It is recommended that students of Chinese as a second language be introduced to characters corresponding to new vocabulary, rather than be taught to recognize characters after the words themselves are learned. An approach that breaks each character into its smallest meaningful units, then reassembles them into proper position to form characters,…

The purpose of this study was to examine the differences in foreign language reading comprehension among high-, middle-, and low-ambiguity tolerance students. The subjects for the study were 150 English-as-a-Foreign-Language (EFL) university students randomly drawn from all freshmen enrolled in the English section at four schools of education in…

In the spring of 2000, public school eighth grade students will be assessed for the first time on the Colorado Model Content Standards for Science. This guide was developed to help educators prepare for the upcoming Colorado science assessment. The purpose of this book is to provide a window into eighth grade science assessment. This guide is…

The first purpose of this study is to do a comparative analysis in terms of the item difficulty and discrimination index between Mathematics Placement Test Form A and G. The results seem to suggest that items on both forms of the placement test are equally difficult. However, items on form A appear to have more discrimination power than items on…

The purpose of this research was to demonstrate that an audiotape desensitization treatment procedure, administered over a 19-day period, would be an effective means of treating test-taking anxiety. Subjects were students seeking treatment from a university counseling center. Results indicated that the treated subjects showed significant…

Five groups of approximately 50 children, grades 2 through 6, from each of five schools (four in low socioeconomic mostly black areas), originally referred for 1 or 2 years' support in a behaviorally oriented resource room, were followed up after regular class placement for 2 or 3 years. (MC)

The author suggests that a computer program be designed which not only computes item statistics, but also provides a running commetary in English to assist teachers in their analysis of test results. (PR)

In the present study, the authors collected data that would help resolve the controversey between developmental and defect theorists of mental retardation. (Authors/RY)

Reprinted from The California Palms, (December 1969). (JJ)

The implications that cognitive approaches to the study of reading can have for the assessment of reading achievement are discussed. Research in word decoding, semantic access, sentence processing, and discourse analysis is summarized with emphasis on processing efficiency required in one area affecting performance in another area. (Author/CM)

Results from the third national mathematics assessment are presented. Overall, the performance of nine year olds changed little since the second assessment, while significant gains were made by 13 year olds. Data on whole numbers, fractions and decimals, other basic concepts, and problem solving are discussed. (MNS)

Assessment test data from 1976-79 on California children in grade six were analyzed. Loglinear models were used to evaluate the consistency of response of each sex. A significant interaction between sex and choice of distractor occurred for a large majority of the items. (MNS)

Findings on ratio and on fractions from a research project on strategies and errors in secondary mathematics are discussed, with typical errors described. Pupils seemed to learn rules without understanding. (MNS)

Compares the efficacy of objective and holistic writing evaluation, in the context of the freshman writing program evaluation procedure at a west coast university. Indicates that holistic evaluation of writing samples is a far more accurate measure of writing quality and potential. (HTH)

As its name implies, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975 was full of promise for handicapped students and their parents. The authors examine the gap between the philosophy and the reality of six promises made in P.L. 94-142. (Part of a theme issue on mainstreaming.) (Editor/SJL)