The Matrices and Order of Appearance subtests of a Piagetian test battery were administered to a sample of second-grade children on two occasions under two test conditions: standardized testing and a dialogue between child and examiner. Differences for test condition and time of testing were found. (JKS)

[Gottfredson, L. S. (2003). Dissecting practical intelligence theory: Its claims and evidence. Intelligence, 31, 343-397.] provided a detailed critique of Sternberg's [Sternberg, R. J., Fotsythe, G. B., Hedlund, J., Horvath, J. A., Wagner, R. K., Williams, W. M., Snook, S. A., Grigorenko, E. L. (2000). Practical intelligence in everyday life. New…

A study was conducted to determine whether informal group assessment instruments could be used effectively to provide the same type of reading achievement information as that secured from informal individual instruments. The researchers developed group instruments comparable to individual instruments, including a group reading inventory for grades…

Test takers' preferences for group versus individual administration of the Micro-TOWER System of Vocational Evaluation are reported. The system was administered to 211 clients at a vocational rehabilitation center, and consisted of work samples measuring the following job skills: record checking, filing, lamp assembly, message-taking, zip coding,…

The Second Year Communication Skills Program (SYCSP) consists of instructional materials and procedures designed to improve the reading skills of first-grade children. The reading achievement of students was measured in 10 classrooms using the SYCSP. The Second Year Program Test, used to judge the effectiveness of the program, was administered to…

This study compared the causal attribution by sex for academic failures of 38 learning disabled and 38 nondisabled elementary school students. The relationship between different attributional tendencies and a reading persistence task were also examined. (BS)

This paper describes an assessment of community college student knowledge in the liberal arts at two-year colleges in Southern California. A survey instrument with multiple choice questions covering five liberal arts subject areas was distributed to 4,200 students in randomly selected classes at ten colleges. More than 2,500 questionnaires were…

Sixty teachers responded to questions about the permissibility of 51 possible test modifications for pupils with disabilities on South Carolina-mandated criterion-referenced tests. Results indicated that teachers were not very knowledgeable about which modifications are allowed, and with few exceptions, special educators were no more informed than…

The goal of this research project was to investigate the use of dynamic assessment to increase equity, fairness, and accuracy in the testing of abilities and achievement. Dynamic tests have been found to reveal developing expertise in underrepresented minorities around the world that is not revealed by conventional static tests. The…

A method for obtaining curriculum-based estimates of student achievement is described. These estimates can be obtained through the use of a set of curriculum weights designed to reflect student opportunity to learn. If the match between the presented curriculum and test content is low, then the curriculum weights can be used to minimize potential…

A continuous pupil progress monitoring system was implemented in two elementary schools; 552 students and 38 educational personnel were involved. The monitoring system employed was initially designed to evaluate students receiving special services and their progress toward individual education plan reading goals. The model emphasized direct…

Simulated Occupational Choice (SOC) was developed to measure competencies in career decision-making. SOC is a structured, individually-administered simulation exercise designed to elicit career decision-making behaviors and enable those behaviors to be observed, recorded, and scored in meaningful ways, particularly for diagnosis. It was…

This article presents evidence of the reliability and validity of a new paper-and-pencil test of proportional reasoning, Paper-and-Pencil Balance Beam Test. A Total of 627 individuals, aged 8-47, participated in the 3 studies discussed. Results support previous research which correlates performance on proportional reasoning problems with…

Examines the effect of individual testing in conjunction with group instruction on 306 students' sight-singing skills from beginning and advanced choirs of six high schools in Washington State. Reports that individual testing was found to be an effective means of improving individual sight-singing performance in group instructional situations.…

This article presents a meta-analysis of the effects of examiner familiarity/unfamiliarity on children's performance during individual testing. Data came from 22 controlled studies involving 1489 subjects. In a typical study, the effect of examiner familiarity raised test performance by .35 standard deviations. Differential performance favoring…