Students' perception of overall teaching performance is strongly aligned with feelings about the course. A method is presented for separating the effects of the teacher, the course, and individual student groups. All three effects are highly significant; the effect of the course is by far the most prominent. (Author/JKS)

Traditional objections to student involvement and recent research supporting the validity of student comments are explored. The value of student comments depends upon asking appropriate questions: deciding what should be asked, what form the questions and results should take, and what use should be made of the information. (Author/MLW)

Critical reanalysis of a previous Australian study comparing the effects of single-sex mathematics and mixed-sex mathematics instruction on students in grades seven and eight suggests that the randomly assigned class-type intervention had relatively little effect on mathematics achievement or attitudes, and that at least some effects favored…

Examined the validity and reliability of the Strengths and Stressors Tracking Device (SSTD), a rapid assessment measure of family well-being to help guide case planning and evaluate treatment effectiveness. Found high internal consistency in all domains measured: environmental conditions, social support, caregiver skills, and child well-being.…

Evaluated social competence and problem behaviors of 200 Japanese preschoolers. Found anxiety-withdrawal, anger- aggression, and social competence factors as well as age and gender differences in emotional and behavioral problems and social competence. Found consistency with previous findings from U.S. and Canadian samples. (DLH)

The short form of the Modern Language Aptitude Test (MLAT) was administered to 587 university students, and scores were validated against final first and second semester grades in introductory foreign language classes for 529 and 365 students, respectively. The MLAT failed to distinguish good from poor students. (TJH)

Classroom assessment procedures of 36 teachers in grades 2 to 12 were studied to determine the extent to which they measure students' higher order thinking skills in mathematics, science, social studies, and language arts. A striking finding was the absence of evaluation of comparative and evaluative thinking. (SLD)

Outlines an application of theoretical understandings of institutionalized or nativized varieties of English to the practical concern of English-as-a-Second-Language programs, including testing, placement, and pedagogy. (29 references) (Author/OD)

Achievement in English was measured for 64 German eighth graders by a cloze test, which was evaluated by three methods, yielding similar results. Twenty-one native English speakers comprised a criterion group. The cloze test may be appropriate for evaluating oral communication when an oral interview is not feasible. (SLD)

Innovative or adaptive behavior of 86 eighth-grade students was rated by themselves, parents, and teachers using the Kirton Adaption-Innovation Inventory. The inventory was found to be reliable, stable, and valid. No significant differences between male and female students' scores were exhibited. Correlation with scores on the Comprehensive Test…

Report cards from 39 kindergarten, 59 elementary, 48 middle school, and 70 high school students in Wisconsin were content analyzed to determine their influence on meaningfulness of interpretations parents might make about academic achievement. Findings indicate that report cards typically have serious limitations that compromise the validity of…

Compares the performance of similar preschool students on Spanish and English versions of the Lollipop Test: A Diagnostic Screening Test of School Readiness--Revised. Results with samples of 129 rural, 788 disadvantaged, and 148 bilingual children support the construct validity of the instrument and its Spanish form. (SLD)

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)

The self-report Educational Beliefs Questionnaire (EBQ) was constructed, and its construct validity was studied with 610 elementary school and secondary school teachers. The instrument assesses beliefs about five specific educational concepts. Further research will determine whether the 3-factor model still applies to a 20-item version of the EBQ.…

The validity of the assumptions under which the ordinal true score test theory was derived was examined using (1) simulation based on classical test theory; (2) a long empirical test with data from 321 sixth graders; and (3) an extensive simulation with 480 datasets based on the 3-parameter model. (SLD)