This paper discusses those generic features of school districts as complex organizations which inhibit district coordination of testing, evaluation and instruction. It is based on a selective literature review and four theoretical papers covering (1) school district decision making, (2) the institutional structure of school districts, (3) role…

Using participants in a continuing education conference, an experiment was conducted to examine: (1) the consistency of self-ratings of ability across four different measurement conditions; and, (2) the relative leniency of retrospective pretest self-ratings compared to pretest self-ratings. Implications for evaluators are discussed. (Author/BS)

The widely used Woodcock Johnson (WJ) Test of Achievement has been separated into two distinct tests, Achievement and Cognitive Abilities. This book is designed to help busy mental health professionals acquire the knowledge and skills they need to use the third revision of the WJ Tests of Achievement (WJ III ACH) , including administration,…

This book is designed to provide fundamental information concerning the procedures necessary to administer, score, interpret, and report findings from the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-Adolescent[TM] (MMPI-A), the most widely used objective personality assessment instrument for adolescents. The chapters are: (1) "Overview";…

The Program for Area Concentration Achievement Testing (PACAT) produces the cooperative assessment instrument known as the Area Concentration Achievement Test (ACAT). The ACAT uses a model designed specifically to measure curricular strengths and weaknesses and to provide this information at the departmental level. PACAT has developed 57…

This set of mini-lessons contains staff meeting activities to help a school's staff understand large-scale standards-based assessment and promote student achievement through improved classroom assessment practice. These lessons contain a clear statement of what teachers need to know and be able to do with respect to student assessment. They…

Volume 1 of this sourcebook is a compendium of information about tests used to assess critical thinking, problem solving, and writing. It serves as a tool for people who want comparative data about the policy relevance of specific student outcomes measured in these areas. An interactive version of Volume 1 allows users to specify their areas of…

Examines the arguments against the indiscriminate use of readability formulas. (FL)

A principal components analysis of the Family Environment Scale (FES) (R. Moos and B. Moos, 1994) was performed using 113 undergraduates. Research supported 3 broad components encompassing the 10 FES subscales. These results supported previous research and the generalization of the FES to college samples. (SLD)

Responds to five major articles by Duckworth, Goldman, Healy, Sampson, and Goodyear on issues pertaining to testing and assessment in counseling psychology. Suggests that such a diversity of approaches leads to a more comprehensive and flexible model of counseling, adaptable to differences in clients, context, and counselor personalities. (TE)

Reviewed is research which supports retesting students to enhance learning. Evaluation results, materials and methods used to implement the procedure are described. Included are tables on student responses concerning involved groups and the value and benefits of retakes. (RT)

The Helping Relationship Inventory was used to see whether objective improvement in medical student (n=109) communication skills occurred in a relatively brief (nine-hour) small-group course in interviewing. The study demonstrated that even brief small-group interviewing courses can effect a positive change in communication skills. (Author/MSE)

Community college students' (n=662) scores on My Vocational Situation related modestly to some concurrent signs of career progress but did not predict grades or enrollment decisions, thereby calling into question the instrument's usefulness for prescription or evaluation, unless it is revised. (Author)

The development and potential usefulness of a modified accomplishment record technique to assess aspects of teaching under the talent-development model were explored through questionnaires completed by 18 college faculty members. Results support the usefulness of accomplishment records for selection decisions within professional populations. (SLD)

Summarizes conclusions authors of the papers in this theme issue have drawn about the measurement quality and potential for linkage with teacher pay of three sets of teacher assessments and the feasibility of using these assessments as the framework for a knowledge-and skill-based pay system. (SLD)