This study reports the preliminary results of a research project that focuses on the development of an abbreviated measure of computer anxiety, the Computer Anxiety Scale (CAS)-Short Form (SF), designed for use with upper elementary and secondary school students. The subjects involved in the study included 1075 students in grades 4 through 12,…

Reviews the evaluation by the National Academy of Science (NAS) of the General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB), which was developed to predict the job performance of potential employees. Proposes that the NAS recommendation to correct the GATB's racial bias by "race-norming" was a political decision and not scientifically justified. (FMW)

This article describes errors resulting from use of standardized language tests using a "normal" sample as the normative comparison group. Resulting errors include, among others, identifying normal children as language impaired, providing misleading profiles of verbal and nonverbal performance, and inability to determine impairment severity.…

This critical evaluation of the Slosson Intelligence Test (SIT) determined that the test items are 30 years old, scores are derived from a nonrepresentative norm group, and scores are not interchangeable with other intelligence measures. The paper concludes that the SIT is unsuited for educational decision-making purposes, including screening,…

Several techniques have been developed for creating continuous smooth distributions of test norms. This paper describes two studies that explore the behavior of cubic splines in order to determine their appropriateness for use in test norming. The first study uses data from the Curriculum Referenced Tests of Mastery (CRTM) and employs two…

The study reported in this paper examined whether a disproportionate number of boys and girls in a given grade level at various schools might have an inequitable effect on the mean achievement test scores of those schools. The student population of the Palm Beach County Schools, Florida, reflecting a cross-section of socio-economic backgrounds,…

An adaptation of the Hannah-Gardner Test of Verbal and Nonverbal Language Functioning was developed to be used in screening the language skills of 540 low-income Black, English-dominant Hispanic, and Anglo preschool children. The procedures used to calculate local norms and other issues involved in screening minority populations are discussed.…

The purpose of this research was to develop and test a method of identifying groups of students participating in a mandated statewide norm-referenced testing program who have undergone highly specific training in preparation for, or coaching during, test administration. The implementation of the analysis procedure was intended not only to identify…

Criticism of standardized tests is extensive, and a number of claims of test misuse have been made. Test misuse is discussed in six common circumstances. (1) Test users accept the title of a test as an accurate and complete description of the variable being measured, not having full knowledge of the test, its items, and the test manual. A…

The Joint First-Stage Achievement Test (JFAT) is a new unified college entrance examination developed in Japan. This report presents the statistical results of the JFAT and the applicants' behavior change which appeared through the first six years of administration from 1979 to 1984. Three major features of the JFAT are described: (1) jointly made…

Normal black adolescents were given neuropsychological tests of brain damage, and the interpretation of these tests was reviewed with respect to culturally relevant data. Subjects were 50 male and 50 female black students, aged 12-13, with no history of central nervous system trauma, and average scores on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for…

The Language Assessment Battery was administered to third to fifth grade limited English speaking students in New York City. Special techniques addressed two common problems in testing these populations: (1) language tests suitable for limited English speakers change their psychometric characteristics over time as the students' language ability…