Current issues in the assessment of students with learning disabilities are identified, including use of physiological and neuropsychological measures, discrepancy criteria, curriculum-based measurement, dynamic assessment, performance and portfolio assessment, and assessment of learning disabilities in bilingual and multicultural contexts.…

Describes a task-oriented assessment of two MEDLINE searching systems by medical students, one using Boolean searching on human-indexed thesaurus terms and one using natural language searching on words in the title, abstract, and indexing terms. Highlights include user certainty in answering questions, time needed, and user satisfaction.…

Examines educational services delivery to the entire school and to those who scored below the median on achievement tests in 242 Louisiana elementary schools. Results indicate that mean masking occurs in about 17 percent of schools, most frequently when schools do an above-average job of educating the lowest quartile. (SLD)

Interviews with 24 minority-group junior and senior education majors, with faculty, and with administrators at 2 colleges of education demonstrate the importance of including the views of minority students in any meaningful assessment of the efforts of teacher preparation programs to address racial diversity. (SLD)

Describes a study by British researchers that attempted to describe progression in learning in terms of a common framework for all students. Elementary school students completed periodic interviews while being taught measurement skills. Results found a wide spread of attainment in measurement in each age range but less clear progression between…

Low-cost, privately supported voice clinics were developed to perform laryngeal examinations of public school children to identify those needing treatment for voice disorders. This paper describes the model used in implementing the program, the population seen at the clinics, and the logistics involved in clinic operation. (Author/JDD)

This case study examines the structure and use of an exempt job evaluation system at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Discussed are the review committee, evolution of the evaluation process, importance of a position tracking system, qualitative data analysis, and quantitative data analysis. An integrated approach to salary and…

Methods of teacher evaluation in public school districts in Ohio were studied in a 272-district sample. Comparison of data with seven theoretical models from the literature on teacher evaluation indicates that 84 percent of responding districts use a traditional Trait Model (teaching in terms of traits) to evaluate the teacher. (SLD)

Describes the application of a comprehensive planning process to the library media program in the Lincoln (Nebraska) Public Schools. Highlights include identification of program needs; curriculum integration; a study of school library media center collections; use of technology; and essential elements for program change. (eight references) (LRW)

Describes a study that compared two information retrieval systems on a full-text medical database: one featured concept-based automatic indexing and statistical retrieval techniques, and the second used traditional word-based Boolean techniques. Evaluation of search results by calculating relative recall and precision is discussed, and user…

Uses the general linear model to develop an adjusted cumulative grade point average (GPA) that systematically models grading effects among courses. A validation study using 778 courses of 1,564 Stanford (California) University students shows an increase in predictability of the adjusted least-squares GPA over the unadjusted GPA. (SLD)

A study found that the admission interview scores for 62 Dartmouth Medical School (New Hampshire) applicants correlated positively with dean's letter ratings given 4 years later and that interview scores were better predictors of ratings than were total Medical College Admission Test scores or science grade point averages. (Author/MSE)

Discusses a new approach to mathematics education that moves away from methods that tell students what to do and toward methods that help students build mental representations of mathematical concepts. Contrasts the previous and emerging views and examines aspects of the new approach. (26 references) (MDH)

Effects of variations of program evaluation purpose and methodology on decision-making information needs of various stakeholders were examined with 475 participants in planning for early childhood special education (223 administrators, 140 service personnel, and 112 parents). A program evaluation's purpose and methodology differentially affect…

Elementary-aged students (n=106) who had been referred for evaluation as possibly mildly/educably mentally handicapped were administered audiometric and visual acuity tests. Discriminant function analysis found no relationship between test results and classification/placement as mildly handicapped. Alternate testing procedures are recommended for…