The limitations of widely used intelligence tests are discussed within current use, along with adequacy of diagnosis, and specific and general ability measures. Tests of individual abilities are presented as reliant on largely unvalidated clinical inferences and judgements. Three emerging individual learning assessment models are described. (CM)

Report by the Education Advocates Coalition which compiles information regarding the practice of assigning minority students to classes for educable mentally retarded children. Discusses the refusal of the Bureau of Education for the Handicapped to remedy this situation. (MK)

Standardized test instruments inherently and systematically impose limitations on experiential-cognitive relevance, especially in reinforcing the convenient separation of individual aptitudes from the total development and socialization of a child. (Author/IRT)

Discusses the use of several alternative assessments of adults such as career portfolios, self-reports of ability, and vocational card sorts. Looks at implementation factors as well as concerns about each method. (JOW)

Explores seven personal and professional competencies that librarians will need for the future, including thinking globally; conquering any fear of technology; communication; professionalism; specialization; competitiveness; and maximizing abilities. (Author/LRW)

Summed scores of 2 subscales each of the Verbal and Performance scales of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (Revised) were cross-validated with full scale scores of 96 Hispanic students in a program for the accelerated and gifted. Results indicate the subtests as potentially useful tools for screening Hispanic students. (Author/PB)

Fifty-one gifted children, aged 9-17, were tested with the Stanford Binet Intelligence Scale, Fourth Edition, and the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised. Correlations indicated that the Peabody may be of value in screening students being considered for gifted placement. (Author/JDD)

A study explored the relationship between human figure drawing performance as measured by Ayres and Reid's assessment technique and the more commonly used Draw-a-Person-Test (DAPT). Data indicate that Ayres and Reid's self-drawing score system may be a useful replacement for the longer DAPT. (JOW)

This paper explores the fundamental rift between parents raising exceptionally gifted children and theorists who dismiss this population as "statistically insignificant." The role of intelligence tests in identifying the highly unusual mind is examined. The paper concludes that exceptionally gifted children are suffering intellectual…

Fifty gifted students, aged 9-17, were tested with the gifted identification battery from Stanford-Binet IV and the SRA Educational Ability Series (EAS). The EAS was found to be a feasible test for screening gifted students. The discrepancies between the standard scores of the two tests were low and favored the EAS. (Author/JDD)

Discusses utility of individual ability measures for diagnostic and treatment decisions with children and youth who are referred in educational settings due to learning and/or behavior problems. Concludes that utility of current individual measures of ability in school psychology is low for diagnostic and treatment decisions. (Author/JDM)

Describes a system of categories to subdivide the gifted and talented population into the following more homogeneous subgroups: mild, moderate, high, exceptional, and extreme. Based on the metric system, each of the five levels, including the minimum threshold, selects the top 10% of the previous level. (Author/CR)

The current popular case against the use of standardised ability tests in bilingual assessment is not as unequivocal as may be commonly assumed. Evidence currently available indicates that such tests generally measure the same constructs, with equal accuracy, regardless of language backgrounds. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to this…