Academic Assessment and Instrumentation

Abstract

Because learning is one of the major goals of education, we frequently find measures of amount learned, or achievement, used in educational research. (Borg & Gall, 1989). When research addresses the problems of individuals with learning disabilities, for whom poor achievement in relation to intellectual potential represents the key identifying variable, we certainly expect to find research focusing on achievement and investigating ways to effect better achievement outcomes. In fact, among primary, data-based studies published over the past 3 to 5 years in three major research journals dedicated to learning disabilities, that is, Learning Disabilities: Research and Practice (formerly Learning Disabilities Research), Learning Disability Quarterly, and the Journal of Learning Disabilities, approximately 60% (as an average across the three journals) incorporated academic achievement among the variables investigated (this does not include studies that used academic measures only for demographics). Approximately 25% of the primary, data-based studies investigated strategies to effect better academic growth.