The goal of this review of the clinical and research literature is to identify, describe, and critique published methods for assessment of attention and related functions in preschool children (ages 6 and younger). The need for valid assessment of preschool children has grown dramatically in the past two decades following the implementation of…

The Middle Childhood HOME (MC-HOME) Inventory is designed to measure the quality and quantity of stimulation and support available to a child in the home environment. It is an interview/questionnaire that is individually administered to the primary caregiver while the target child is awake and present. The instrument is intended to be a sensitive…

The use of performance based evaluation on a national scale with 7-year-olds in the United Kingdom is described, and the impact of national assessment on teaching practice and implications of this type of assessment are considered. The national assessment program in the United Kingdom started in earnest in 1991 when all 7-year-olds were assessed…

Internal structure and external validity of 39 multiple-choice visual arts achievement test items were examined. These items were developed to assess grade 3 visual arts achievement for a statewide model of a fine arts curriculum. Item responses were evaluated in terms of: (1) fit to the one-parameter Rasch measurement model; (2) item-total…

A one-page introduction is followed by summaries of articles and documents on teacher competency testing. George F. Madaus argues that, although tests serve some useful functions, treating them as a major mechanism for reforming education is questionable. Peter A. Garcia examines the negative impact of testing on minority teachers and minorities…

Most of the information in this booklet is useful for both formative and summative evaluations. The booklet offers information to help the evaluator develop skills in designing and using instruments to measure affective objectives or attitudes. The chapters cover: (1) an introduction to the measurement of attitudes and attitude change; (2)…

The ninth report of the Michigan Educational Assessment Program contains the technical information needed to evaluate the instruments and techniques used to measure and report the status of student achievement and attitude. This report is intended for people with expertise in psychometrics. The Program is described in the first section of the…

A battery of tests, designed expressly for use in assessment of disadvantaged adolescents enrolled in youth-work training programs, was validated predictively against both short-term (program completion) and longer-term (post-program) behavioral outcome dimensions. Measures of the battery displayed their best validities with such longer-term…

The effectiveness of the elementary level guidance program, Developing Understanding of Self and Others (DUSO), is assessed. Intended for use by counselors of children ages 5-8, the DUSO program is designed to help children understand social-emotional behavior through listening, inquiry, discussion, and role play. The DUSO Affectivity Device,…

This book presents the full array of assessment methods available to the classroom teacher in an interesting and engaging format, broadens the preservice and inservice teacher's understanding of related assessment issues, and places assessment in a meaningful context. The text, which was developed for an introductory course in classroom…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 20 titles deal with a variety of topics, including the following: (1) reading readiness, linguistic awareness, and nonverbal problem solving ability in relation to first grade reading achievement; (2) predictive accuracy of third…

This report describes the instructional quality inventory (IQI), which was developed to provide quality control/evaluation procedures for the instructional system development (ISD). The ISD is described as a method used by the military to develop or revise training courses. IQI procedures are detailed in six sections. Section 1 explains the IQI…

FOUR INSTRUMENTS WERE DEVELOPED AND STANDARDIZED TO MEASURE EARLY EXPERIENCE, CURRENT BEHAVIOR, TREATMENT APPROACHES, AND PROGNOSIS OF EMOTIONALLY DISTURBED CHILDREN--THE RATING/RANKING SCALE OF CHILD BEHAVIOR (R/R SCALE), THE PARENT PRACTICES INVENTORY (PPI), THE SCALE ON PROCEDURES IN DEALING WITH CHILDREN (PDC), AND THE CHILD HISTORY CODE…

The methods and procedures of education in our schools must be reexamined according to the writers who have contributed to this document. This is most strongly felt in the areas of testing and evaluation for it is these areas that may have the greatest impact on a child's educational career. This document is presented in three sections: (1) An…

Papers presented at this conference discussed the educational evaluation and the problems of the socially disadvantaged. Topics were: "The Comparative Field Experiment: An Illustration from High School Biology," by Richard C. Anderson; "Evaluation of Teacher Training in a Title III Center," by Ethna R. Reid; "Evaluating a…