Eighty-three Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) writing prompts administered via computer-based testing between July 1998 and August 2000 were examined for differences attributable to the response mode (handwriting or word processing) chosen by examinees. Differences were examined statistically using polytomous logistic regression. A…

The one-page abstract summarizes "Brain Research: Implications for the Education of Exceptional Children," an ERIC Computer Search Reprint containing bibliographic information and abstracts of 115 documents. Citations are described in five sections: learning disabilities, autism, other learning handicaps, assessment techniques, and instructional…

Critiques the ways in which evaluators and professional organizations have come to terms with research on, issues about, and interests that impact people of color. Focuses on ways to create institutional change, including fostering the participation of researchers of color. (SLD)

This paper reviews four scales that have been used to evaluate the physical environment of child care centers, and introduces five new scales that are designed explicitly to assess the physical environment of child care centers and their associated outdoor play environments. The psychometric properties, environmental content, and effectiveness of…

Reviews two recent professional publications concerning alternative assessment: "Portfolio Assessment in the Reading-Writing Classroom" and "Assessment and Evaluation in Whole Language Programs." (MG)

In the evaluation scenario presented, that of a mentoring program matching high school juniors and seventh graders, the external evaluator is asked for impact information before enough time has elapsed to provide really meaningful data. The commentators, T. A. Schwandt and D. G. Bonnet, take different approaches to what the evaluator should do.…

This one-page abstract summarizes "The Miller Assessment for Preschoolers: A Longitudinal and Predictive Study" by Lucy Miller, which examined the predictive validity of an early childhood screening instrument to identify children who have or are at risk of developing handicapping conditions. The Miller Assessment for Preschoolers (MAP)…

A federally funded research report, titled "The Development of a Program in Orientation and Mobility for Multi-Handicapped Blind Infants" by Randall Harley et al., is briefly summarized in this one-page abstract. The report discusses the development of the "Peabody Mobility Kit for Infants," a package of assessment and training…

Compares compact discs (CD-ROMs) and online services in terms of cost of information delivery; system advantages and disadvantages; future possibilities; and role in the National Information Infrastructure. Analysis reveals that CD-ROMs have the lowest information delivery cost and are endorsed by the marketplace as a cost-effective way to deliver…

This annual guide provides information on recommended software programs and multimedia applications for K-12 use. An introductory section describes the evaluation process and lists the highest-rated programs for 1998-99. The program entries are organized by the following subject areas: the arts, early childhood, health, language arts, mathematics,…

Reviews five books for educators: (1) "Once upon a Folktale: Capturing the Folklore Process with Children" (Blatt); (2) "Integrated Studies in the Middle Grades: Dancing through Walls" (Stevenson, Carr); (3) "Conflict in Child and Adolescent Development" (Schantz, Hartup); (4) "Ways of Assessing Children and…

World Wide Web browsers are compared by speed, setup, hypertext transport protocol (HTTP) handling, management of file transfer protocol (FTP), telnet, gopher, and wide area information server (WAIS); bookmark options; and communication functions. Netscape has the most features, the fastest retrieval, sophisticated bookmark capabilities. (JMV)

This monograph presents a compilation and analysis of published reviews of 142 commercially available assessment instruments and practices relevant for use in transition planning for students with disabilities. An introductory paper describes the data collection and analysis process involved in the review of instruments. It notes that analysis of…

This book reports on the extensive longitudinal study of children's language development by B. Hart and T. Risley. Their detailed recording of children's language experience over the first three years of life provides a valuable example of assessing environmental quality. Implications for improving day care and academic achievement are discussed.…

Describes a study that was conducted to examine the utility of "Books for College Libraries, 3rd Ed." (BCL3) as a collection development and evaluation tool for academic libraries. Holdings of sample titles from BCL3 in the OCLC Online Union Catalog are examined, and the in-print status of titles is investigated. (11 references) (LRW)