This annotated bibliography contains 10 items addressing speaking and listening assessment methodology. Specific topics include: (1) a national survey of state practices; (2) criteria for minimal high school requirements; (3) recommendations for instrument development; (4) the impact of listening on other language arts; (5) measuring oral…

This study examines the relationship between three variables in the problem-solving approaches of emotionally disturbed children. The variables of locus of control, persistence behavior, and reflection-impulsivity were related to each other and to problem-solving approach. The varying nature of these relationships is discussed. (SJL)

In March 1989, the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory entered into a contract with the Nevada Department of Education to develop this evaluation design for the Nevada Proficiency Examination (NPE) Program. The NPE program, mandated by state legislation, requires each school district to administer examinations in all public schools to…

The rationale and methodology for using videotape recordings to test foreign language listening comprehension are discussed. First, the advantages of using video in teaching and testing listening comprehension are examined and the specific listening skills to be developed at the beginning level are outlined. Issues in the selection of video…

This guide is intended to assist vocational rehabilitation counselors in planning and conducting short-term vocational evaluations of clients. The first section discusses the elements that must be included in a comprehensive vocational evaluation. Next, strategies for conducting a vocational evaluation are explained. The next section, a case study…

Sampling distributions for ten tests for comparing population variances in a two group design were generated for several combinations of equal and unequal sample sizes, population means, and group variances when distributional forms differed. The ten procedures included: (1) O'Brien's (OB); (2) O'Brien's with adjusted degrees of freedom; (3)…

This study introduced a probabilistic model utilizing item response theory (IRT) for dealing with a variety of misconceptions. The model can be used for evaluating the transition behavior of error types, advancement of learning stages, or the stability and persistence of particular misconceptions. Moreover, it apparently can be used for relating…

This paper summarizes the Alabama Career Incentive Program, a statewide effort to evaluate more than 30,000 teachers including specialists in guidance, speech therapy, and so on. The evaluation was based on 10 classroom competencies and five outside-the-class professional competencies. A low-inference instrument measured competencies by using…

Because of consistent faculty involvement from its earliest stages, the writing assessment program at the University of Missouri at Kansas City (UMKC) represents a competent, fair, and useful procedure for the large-scale testing and evaluation of student writing. UMKC's assessment curriculum builds on the existing sequence of three composition…

Teachers' perspectives on the student assessment process and on the role of testing in that process are presented. Primarily ethnographic in approach, this study includes investigations of teachers' ideas and thought processes as well as observation of actual classroom practice. Six elementary teachers participated in a three-stage process of…

The research literature on oral achievement testing is reviewed, and advantages and disadvantages of oral tests are described. A number of suggestions are made for improving the objectivity, reliability, and validity of oral tests. The results of a survey of the attitudes and experiences of a selected sample of college students with regard to…

Proficiency Verification Systems (PVS) is a new concept in providing management information about local achievement in basic skills. The program includes a network of assessment and reporting components which can be combined in varied ways to generate proficiency information about individual pupils and groups, for teachers, principals, and school…

The report on preliminary administration of the AEBLE (Assessment of Environmental Barriers to Leisure Experiences) instrument to 18 orthopedically impaired children reveals five factors (all but the family support) to be considered problems: community reaction resources, architectural barriers, accessible and available transportation, community…

A new system of order analysis, developed by Takeya and called Item Relations Structure Analysis (IRSA), was described and used for examining the structural relations among a set of 24 items on the addition and subtraction of fractions. A diagraph showing 16 chains of items that had discernibly common features was generated by this method, and…

Two studies are presented in this report. The first is titled "Empirical Studies of Multilevel Approaches to Test Development and Interpretation: Measuring Between-Group Differences in Instruction." Because of a belief that schooling does affect student achievement, researchers have questioned the empirical and measurement techniques…