Using portfolios in assessing literacy is explored, considering student portfolios and the teacher's class portfolio. Portfolio assessment is a valuable complement to externally mandated tests, but technical issues must be addressed if the portfolio movement is to survive. Portfolios must be linked to the broader task of instructional improvement.…

The predictive validity of the mathematics subtest of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT-M) was investigated for 1,996 mathematically gifted (top 1 percent) seventh and eighth graders through academic achievements assessed over 10 years. The SAT-M appears to have predictive validity for differentiating highly able seventh and eighth graders. (SLD)

This article explores the measurement problems associated with granting accommodations for mental disabilities, uses existing case law to construct a legal framework for considering such accommodations, and discusses the advantages and disadvantages of alternative strategies for handling testing accommodation requests. (Author/SLD)

Increasing emphasis on assessment and concern about assessment techniques have stirred interest in alternative assessment forms, for which evidence is needed about consequences, transfer of performance on specific assessment tests, and assessment fairness. Criteria concerning consequences, fairness, transfer-generalizability, cognitive complexity,…

This study for the Kentucky Department of Education identified and validated teacher competencies for teachers of students with emotional and behavioral disorders. The competencies address assessment, consultation, social skills development, behavior management, instructional programing/curriculum, personal/professional aspects, cognition,…

A hypothetical construct of interest is proposed and tested in the mathematics classroom with 350 high school students. Results indicate that it is useful to distinguish between personal and situational interest. In addition, the structure of situational interest appears multifaceted, with five subfacets found in the high school mathematics…

This article describes the Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test, an assessment of intelligence for individuals ages 4 to 90. The test is designed for those circumstances in which a brief measure of intelligence will suffice and trained professionals may be unavailable for the assessments. Its administration, reliability, and validity are discussed.…

Regressing adjusted grade point averages (GPAs) on freshman Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores and high school GPAs increases the SAT's predictive validity. However, these adjusted SATs change only a small proportion of admissions decisions, do not increase freshman grades, but do change freshman class composition in some majors and limit…

This research applied evolving conceptions of learning to examine how to represent and evaluate students' and experts' cognitive structures. High school history students completed several tasks. Direct comparisons of the quality of student maps with expert maps showed that experts' concept maps could be used to score students' concept maps…

This article comments on two studies (EC 629 876) that investigated the validity of a set of 15 general growth outcomes (GGOs) for identifying young children with disabilities. It discusses concerns that the respondents were not culturally diverse and need to provide public and empirical demonstrations of the operationalization of the outcomes…

Reports on a study of Web-based learning environments in Singapore that focuses on the cross-validation of the Geography Classroom Environment Inventory (GCEI) which assesses undergraduate students' perceptions of psychosocial aspects of their Web-based instruction. Examines gender equity, instructional innovation, internal consistency…

This study examined the performance of 59 at-risk, African-American preschoolers on the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-III. Student scores were below those reported for the standardization sample, however, the performance spread resulted in a normal distribution of scores. Level of education of the primary caregiver influenced performance.…

Despite questions about their reliability and validity, student evaluations of teaching (SETs) are a primary measure of instructor performance. The current study examines SETs, including a thorough list of potentially relevant variables. The findings suggest that how much students perceive they learned in a course is an important predictor of SET…

Professors John M. Barron and Michael E. Staten's article in Vol. 34, No. 3 of this journal, "Usage of Credit Cards Received through College Student-Marketing Programs," purports to "provide benchmark measures of college student credit card usage." Based on empirical analyses of proprietary industry data, they conclude that "There is no…

Recent international studies note that countries whose students perform well on international science assessments report the need to change science education. Some countries use assessments for diagnostic purposes to assist teachers in addressing their students' needs. However, in the United States, standards-based reform has focused the national…