A study investigated the usefulness of the Learning and Study Strategies Inventory in predicting college students' academic performance, focusing on whether the scores enhance the accuracy of traditional predictors such as college entrance examinations and high school rank. Results indicate the scores produce a slight but not significant increase…

Examined self-esteem among Puerto Rican young adolescents. Found that Self-Perception Profile for Children had adequate reliability for use with 13- to 14-year-old Puerto Ricans living on the mainland. Gender differences in different domains were similar to those among Anglo youth. Psychological acculturation played a more protective role for…

A study of methods used to ensure validity and reliability in classroom assessments surveyed 625 elementary and secondary teachers in Ohio. Results indicate teachers spent little time conducting statistical analyses of their student evaluation data, and many techniques used were poor and inadequate. Additional professional development and improved…

Document addresses political and ethical questions generated by OECD's International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS) and the New Zealand Foresight Project. Calls for further critical work on changing patterns of literate activity in the information age, stressing the importance of contemplating futures other than those driven by imperatives of global…

Examines recent implementation of the controversial Massachusetts Educator Certification Tests and the educational, legal, and public policy issues in the implementation of a teacher testing program. The paper focuses on: the contexts for teacher testing; the tests themselves; the quality of the tests; and legal issues in teacher testing and…

This article discusses the development of the MacArthur Communicative Development Inventory for American Sign Language (ASL-CDI), a parent report that measures early sign production. Normative data from 69 children (8-36 months) with deafness and their parents with deafness found the development of the ASL-CDI has been successful. (Contains…

Two studies investigated the validity of a set of 15 general growth outcomes for young children by conducting a survey of parents of children with and without disabilities and early childhood and elementary professionals. Large proportions of both groups rated all of the outcomes as either critically or very important. (Contains references.) (CR)

The standards movement has caught on in most states, but critics point to a shortage of support for teachers and overreliance on high-stakes testing, which can lead to teaching to the test. Developments in Northwestern states are discussed, as well as criteria for determining how well tests align with standards, and change strategies observed in…

A study involving 1,523 students (grades 6-8) investigated the validity and internal consistency alpha reliability of My Class Activities, an instrument used to measure students' perceptions of classroom interests, challenges, choice, and enjoyment. Confirmatory factor analysis, item response theory, and alpha reliability information supported…

Business, language and cultural eccentricities are the cornerstones of nation-state sovereignty. Cultural diversity presents a myriad of challenges for academia and business. Cross-cultural frameworks serve to transcend barriers and promote classroom learning to an immersion category. In this paper, notable cross-cultural frameworks are explored,…

The research for this study was undertaken to analyze the New York State 11th grade United States History Regents exams through conducting a content analysis of the types of multiple-choice questions asked in Part I of the tests with a particular emphasis on the variety of questions asked regarding women and race. Because these tests stand at the…

The widespread use of student evaluations to rate faculty has raised the question of whether high student evaluations can be gained simply through the process of faculty giving higher grades to students, or whether learning of students is a critical factor in such evaluations. Four different models were tested which represented different…

The aim of the review of D.V. Cicchetti, A.S. Kaufman, and S.S. Sparrow (funded by the General Electric Company; this issue) is to "evaluate [the] literature relating the effects of prenatal and postnatal exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) upon neurobehavioral, health-related, and cognitive deficits in neonates, developing infants,…

This invited response to the paper by D.V. Cicchetti, A.S. Kaufman, and S.S. Sparrow (CKS), and the responses by the investigative teams of the studies criticized by them, addresses specific errors of logic and interpretation by CKS, and integrates comments made by the study investigators. CKS provide a flawed analysis of the literature on the…

The "No Child Left Behind" (NCLB) Act has made schools accountable for assuring adequate yearly progress of students. Therefore, it has become critical to identify school-level variables that can be controlled to affect student achievement, especially given that, thus far, most school reform efforts have failed to significantly affect…