Describes how a group oral final exam was designed and administered in a block of two teacher education courses taught within the social constructivist perspective. Advocates such group oral exam practices as consistent with valid assessment guidelines. Discusses limitations. (HB)

Examines the uses of observations generated during testing through (a) qualitative synthesis of available research literature, (b) a study of a national sample of children, and (c) a study of children referred for psychoeducational evaluations. Results demonstrate that behavioral and temperament qualities evaluated by test observations are related…

Using small groups in student cooperative learning enterprises has become a major trend in American higher education (Cheng and Warren 2000). However, several practical issues involving the assessment of an individual's performance in groups have sometimes created resistance to the method from both students and parents (Kagan 1995). This article…

This study examined the effect of oral administration accommodations on test structure and student performance on the Reading test of the South Carolina High School Exit Examination (HSEE). The examination was given at Grade 10 and was untimed; hence, students were permitted as much time as they needed to answer all the questions. Three groups of…

Defining critical thinking as a conscious process means that teachers can make students aware of the process and can affect the process. In addition, teachers can help students to evaluate their use of the process. The goal in any course is to involve students in the practice of critical thinking, and the oral exam reflects the students'…

This article discusses practical and theoretical problems related to the measurement of formal operations. The first section of the article discusses problems in measuring formal operations using the clinical interview method. These problems include the lack of both a standardized interview and a uniform scoring procedure. Section two discusses…

A GUIDE TO ASSIST PROJECT DIRECTORS IN THEIR EFFORTS TO DEVELOP INCREASINGLY MORE SYSTEMATIC AND THOROUGH EVALUATION DESIGNS FOR GREAT CITIES SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAMS IS PRESENTED. THE TESTS, QUESTIONNAIRES, AND OTHER INSTRUMENTS AS WELL AS METHODS OF DATA TREATMENT ARE LISTED ACCORDING TO THE MAJOR EVALUATION AREAS. THREE BASIC AREAS ARE TO BE…

THE RELATIVE EFFECTIVENESS OF FIVE METHODS FOR IMPROVING THE SPELLING ABILITY OF PUPILS IN GRADES 2 AND 3 WAS DETERMINED. ASSIGNMENTS OF TEACHERS AND CLASSROOMS TO METHOD WERE BASED UPON TEACHER PREFERENCE FOR METHOD, ESTIMATED AVERAGE ACHIEVEMENT LEVEL OF PUPILS IN EACH CLASSROOM, AND RATINGS OF TEACHER QUALITY. AT THE BEGINNING OF THE STUDY A…

The assessment laboratory function is supplementary and subsequent to the usual mass testing procedures. It is designed to elicit information not furnished by older more traditional methods, e.g., assessment of personal attributes, communication skills, etc. The exam involved participation by the candidates in both individual and group exercises.…

The investigation tested the mean overall grade level placement of senior students in Louisiana secondary schools for the 1973-74 school session to see if they could meet the same standard that was used for adult students as the prerequisite for General Educational Development (GED) testing for the high school equivalency diploma (that is a…

The three parts of Vancouver's survey test in mathematics--computation, concepts, and problems--for grade 6 are presented. The parts contain 36, 24, and 12 items respectively. (For related document, see TM 002 473.) (KM)

The purposes of this study were to determine the feasibility of group testing of conservation and examine the differential performance of students drawn from various populations. The effects of three factors were examined: grade level (2, 4, 6), SES (disadvantaged, advantaged, and race (Black, White, Latin). (Author)

Freshmen (N=202) took two batteries of aptitude tests 10 months apart. Six pairs of tests were studied. Two pairs were identical, two were parallel, and two were completely different. This design made it possible to separate three components of practice: (a) general test sophistication, (b) specific practice effect, and (c) item familiarization.…