The increase in the number of Canadian students whose home language is different from the school language has serious implications in the areas of minority student assessment, possible bias of IQ tests, minority student English-language acquisition, and recommendations to parents regarding home language use. Research and educational considerations…

This text on the assessment of students with disabilities is divided into six major parts. Part 1, "Introduction to Assessment, Issues and Concerns," discusses the historical, philosophical, legal, practical and ethical bases of assessment and proposes an assessment model. Part 2, "Informal Procedures: Basic Tools for Teachers," includes chapters…

The administration of intelligence tests to various sociocultural groups is defended against charges that intelligence tests are discriminatory (TM 504 174). The author states that research has shown that intelligence tests are nondiscriminatory and comply with federal law, specifically Public Law 94-142. (MH)

This article presents the background, the history, and the implications of the Larry P. v Riles decisions in 1972 and in 1979 in which a federal district court enjoined California from using any standardized intelligence tests to assess Black children for eligibility for classes of educable mentally retarded. (Author/CTM)

Maintains that even a cursory reading of "The Bell Curve" reveals a skewed methodology that deliberately ignores relevant data. Includes statistical tables illustrating the relationship between environmental factors and test scores. Contends that the basic purpose of "The Bell Curve" is to justify economic racism. (MJP)

Future special education placement bias litigation can be prevented if special education and related services programs meet certain principles of responsibility, including ensuring the development of effective interventions in regular education, using assessment procedures that are oriented toward intervention rather than student classification,…

This article describes the Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test, an assessment of intelligence for individuals ages 4 to 90. The test is designed for those circumstances in which a brief measure of intelligence will suffice and trained professionals may be unavailable for the assessments. Its administration, reliability, and validity are discussed.…

This report summarizes Austin Independent School District's prekindergarten program for the 2007-2008 school year.

In light of the correlation between musical and linguistic skills, a program of musical activities was designed to promote discrimination of rhythmic and melodic elements and the association of auditory stimuli with visual stimuli and motor activities. The effects of the program on the vocabulary of preschool children were evaluated and compared…

Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, 3rd and 4th editions (WISC-III n = 586 and WISC-IV n = 118), profiles were compared for children with ADHD and normal intelligence. Mean Verbal Comprehension Index (VCI) and Perceptual Organization/Perceptual Reasoning Index (POI/PRI) scores were significantly higher than Freedom From…

This review of the research literature on ability grouping and tracking draws on professional and scholarly research journals and electronic databases. Five assumptions have been used to support the recurring practices of tracking and ability grouping, but none of these assumptions has withstood close examination in 70 years of research. They are:…

Two previous meta-analyses of the test-coaching literature have yielded conclusions that differ with respect to aptitude test scores. This study attempts to resolve differences in the conclusions of these two analyses by J. A. Kulik, R. L. Bangert-Drowns, and C. L. C. Kulik (1984) and K. Pearlman (1984) by using the methods of F. L. Schmidt and J.…

This handbook was developed to assist Oregon parents in understanding the needs of gifted children and the important role parents have in their public school education. Information presented is in response to needs identified by Oregon parents. The handbook begins with an article by Gary Eisler titled "Playing TAG with Oregon's Future,"…

This package contains articles in three general areas: items covering measurement topics; brief and practical guides on measurement techniques; and professional reading on broader assessment issues. The purpose of these publications by "Set" is to provide research information to teachers. The initial article, "Overview of Issues in…

The report summarizes findings and recommendations of a California Task Force which arose out of a California court decision (Larry P. versus Riles) which prohibits the use of intelligence tests for assessing black pupils to determine their placement in special education programs and requires alternative means of assessment. Seven major…