Assessment of school violence should take into account the interaction of factors in three general categories: home and community, school, and personal factors. Assessment of classroom violence should yield data indicating who and what should be modified and in what manner the changes should take place. (CL)

The rationale for assessment in special education is examined, and the importance of measuring student performance until mastery or proficiency of the skill/behavior has occurred is stressed. Guidelines are offered for determining proficiency. (CL)

Assessment instruments should be selected on the basis of test design variables (such as date of development and content sequence), test construction variables (including standardization results), examinee-related variables (such as prerequisite skills and vocabulary level), examiner-related variables (including preparation and skills), and…

The paper stresses the importance of informal assessment of spelling, describing both quantitative and qualitative implications. Stages of word knowledge are reviewed and examples of student errors are cited to illustrate needed instruction. (CL)

Stressing that reading assessment should occur while students read books and write stories, the author discusses informal assessment of readiness, fluency, phonics, and comprehension. Implications for instruction are noted. (CL)

Six steps in the ecological assessment model are described, from setting goals to developing a learning plan, and factors such as the physical milieu and classroom patterns are considered. Methods and sources of ecological assessment data are reviewed. (CL)

The article presents guidelines for transforming information from conventional testing into data useful in classroom instruction of exceptional students. Steps are described first for converting a norm referenced test to instructionally relevant information, and second, for applying, rescoring, and summarizing results of the criterion referenced…

Specific procedures for assessing a handicapped student's mastery level within a continuum of mathematics skills are described, and analysis of error patterns discussed. (CL)

Seven questions are addressed to school officials regarding programs and policies of career/vocational education for handicapped students. Questions touch upon such aspects as curricular scope, continuum of placement and service alternatives, transition services, evaluation procedures, and use of nonschool resources. (CL)

Functional assessment of the severely mentally handicapped should take place in the natural environment and should consider present as well as future needs in the following domains: personal-social, daily living skills, leisure, and work activities. (CL)

Distinctions between performance and learning are made in a discussion of databased instructional planning and decision making for handicapped students. Implications for IEP objectives are noted and the importance of continuous assessment stressed. (CL)