Thisarticlepresentsproceduresandresultsfroma2-yearprojectdevelopingsciencekeyvocabulary(KV)shorttests suitableforprogressmonitoringGrade5scienceinTexaspublicschoolsusingcomputer-generated,-administered,and -scoredassessments.KVitemsincludedKVdefinitionsandimportantusagesinamultiple-choiceclozeformat.AKVand itemdatabasewasconstructedforallGrades3,4,and5sciencestudentoutcomesbyscrutinizingbasalandsupplemental instructional materials used inTexas schools.The resulting 620 KV terms and 1,800 test items were formatted for computeradministrationincomputer-generatedprobes.ThisstudyexaminesresultsfromequivalentKV-scienceprobes, administeredtostudentswithspecialneedsonaweeklybasis,over5or6weeks.ItalsocomparesresultsfromKVprobes versusstandardmultiple-choicescienceitemsinsimplerpre-postadministration.Resultsencouragefurtherdevelopment ofKV-basedprobesforprogressmonitoringinthecontentareaofscience.

Participants were 664 relatively low achieving children who were recruited into a longitudinal study when in first grade. Measures of peer academic reputation (PAR), peer acceptance, teacher-rated academic engagement and achievement, and reading and math achievement were obtained in Year 2, when the majority of students were in second grade, and 1 year later. Measures of academic self concept were obtained in Year 1 and in Year 3. As young as second grade, children's perceptions of classmates' academic competence are distinct from their perceptions of peers' other social and behavioral characteristics. SEM analyses found that Year 2 PAR predicted Year 3 teacher-rated academic engagement and reading (but not math) achievement test scores, above the effects of prior scores on these outcomes and other covariates. Furthermore, the effect of PAR on academic engagement and achievement was partially mediated by the effect of PAR on children's academic self concept. Implications of these findings for educational practice and future research are discussed.

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Recent federal legislation is affecting how special educators assess students, select curricula, document growth, teach, and consult—in short, how they spend their time during a school day. This study empirically measured special educators’ use of time over the course of several weeks. It compared actual time use with its perceived value by both the teachers and their principals. Congruence between actual time use and its valuation was generally high but not so in select areas. Likewise, special education teachers and their administrators largely agreed in valuation but were far apart in some areas. A better understanding of the administrative duties required of teachers may help administrators appreciate the scope and demands of such nonteaching duties. A new level of communication may lead to more administrative support, as related to prioritizing administrative duties, thereby allowing teachers the time to engage in the tasks they value most.

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