Early identification of social-emotional behavioral problems in infants and preschoolers is critical. Nine parent-report and caregiver/teacher-report instruments measuring preschool social-emotional behavioral problems and strengths are reviewed. Advantages to the use of parent-report and caregiver/teacher-report instruments are that they are easy…

Standardized tests cover acquired knowledge in reading, mathematics, and English. To avoid misuse of standardized tests school districts should use tests to diagnose individual learning needs and improve programs; and administer tests once a year in the fall semester so results help guide learning plans for students Contains a glossary of basic…

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…

A study investigated optimal length of screening tests used to sort out medical students needing to take a full-length performance-based standardized-patient test from those not needing it. Receiver operating characteristic analysis determined a good length is one-third the full test, with cutoff just above the mean case pass level. (Author/MSE)

Describes a system in which questions tailored to the examinee's capabilities are administered by computer. Enumerates possible benefits of the system, reviews the "state of the art," and predicts potential applications of computerized adaptive testing. (MCG)

Two differing opinions about the value of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) in college admissions address these topics: over-reliance on the test as a predictor of student success; omission of some students' scores from institutional profiles; effects of abolition of the test; and admissions officer understanding of psychometrics. (Author/MSE)

The Helping Relationship Inventory was used to see whether objective improvement in medical student (n=109) communication skills occurred in a relatively brief (nine-hour) small-group course in interviewing. The study demonstrated that even brief small-group interviewing courses can effect a positive change in communication skills. (Author/MSE)

The 15 components used for assessment in an introductory psychology course were examined to determine their relative value as predictors of overall performance. Multiple-choice tests were consistently found to be more effective than essay examinations, but arguments are presented for the retention of essays, with suggestions for their improvement.…

A study of the comparability of results of two techniques of testing, the traditional approach and that of giving the students the questions before the examination, revealed little difference in the two approaches' results, and supports the use of "prior notice" to reduce test anxiety. (MSE)

A study assessed the feasibility of sequential testing of medical students using standardized patients. Sequential testing passes students who score well on the first segment of the test thus eliminating additional student-standardized patient encounters. Subjects were six classes of Southern Illinois University students (n=404). Results strongly…

A study supported use of the objective structured clinical examination for screening foreign medical graduates (n=67) wishing to enter a preinternship program in at the University of Toronto. However, it also showed that appropriate training for the candidates was the internship, not preinternship, program. (MSE)

The Victorian (Australia) assessment approach of developing national subject profiles has potential for language assessment. Within each language area, levels of development would be identified and defined by observable language behavior, which could then be tested by a variety of test types. Assessment would be done by teachers in schools using…

The paper reviews the ways in which the cloze testing procedure measures the reading comprehension skills of students in the English as a foreign language (EFL) classroom. The construction and scoring of the test and the interpretation of the scores are discussed and the reliability and validity of the cloze procedure for testing reading skills…

The interrelationships of a variety of student aptitude and achievement measures are examined in a sample of 88 Australian undergraduate students, and the critial role of the data analyst in examining the relationships is discussed. (MSE)

The use of a questionnaire to learn of student reactions to their own test behavior, perceived test characteristics, and several aspects of the testing situation for a university psychometric entrance examination is analyzed, and other practical applications of such tests are considered. The questionnaire is included. (MSE)