Rasch methodology, often used in educational research, was used to assess psychometric limitations of a scale designed to measure fear of falling in older persons. Simultaneous calibration of scale items improved its lack of scale definition. Implications for assessment of self-efficacy perceptions and planning treatment programs are discussed.…

A program to develop culturally appropriate child and family service standards in First Nations communities was evaluated. Process and outcome benefits were achieved through multiple focus group interviews and using a feedback and data consultation stage to involve community residents. (SLD)

Community enterprise projects link higher education students with the not-for-profit community and provide opportunities to acquire skills and competences not available in commercial experiences. Outlines personal and academic benefits to students, highlights benefits to communities and volunteer groups, and discusses competence assessment…

Comments on "Assessing the Comfort Zone of Child Care Teachers in Serving Young Children with Disabilities" (Buysse and others) and discusses the social value of inclusion for young children with disabilities. Explores the use of social-validity assessment to evaluate inclusive placements and current training efforts. (CR)

Describes how one group of beginning preservice teachers constructed meaning about portfolios during an introductory course in the teacher education programs. Surveys of students who had and had not participated in a portfolio-like intervention indicated that intervention students had significantly increased knowledge and understanding of the…

A multimethod approach to program evaluation using quantitative methods, subjective assessments, and qualitative case study methods was used to evaluate a federally funded grant to improve quality of life for persons with developmental disabilities. Discussion focuses on the strengths and weaknesses of each evaluation method and impact of the…

Describes a schoolwide research improvement initiative that was designed to improve information literacy in a high school setting. Discusses self-study and examination of student work; cognitive issues; school culture; online resources that were developed; improving search strategies; discouraging electronic plagiarism; creating pathfinders;…

Responds to a critique of this author's article on consideration of purpose and intended use when making evaluations of assessments, commenting on three areas from that critique that warrant further discussion: considering the uses of assessment tools; global quality versus content specificity; and creating a toolkit of measures for examining…

Explains the Palladian Alliance Project of the Associated Colleges of the South (ACS) that is designed to provide member institutions with an effective means to enhance information access through electronic resource sharing of indexes and journals. Planning, individual library needs, evaluation of possible sources, and implementation are…

Describes a successful early start, long sequence Japanese foreign language in the elementary school (FLES) program that was identified as one of seven model programs in a national project funded by the U.S. Department of Education. Highlights literacy instruction in Japanese, student assessment, language camps, visits to Japan, parent…

This article provides guidance on the use of functional behavioral assessment (FBA) techniques to identify the function of problem behaviors by recording antecedents and consequences of each behavior. It includes a case study illustrating application of FBA as well as a sample form for recording observations, developing a behavioral hypothesis,…

Presents a methodological framework for practice-based research in the field of networked learning, based on a case study evaluation of a networked professional development initiative for information services staff in higher education. The theoretical case for the framework is made with reference to principles associated with contructivist program…

The study of 35 posttreatment stutterers found that magnitude estimation and interval scaling were both valid procedures for measuring speech naturalness. Speech of nonstutterers was judged more natural than speech of treated stutterers. The acoustic parameters most highly correlated with speech naturalness were voice onset time measure and…

Methods of assessing the general goals for the Pediatric Dentistry Department at the Medical College of Georgia School of Dentistry are discussed. Goals are: (1) to prepare dentists to provide comprehensive dental care for the pediatric patient; (2) to create positive attitudes toward pediatric dentistry; (3) to encourage students to seek to…

Issues in measuring language proficiency of monolingual and bilingual persons are discussed. Psychometric procedures in developing both English- and Spanish-language proficiency instruments are illustrated through development of the New York City Language Assessment Battery, an assessment of proficiency in both languages used to screen eligibility…