Four purposes of testing (screening, classification, program planning, and program evaluation) are identified, and tests are futher broken down into type, methods of scoring, and methods of administration. The author emphasizes that tests should be selected to accomplish the purposes of testing. (CL)

Q-sort techniques can be used to verify and quantify the discrepancy between the way handicapped children see themselves and how they would like to be. Modifications of the approach may also be useful with parents, peers, or administrators. (CL)

Data describing a student's present skill levels are often difficult for all members of a Child Study Team (CST) to understand, and these data often do not readily lend themselves to developing specific goals and objectives for an Individualized Education Program (IEP). The Brigance Diagnostic Inventories (the Inventory of Early Development, the…

The article presents guidelines for transforming information from conventional testing into data useful in classroom instruction of exceptional students. Steps are described first for converting a norm referenced test to instructionally relevant information, and second, for applying, rescoring, and summarizing results of the criterion referenced…

Interpretation of the 1981 British Education Act regarding assessment of special needs of students focuses on classroom utility, its ongoing nature, need for parent and student involvement, and the centrality of the teacher's role. The value of normative and criterion referenced tests, diagnostic attainments tests, and observations is considered.…

The Abridged Health History Inventory (AHHI) has been used by public health nurses to promote early identification of children at risk for learning problems. The AHHI, based on adapted material from the system of Multi-Cultural Pluralistic Assessment, has shown modest reliability and validity as well as utility. (CL)

The article reviews concerns related to the selection and administration of career interest inventories for handicapped secondary students, discusses utilization of the results within an educational setting and considers the importance of cooperative efforts. Useful instruments for students in grades 9-12 are listed and administration procedures…

This book discusses the achievement tests used in educational planning, transitional programming for students with disabilities, and career/vocational planning. Designed to help mental health professionals acquire knowledge and skills quickly, it includes the major individually administered tests. The chapters are: (1) "Overview"; (2)…

This paper addresses the controversy about use of "out-of-level" testing, the practice of assessing students (usually those with disabilities) with a lower-level version of a test. The controversy pits unintended instructional consequences against "accurately" measuring performance and avoiding student frustration. Introductory…

This summary of assessment information for programming in early childhood special education discusses principles of assessment, specific assessment procedures, and assessment instruments. An overview section on assessment provides definitions of "assessment" and "evaluation" and discusses the importance of assessment for…

This article draws on experience from Delaware FIRST, a model demonstration project utilizing family assessment for overall project evaluation and program planning for parents and professionals. Instrument selection processes, administration procedures, families's reactions to the process, and usefulness of family assessments in project evaluation…

Because the assessment needs of young children and infants with handicaps are often quite different from those of the school-age populations with which child study teams have the most experience, this manual addresses issues relevant to the pre-kindergarten population. Chapter 1 provides an overview of general issues related to preschool…

The Early Screening Inventory-Revised (ESI-R) is a brief developmental screening instrument that is individually administered to children from 3 to 6 years of age. It is designed to identify children who may need special education services in order to perform successfully in school. The ESI-R is intended to assess the child's ability to acquire…

This book considers legal questions, theoretical issues, and practical methods for meeting the assessment needs of students with disabilities. It is comprised of ten chapters and includes test accommodation topics relating to federal and state regulations (including the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Amendments of 1997), problems…

This manual was developed to provide as complete a list as possible of vocational evaluation measures currently used by college professionals that can be appropriately used with hearing-, sight-, or motor-impaired college students, as well as with normal students. Specific modifications and/or adaptations are described. The major criterion used in…