Much has been written in recent years about advances in assessment technologies designed to aid decision making in the juvenile justice system. Adoption and implementation of this latest generation of actuarial tools, however, have lagged behind their development. Assessment in juvenile justice exemplifies the "science-practice gap" that…

Wilder Research, in conjunction with the Invest Early leadership team and staff, is conducting a longitudinal and cost-benefit evaluation, documenting and assessing implementation of Invest Early and outcomes for the service system, families, and children. In the short term, Invest Early aims to improve children's school readiness by improving the…

The United States lacks uniform popular definitions of "literacy," remediations, or consensus for national standards. Factors beyond the control of educational and political structures continually modify and dominate discussions of illiteracy and strategies of remediation. In most advanced cultures, alienation and functional illiteracy…

A review of ethnographic research investigated issues associated with regional or dialectal language use, particularly the use of African American Vernacular English (AAVE) in the special education classroom, and noted the implications for research and classroom practice. Research with speech/language pathologists is under way to develop a…

It is proposed that a major obstacle for intermediate-level learners of English as a Second Language is the transition from thinking in the native language to thinking in English, that this transition must be made before proceeding from the intermediate level, and that it should begin as early as possible in language training. Early in-class…

This study examined the communicative competence of 89 international teaching assistants (ITAs) based on evaluations by undergraduate students. The study was developed to answer two questions: (1) whether the Oral English Proficiency Test, administered by professionals in teaching English as a second language, is a valid instrument for screening…

The Early Screening Inventory-Revised (ESI-R) is a brief developmental screening instrument that is individually administered to children from 3 to 6 years of age. It is designed to identify children who may need special education services in order to perform successfully in school. The ESI-R is intended to assess the child's ability to acquire…

Most of the 150 tests cited in this bibliography are geared to the elementary secondary level. There are some for adults and college students. The instruments are basically achievement tests that assess competence in fundamental skills basic to learning or everyday functioning such as reading, mathematics, and language skills. Many of the tests…

This study investigated the use of the Draw-a-Person: Screening Procedure for Emotional Disturbance (DAP:SPED) with students enrolled in classes for children with emotional disturbances (ED), learning disabilities (LD), or cognitive disabilities (CD). The DAP:SPED was administered to 39 students in a large urban area in eastern Wisconsin and to 31…

This paper examines issues related to the screening and assessment of infants, toddlers, and preschoolers with disabilities or at risk for disabilities, from families of various cultural and linguistic backgrounds. An introductory section outlines issues of cultural and linguistic competence and provides definitions of key terms. Interviews are…

This paper describes the development and test of an early-warning instrument for identifying at-risk students aged 10-15. A statistically sound test to identify at-risk high school students existed in the Personal Skills Map--Adolescent version (PSMA-A). This study used a modified version of PSM-A , which was renamed Personal Skills for…

This document reviews 49 assessment measures that were designed for, or could be used with, pre-school children between the ages of three and five. The assessments have been classified into the following categories: (1) cognitive skills, (2) language, (3) social adjustment and behavior, (4) physical skills, (5) developmental and clinical measures,…

This parent guide provides an overview of the Gesell Developmental Program (pre-first grade) in the Eastern Lancaster County School District (Pennsylvania). The following topics are covered: (1) a history of the program; (2) a brief description of the Gesell preschool tests; (3) answers to questions parents are likely to ask about the program; (4)…

In 1989, a study was conducted at Southwestern Community College (SCC) to determine the percentage of students who by-passed the remedial classes into which they had been placed, and the effect of this on their progress at SCC. A random sample of 180 students who failed all or part of the placement test administered in 1988-89 were chosen as the…

A day care director of a center sponsored by a metropolitan medical center designed and implemented a practicum study to address the lack of a system for identifying and assessing high-risk children. The practicum was also intended to develop a program which would respond to teachers' concerns for children with special needs and obtain positive…