The National Accessible Reading Assessment Projects (NARAP) is a collaboration of two projects funded by the U.S. Department of Education to conduct research and development on accessible reading assessments for students with disabilities that affect reading. The goal of these projects is to produce research findings and assessment techniques that…

The 1998 reauthorization of the Higher Education Act requires states to report annually to the U.S. Department of Education the number of prospective teachers at each of their teacher training institutions who pass the state's tests for licensure. However, the law left decisions on what licensure tests to require, what to assess on them, and their…

This report is aimed at helping Congress better understand the functions, history, capabilities, limitations, uses, and misues of educational tests; learn more about the promises and pitfalls of new assessment methods and technologies; and identify and weigh policy options affecting educational policy. To prepare this report, the Office of…

The experience of the Canadian provinces with large-scale testing programs is reviewed to suggest answers to questions currently discussed in the United States regarding the proposed national system of achievement testing. In the Canadian provinces, tests are linked to provincial curricula. Standards and assessments are not set by experts with no…

ACT and 127 institutions (primarily community colleges) worked together on a Partners in Progress Research project comparing ASSET reading, writing, and math scores (incoming student placement tests) with CAAP reading, writing, and math scores (exiting student outcomes test). This was in order to refine the content of the related exams, and…

Results of an external evaluation of the Strengthening Developing Institutions Program (SDIP) at Austin Peay State University are presented. This federally-funded Title III SDIP program entailed five activities during 1980-1983: developmental studies program, administrative/operational support systems, career business and professional programs,…

Information on teaching at the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is presented for both new and established teachers. Course and lecture organization, presentation techniques, and teaching aids are covered, along with exams, grading, and teacher evaluation. Class size and composition and classroom…

This document expands upon the discussion of standardized tests in federal legislation and Department of Education rules and regulations, in order to guide practitioners in using these tests and alternative assessment methods more wisely. Amendments of 1988 that address the uses of standardized tests, the federal regulations that implement the…

Assessment and review are the subjects of this document, one of 9 modules in an 11-unit resource pack designed to help trainers and postsecondary and continuing education staff meet the needs of special needs students in Great Britain. Having completed the module, staff should be able to: (1) use assessment procedures that specify students'…

College teaching, teaching skills, and practical problems are considered. The emphasis on subject matter specialization in graduate school and effects on the preparation of college teachers are considered, along with suggestions about what beginning college teachers need to know beyond subject matter training. After briefly considering assumptions…

Eighty papers from a 1984 international conference on improving university teaching are presented. Topics include the following: predicting achievement and overcoming disadvantages for first-year students, the impact of technology on higher education, using student conceptions of learning and teaching, problems and solutions for teaching…

This report provides information on the second year (1985-86) of the third cycle of Rockland Community College's (RCC's) Special Services Project, a program providing supplemental instructional, counseling, and tutorial services for educationally and economically disadvantaged students through college skills courses, remedial/developmental…

The National Commission on Testing and Public Policy is conducting a 3-year policy-oriented investigation of the role of tests, especially standardized, norm-referenced tests, in the allocation of educational, training, and employment opportunities in the United States today. This document reports on the first hearing, which focused on the…

Patrick Henry Community College's (PHCC's) program of student development services consists of the career development center, financial aid, nontraditional education, student activities, counseling, testing and placement, admissions, and the office of the registrar. In order to assess the effectiveness of the program, it was first necessary to…

This paper briefly describes a number of techniques for evaluating students' achievement in mathematics: (1) checklists and rating scales; (2) standardized tests; (3) criterion referenced tests; (4) anecdotal records; (5) student products, including homework and school assignments; (6) teacher-written tests; (7) conferences with students; (8)…