Child assessment practices have undergone, and are continuing to undergo, significant changes. Among the most prominent changes is the movement toward measuring child well-being, in general, and emotional and behavioral strengths, in particular. The Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scale (BERS) is a strength-based instrument which is widely used in…

The purpose of this study was to conduct reliability and validity generalization meta-analyses of evidence regarding the "Student Risk Screening Scale" (SRSS), a universal screener for externalizing behavior problems. A systematic review of the literature resulted in the identification of 17 studies inclusive of evidence regarding SRSS…

The strengths of the scales were concentrated in the areas of domain and construct validity, weaknesses in the areas of discriminant validity, interobserver reliability, and decision-making reliability. (DB)

Information useful for the identification of child abusers was developed. Data initially collected provided feedback concerning the characteristics and attitudes of child abusers. An MMPI profile analysis was conducted in the second phase of the study. While 10 of the 15 subjects had one or more scale scores above T-70, the average group profile…

The article examines issues related to establishing a rationale for the use of early childhood rating scales and to selecting a rating scale using such criteria as user needs, user friendliness, scale format, score interpretation, reliability, and validity. Methods of establishing the validity of a rating scale are suggested. (Author/DB)

The report examines uses, advantages, and criteria for selection of behavior rating scales (BRSs) and their use with juvenile offenders, focusing in particular on the Behavior Dimensions Rating Scale (BDRS). Previously normed using a representative sample of behavior disordered and nonhandicapped males and females in grades K-11 (N=1,942), the…

This is a general discussion of the validity, reliability, function, and format of questionnaires designed to measure problem behavior, noncompliance, anxiety, social interaction, hyperactivity, drug use, and sexual behavior. Commonly used questionnaires are cited. (CP)

Information on the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales, a major revision of the Vineland Social Maturity Scale, covers authors, publisher, prices, copyright dates and revisions, groups for whom the instrument is intended, forms, purpose and recommended use, dimensions measured, administration, data summation, score interpretation, test…

The "Behavior Problems Inventory" (BPI) is a behavior rating instrument for self-injurious, stereotypic, and aggressive/destructive behavior in mental retardation and other developmental disabilities. Evaluation with 432 residents in a developmental center found the BPI to be a reliable (retest reliability, internal consistency, and…

A review of the research literature considers the following questions: (1) what is the general quality of the information resulting from systematic student evaluation of faculty effectiveness?; and (2) what are the consequences of soliciting this information and making it available to those people who may utilize it in their decision making…

This paper presents the outcomes of a study that investigated the psychometric properties of the School Independence Measure (SIM), an assessment designed to evaluate functional performance in a school setting and to monitor changes in function over time. The SIM operationally defines and criterion references tasks essential to a child's…

This paper reviews basic social validity assessment techniques, discusses the constructs underlying direct magnitude estimation (DME), illustrates the use of DME for performing social validity evaluations of spontaneous language samples (with 3 brain-injured children, ages 10-15, and 3 controls), and discusses the relationship between subjective…

Assesses the temporal stability and convergent validity of the Behavioral Assessment System for Children (BASC). Teachers and parents rated kindergarten and first-grade students using BASC. Teachers were more stable in rating children's externalizing behaviors and attention problems. Discusses results in terms of the accuracy of information…

This paper discusses the use of tests by American teachers over the past six decades. A representative sample of the research centering on the linkage between testing and teaching is cited. (LMO)

The reliability, validity, and clinical utility of the Asperger Syndrome Diagnostic Scale in the diagnosis of pervasive developmental disorders are reviewed. While the measure holds promise as a research tool, there appears little evidence that it can distinguish among the variety of types of pervasive developmental disorders, or diagnose Asperger…