal components analysis, which can be used to create perinatal risk profiles of neighborhoods within cities, were compared. Using census tract level low birthweight as the outcome variable, both methods identified factors identifying neighborhoods at risk. Both methods can be used to identify community characteristics…

This study examined whether a curriculum-embedded assessment, the Practical Assessment Exploration System (PAES), could be used with students with disabilities to predict job-related outcomes three to five years later. Results with 103 students assessed in seventh and eighth grades suggest that the PAES offers some promise for evaluating student…

Outlines ten principles important for the successful practice of outcomes assessment, based on the experience of a variety of institutions. Notes several salient barriers to success (lack of faculty support, changes in institutional leadership and circumstances, limitations in assessment tools and methods, insufficient student involvement,…

Summarizes two trends in teacher education: using performance-based portfolios for assessment, instruction, and professional development and transforming computers from complicated instruments to universally available tools that facilitate tasks involving knowledge access and processing. The article explores connections between the two trends and…

Examines changes in student assessment methods in courses and clerkships at eight medical schools participating in a large-scale medical curriculum development project, including specific forms of assessment (self-assessment, feedback, standardized patients). For most schools, changes were controlled by course or clerkship directors and managed by…

Presents an instrument for planning for staff development to help identify how much teachers know about technology and its integration into the classroom. The Teaching with Technology Instrument's (TTI's) 46 items are grouped in three areas: writing and communication skills, information access and management, and construction and multimedia. The…

This article describes the use of measures of functional assessment of essential activities in self-care, mobility, communication, and social cognition in preschool children. An overview of functional assessment is provided, and psychometric properties of the various tests are described. Case studies illustrate the value of using functional…

Generalizations gleaned from 25 years of research are presented, including: change is difficult and more political than data based; expectations drive the assessment process and those expectations are far too low; purpose is critical; the link between referral and eligibility is too strong; and current classification practices are problematic.…

This article describes the activities of a national group of assistive technology professionals known as the Quality Indicators for Assistive Technology Services (QIAT) Consortium. The work of the Consortium is discussed and the current set of indicators is included. Processes used in the development of the indicators are described. (Contains…

Provides an overview of the basic components of a digital library. Highlights include library collections; metadata; services, including information seeking and retrieval, reference query fulfillment, and user training; user interaction with digital libraries, including searching, browsing, and navigation; economic support; maintenance;…

This study assessed the effectiveness of clique analysis methodologies in detecting changes in integration levels for a worker with severe mental retardation in a supported employment setting. The analysis suggested that communication instruction resulted in the worker becoming more integrated during break or lunch times. (Author/DB)

Summarizes attempts to define and measure quality and effectiveness in academic libraries, from traditional evaluative studies to Total Quality Management and new research on user-defined criteria. Topics include models of organizational evaluation; measures of library service; academic libraries and higher education effectiveness, including…

Describes a study at Louisiana State University that described the criteria mentioned by users evaluating the information within documents as it related to the user's information need situation. Implications for understanding the concept of relevance, for the design and evaluation of information retrieval systems, and for future research are…