Contents of this booklet include: (1) "What's wrong with reading tests?", Deborah Meier, covering the following areas: the definition of reading, the social context of testing, the trouble with the tests, and how children handle tests; (2) "An English view of evaluation," an excerpt from a longer interview with Kenneth Barker at Froebel Institute…

The external and internal pressures exerted on school psychologists are reviewed and recommendations for resolving the conflicts are made. External sources of pressure include special educators, federal legislation, teachers' unions. Internal sources include clinical psychologists, the issues involving the definition of professional psychologist…

This article questions the appropriateness of having self appointed specialists (the plaintiffs dictate to others (the school system) how to conduct their responsibilities, particularly with respect to providing children with the option of choosing to enroll in special educable mentally retarded programs. (CTM)

The future of school psychology is predicted to depend on two major issues: (1) how well professional societies resolve their conflicting problems, and (2) how well school psychologists learn to provide useful solutions to the present and future problems of schools, teachers, and pupils. (CTM)

A study of 170 foreign university students in the Netherlands shows that while their success rate was similar to native students', it took them more time to complete examinations, and language proficiency and home-country selection procedures were major factors in achievement. Implications for foreign student policy are explored, and a mentor…

This study assessed the nature of response bias in a two-stage data-collection design (telephone interviews followed by a questionnaire mailing), which was used to examine the effectiveness of a state-level pharmaceutical assistance program for the elderly. Demographic and health factors affecting response (N=1,705 elderly persons) are discussed.…

An adaptation of the Hannah-Gardner Test of Verbal and Nonverbal Language Functioning was developed to be used in screening the language skills of 540 low-income Black, English-dominant Hispanic, and Anglo preschool children. The procedures used to calculate local norms and other issues involved in screening minority populations are discussed.…

Student assessment in science in primary (elementary) schools in the United Kingdom is discussed in the context of the enactment of a National Curriculum. Sample science test items are included. Teachers must develop the skills required to assess students' learning in science and should not rely on external tests. (SLD)

Aims to foster scrupulous use of the "at-risk" label for young children by advocating clarification of the term. Proposes caveats educators should consider before applying the label. Among these are (1) risk is not static; (2) standardized test scores are not effective predictors of risk for young children; and (3) children develop in an…

Examines methodological problems that metaphorical nonequivalence poses for cross-cultural survey research. Data from 1,105 urban ninth graders (including 105 Laotian Hmong) in St. Paul (Minnesota) illustrate problems of the translation of psychological instruments and the difficulties of administering a single instrument to culturally different…

A study examined the extent to which current medical-student evaluation assesses noncognitive clinical skills and behaviors needed by graduates, including small-group conferences, case-based discussion, library research, lifelong learning, reasoned thinking, interpersonal skills, and logical/sequenced history taking and physical examinations.…

Second language tests claiming to assess communicative competence are widespread, despite the vague nature of the construct. Sociolinguistic or intercultural competence is gradually gaining attention in the classroom, but testing has not kept pace, partly because of difficulty in defining the related skills. An opinion is that speech act theory…

Data on the implementation of state-mandated portfolio assessment guidelines were collected in a class of 25 fourth-grade students in a Kentucky urban school, using participant observation, interviews, and document analysis. The use of computers as word processors was found to facilitate students' ability to read their work aloud to their class,…

Many educators are shifting their teaching strategies and approaches to include more emphasis on critical thinking skills, the communication of ideas, a variety of approaches to content emphasizing varied student learning styles, and the need to draw explicit connections among topics for retention of learning. Real-world assessment measures, then,…

Approximately 225 classroom teachers representing 97 randomly selected Ohio school districts participated in this study. They were selected as being most able to accurately inform researchers of their districts' standardized testing practices. Responding to a mailed survey, these teachers rated their schools regarding the extent of use and the…