Reliability is a measure of consistency. It is the degree to which student results are the same when they take the same test on different occasions, when different scorers score the same item or task, and when different but equivalent tests are taken at the same time or at different times. Reliability is about making sure that different test forms…

Early education programs are increasingly being promoted by states and the federal government as an integral part of their efforts to ensure that all children enter school ready to learn. As these programs and their enrollments have grown in recent years, so too have efforts to monitor their quality and performance. A common focus is on…

Asking college students how much they have learned or grown is a common assessment practice in student affairs and elsewhere. Unfortunately, recent research suggests that these self-reported gains do a very poor job of measuring actual student learning and growth. This paper provides an overview of the psychological process of how students likely…

Describes the development of a placement test specifically designed for students entering Pembroke State University. Includes question construction and suitable test standards in discussing the features of a good placement test. Concludes that the test provides a reliable measure of students potential success. (MDH)

A syllabus analysis instrument was developed to assist program evaluators, administrators and faculty in the identification of skills that students use as they complete their college coursework. While this instrument can be tailored for use with a variety of learning domains, we used it to assess students' use of and exposure to computer…

This guide is intended to help elementary school educators as well as school and district administrators develop and implement effective prevention and intervention strategies that promote positive student behavior. The guide includes five recommendations and indicates the quality of the evidence that supports them: (1) Identify the specifics of…

Readability formulas may detract from textbook quality. They overlook text and reader characteristics that affect comprehension. Moreover, average "readability levels" ignore wide variations within texts and between scales. The shortened sentences and simplified vocabulary used to conform texts to formulas sacrifice precision and connectedness,…

Many current problems in teacher supervision arise from epistemological errors. Research-based models wrongly assume that supervision is a deterministic process. Therefore, the theoretical perspective should be rejected in favor of a practical one, which would emphasize "reflection-in-action" directed toward specific real problems. (MCG)

This guide shows how to integrate assessment with teaching and learning to reach educational goals. The aim is to present assessment concepts in a concise manner that can be understood and applied by teachers, administrators, and other school personnel. The chapters, organized around major assessment topics, are: (1) "Integrating Assessment with…

This article describes the Scale for the Evaluation of Gifted Identification Instruments, developed for use by school decision makers. Development of the scale is reviewed in terms of five areas of assessment: validity, reliability, propriety, respondent appropriateness, and utility. Specific guidelines and cautions in using the scale are also…

Although by traditional measures of test validity, the verbal section of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) is not culture biased, it, along with the English Composition Test and the Test of Standard Written English, reinforces a narrow view of academic excellence that excludes culturally different youths. Designed to prevent admission errors, the…

This study describes the development of the Active Treatment Client Rights checklist (ATCR), which was designed to facilitate the assessment, monitoring, and implementation of readily observable client active treatment services for adults with developmental disabilities. The ATCR was found to be highly reliable, valid, and useful in enhancing…

Teacher morale in Singapore is explored by means of a questionnaire administered to 415 teachers in 10 secondary schools, and, 4 months later, to 305 teachers in 6 other secondary schools. Analysis suggests that items cluster around three factors: (1) leadership synergy; (2) cohesive pride; and (3) personal challenge. (10 references) (MLF)

This is the third report on the use of a technical classification assessment center (TCAC) for evaluating general detail (GENDET) personnel in the Navy. The first two reports described the development of the TCAC and the validation of the TCAC against supervisors' ratings of job performance for a small exploratory sample. This report presents the…

Reviews the "Quick-Score Achievement Test" (Q-SAT), an individually administered measure of school achievement for use with students aged 7-18, which has two forms and yields scores for reading, writing, arithmetic, facts, and general achievement. (SKC)