An overview of LEAP (Learning Environments for Accelerated Progress) project outcomes draws data from original scoring protocols developed by the LEAP project. These scoring protocols (or "measures") were developed to assess students' progress in the composition of three text genres: narrative, expert, and explanation. Initial analyses…

This paper considers the influence of the values and the discourse behaviors of the native-speaking assessor as interlocutor. These variables in the assessments of oral proficiency interrelate in complex ways with features of test design such as tasks, prompts, topics, guidelines, and assessor training. This paper reviews some previous studies,…

The Scale for Assessing Emotional Disturbances (SAED) is a standardized, norm-referenced scale used to identify children who qualify for the federal special education category of "emotional disturbance". It uses the five conditions on which identification of emotional disturbance is based under the Individuals with Disabilities Education…

The purpose of this study was to examine the construct validity of a performance assessment program, the Maryland School Performance Assessment Program (MSPAP). Based on analyses of the longitudinal associations of Grade 5 MSPAP data in 1996 with Grade 3 MSPAP data in 1994, the following hypothesis was examined: the unattentuated correlation or…

This paper provides an overview of the types of testing accommodations used for students with disabilities and presents arguments for and against their use. It begins by discussing student participation in educational assessments and federal requirements concerning the participation of students with disabilities. The types of accommodations are…

This study explored the perspectives of high school students, high school teachers, undergraduate and graduate students in preservice teacher education programs, and university professors about how a high school teacher assigns grades. The study also asked whether these different groups gave more or less weight to completing an assigned task than…

The reliability and developmental and concurrent validity of the Writing What You Read (WWYR) rubric, designed for use with paper and pen, for hypermedia-authored narrative productions of students in grades 2 and 3 were studied. Sixty students from 4 classrooms produced hypermedia narratives (interactive multimedia presentations) that were rated…

This study investigated the reliability and developmental and concurrent validity of the Writing What You Read (WWYR) rubric, an instrument originally designed for use with paper-and-pen-created narratives, for hypermedia productions of students in grades 2 and 3. Four teachers guided their students in a 3-month-long hypermedia/process writing…

A formative committee conducted a developmental study to produce a program evaluation instrument (PEI) that would be effective in conducting an adult basic education (ABE) program evaluation study at Nicolet Area Technical College (NATC). Five procedures were used to complete this product. First, a literature review was conducted that assisted in…

Second language (L2) computer-adaptive testing (CAT) is a technologically advanced method of assessment in which the computer selects and presents test items to examinees according to the estimated level of the examinee's language ability. The basic notion of an adaptive test is to mimic automatically what a wise examiner would normally do.…

A knowledge monitoring assessment (KMA) was developed and evaluated. The KMA, which evaluates how well students distinguish between what they know and do not know by comparing their knowledge estimates to test performance, is partially performance based and may be group or computer administered and objectively scored. Participants were 462…

The two major selection criteria in the college admissions process are high school record and scores on college entrance examinations. In recent years, concerns have been raised about the validity of college entrance examination scores and high school grades. This study examined the congruity of the meaning of grades between those who determine…

Tests are being used widely, and misused widely, to evaluate students, teachers, principals, and other educational administrators. This short primer on testing and assessment is organized into three parts. Part 1, "Essential Statistical Terms," introduces some statistics that are essential to understanding testing concepts and for…

This study was an investigation of a microcomputer system which was developed to administer, score, analyze, and produce a written report for the Peabody picture Vocabulary Test-Revised (PPVT-R). The variables of reliability, age, gender, level of previous experience with microcomputers, preference for manual or computerized test administration,…

The validity of using proficiency test scores to make specific educational decisions is addressed. Ninth grade mathematics proficiency test scores were analyzed in both continuous and categorized form. The nature of the decisions to be made was examined as a factor in determining the categorization technique. (Author/PN)