Two techniques classroom teachers can use to screen students' ability to read and understand their text are described. The Cloze Placement Inventory and Group Reading Inventory are recommended for testing groups of students in various subjects in grades four through college. (Author/DS)

Criticizes the Mitchell and Lawson (1988) report from the viewpoint of individual interview method. Provides Lawson's reply to the comment by showing differences in research philosophy and methods. (YP)

Ten groups (2-5 members each) of tenth-grade Israeli English-as-a-Second-Language students took first a group quiz and then individual quizzes on the same material. Comparison of the results showed that, especially for weaker students, group work and group grades offered some advantages over individual work and assessment. (CNP)

Preliminary evidence supports the construct validity of two versions of the Simulation of Interactive Decision Making (group tests of interactive teaching competencies that simulate classroom decision making processes more realistically than traditional tests). Evidence of construct validity reflects differences among subjects with various amounts…

Presents a critical appraisal of Herrnstein and Murray's "The Bell Curve" (1994) and of its analyses of social class, ethnic differences, and public policy proposals. It refutes as cultural superstition the book's theories on the role of intelligence in the social stratification of postindustrial America and the effects of IQ on social…

Four resegregation processes (norm-referenced testing, classroom grouping, classroom competition, busing rates) reinforce in student status relationships the stratifying effects of an Anglo-dominated school environment. These processes were studied using data gathered from case studies of 10 desegregated elementary schools in California in…

Examines The GAR, which is intended as a group assessment of reading ability for elementary and secondary school students in the areas of reading level, comprehension, study skills, and reading interests. Concludes that the test has many shortcomings. (FL)

The score distributions of the two methods of administration described in the title revealed comparable means, standard deviations, and general shape of distribution. With respect to validity coefficients, no appreciable differences were found. (JKS)

Large-scale assessment programs rely on teachers to administer the tests and to interpret and communicate the results. Consequently, it is important that teachers have up-to-date knowledge about the testing programs. Education Departments' web sites are ideal tools for communicating such information to teachers. The web sites of Education…

Active student engagement with course materials, such as note-taking and cooperative learning, is associated with greater performance. This study investigated the relationship between scores achieved by students in an undergraduate course and active engagement during testing, whether using a cheat sheet or engaging in a form of cooperative…

Describes an individual and group method for learning about children's school attitudes, appropriate for students not yet proficient in paper and pencil usage. Gives directions for administration and interpretation of the Kinetic School Drawing, and suggestions for using it as a counseling or diagnostic aid. (KMF)

Multivariate statistical analysis determined relationships between scores on the Otis-Lennon School Ability Test and the Stanford Achievement Test at grades 2, 4, and 6 for 272 students. The best predictor of achievement at a later grade was achievement at an earlier grade. Implications are discussed. (SLD)

The responses of 194 fifth graders to a questionnaire assessing causal attributions, academic expectancies, and self-evaluation of smartness varied as a function of whether the questionnaire was administered individually or in a group. Children expressed lower and less accurate predictions in the individual condition than in the group condition.…

Student test scores are increasingly used to judge the competence of the educational enterprise. Exaggeration of scores is the result of directing attention away from the individual student achievement to the average scores of schools, districts, and states. Implications and recommendations are discussed. (BJV)

Describes development and validation of a 24-item test which assesses student performance on a set of 12 objectives related to planning and constructing an investigation. In addition to sound psychometric properties, the test is distinctive because it includes a set of interrelated cumulative objectives which reflect autonomous problem solving.…