The purpose of this study was to construct and evaluate an instrument for determining student preparedness in College Algebra. A 73-item instrument covering prerequisite arithmetic and high school Algebra knowledge for College Algebra was constructed. The instrument was pilot-tested on a freshman population of 595 students. Results of reliability…

Four common uses for criterion-referenced tests (CRT) are outlined: describing student achievement, improving curriculum development, being sensitive indicators of the effects of instruction, and facilitating classroom management decisions. These uses parallel various forms of empirically establishing the content, concurrent, and predictive…

Curriculum-based assessment (CBA) and curriculum-based measurement (CBM) procedures are increasingly being utilized to assess student academic skills for educational decision-making, including screening, progress monitoring, entitlement and intervention planning. At the same time, school districts are increasingly compelled to administer local and…

Texts on measurement theory report many studies on the consistency of intelligence test scores, but the stability of academic achievement over the school years has never been adequately studied. To investigate the stability of achievement test scores from fourth grade to college, a random sample of 100 students was selected from a 1978 graduating…

In 1987, Santa Barbara City College, California, received a grant to develop valid and culturally fair assessment procedures for placing students into appropriate level courses. Specifically, the project sought to: (1) determine faculty and student perceptions of the skills needed to succeed in entry-level college classes; (2) examine the…

The purpose of this study was to determine if there were differences between learning disabled and nonlearning disabled students in skill areas and total scores on the Brigance K & 1 Screen for Kindergarten and First Grade. The study investigated whether students with learning disabilities would show significant weaknesses in language-based…

A Teacher Survey was developed for administration to Illinois teachers whose students take the Illinois Inventory of Educational Progress (IIEP). The IIEP are the achievement tests of the state assessment program. The purposes of the Teacher Survey range from determination of a test's curricular validity to investigations of teachers' abilities to…

Although high school teacher evaluations of student non-cognitive attributes, such as leadership ability, are frequently considered in selecting applicants for competitive colleges, little empirical research exists on the reliability, validity, and bias of teacher ratings. The United States Military Academy at West Point requires that a set of…

Both concurrent and predictive validity of two developmental instruments, each purporting to measure the same five developmental dimensions, were compared. The Developmental Profile II (DPII), a commercial test, was administered to the same children when they were in prekindergarten and first grade. The initial samples were 91 and 267…

This descriptive research study examined the validity of an adaptation of the Learning and Study Strategies Inventory (LASSI) that uses a videotape with questions in American Sign Language with a special group of hearing-impaired college students, assuming that LASSI is still reliable for this group. The study was limited to prelingually deaf…

Perspectives on testing and affirmative action are considered. The following issue areas are addressed: the validity and fairness of admission tests; information relevant to the admission of students that is not readily scored or quantified and that may be obtained through interviews, recommendations, accomplishments, and other information…

This study investigated the nature and validity of teacher judgments about student motivation as part of a project related to the teaching of mathematics. The study examined: (1) the degree of correlation between teachers' and students' assessments of students' motivation regarding mathematical topics; (2) the stability of teachers' and students'…

The predictive validities of criteria for entrance into a teacher education program were studied, based on the hypothesis that criterion specificity is positively related to the predictive validity of the selection measure. Subjects (N=512) were drawn from approximately 1,200 students in the teacher education program of a small California state…

In response to a legislative requirement, Redlands Community College (RCC) initiated a requirement in 1991 for students to take the Assessment of Skills for Successful Entry and Transfer (ASSET) test. The only exemptions were for those students enrolling in fewer than 6 hours of classes and not taking either English Composition or a college-level…

The Preschool Rating Scale (PRS) consists of twenty Guttman scaled items which assess a preschool child's personal-social development. Experience gained over the past two years indicate that it can be used: (1) for screening; (2) for program evaluation; (3) as a guide to the teachers in identifying specific areas of development which may need…