This handbook brings together contributions by scholars in the areas of psychometrics, assessment, and evaluation who have expertise in the application of testing and assessment in multicultural environments. The book provides a comprehensive view of various cultural issues and offers updated information pertaining to the usage of major…

This study investigated teachers' emotions as they prepared and administered test feedback sessions related to exams delivered in undergraduate educational psychology courses. Qualitative methodology was used to gather data over two semesters, using grounded theory to collect and analyze data. Seven instructors were observed and interviewed…

This document highlights the problems with current federal education program data collection activities and lists several factors that make movement toward a possible solution, then discusses the vision for the Integrated Performance and Benchmarking System (IPBS), a vision of an Internet-based system for harvesting information from states about…

The Colorado Student Assessment Program (CSAP) has been underway since 1997. Since then, fourth grade students have been assessed annually on the Colorado Model Content Standards for Reading and Writing. In 1998, testing began on third grade reading. Over the course of time, other grades and subject areas will be phased in. In the spring of 2000,…

Washback or backwash, also known as measurement-driven instruction, is a common term in applied linguistics referring to the influence of testing on teaching and learning, which is a prevailing phenomena in education. It is a truism that "what is assessed becomes what is valued, which becomes what is taught." This paper aims to share the…

This briefing paper reviews the special education evaluation process for children with disabilities. It discusses the purpose of an evaluation and who is involved in an evaluation. An explanation of the steps of the process includes: (1) using what is known about a child by looking at a child's school file and recent test scores; (2) collecting…

Programs designed to improve the language proficiency of limited-English-proficient (LEP) students have had mixed results. Much confusion has arisen from variable approaches to what can be expected of the programs. Recently, "expected gain" has become an important concept in documenting the educational development of LEP students, requiring…

The survey of the school system of Alexandria, Virginia, was made in May, 1923, by the United States Commissioner of Education upon the invitation of the Board of Education of Alexandria and of the State superintendent of public instruction of Virginia. Members of the survey staff during the three weeks of field work visited the schools, made…

This article describes the evolution of an alternative approach to the traditional lecture method. Students accept the major responsibility for their own learning. Diagnostic testing, supplementary materials, peer help, study guides, retest provisions, and short lectures on common difficulties are the major components of the program. (LS)

Discusses problems in using multiple-choice items on criterion-referenced tests, offering alternative methods to determine if objectives have been met. These include batteries of true-false items, structural communication grids, concept linkages, and a scoring system which takes partial knowledge into consideration. (JN)

Resumption and development of graduate education since 1976 are described, with attention to admissions, examinations, stress on science and engineering, institution types, curriculum, dissertations, the new degree system, and teaching and research employment patterns. Interrelationships of graduate study and the educational and political debate,…

The development, administration, and scoring of a communicative test and its validation with tests of linguistic and sociolinguistic competence in English and Spanish are reported. Correlation with measures of home language use and school achievement are also presented, and issues of test validation for bilingual programs are discussed. (MSE)

The effectiveness of a computer-assisted training method using computer simulation of two subsets of the Wechsler Intelligence Test for Children--Revised was compared with traditional methods for teaching the administration of the test. Results suggest that the computer simulation was a very effective teaching method. Eleven references are listed.…

A study investigated the hypothesis that poor comprehension or recall of task demands, rather than a putative lack of goal directedness, is a possible source of learning-disabled children's poor performance of experimental tasks. Clear instructions substantially facilitated performance by both normally achieving and learning disabled children of…