Special education tests evaluated by M. Thurlow and J. Ysseldyke with regard to technical adequacy were reevaluated using the same criteria. There was disagreement of 11 of the 30 tests used in both evaluations, demonstrating that current test standards are vague enough that experts disagree. (Author/CL)

This study evaluated the technical qualities of a naturalistic test of reading decoding skills, the"Diagnostic Names Task." Evaluation of the measure with 25 elementary grade disabled readers examined subtest reliability, sensitivity to change resulting from instruction, meaningful clustering of subskills, and criterion-related validity.…

Effects of aggregation on reliability of curriculum-based measures of academic performance were explored in two studies involving elementary students. Findings suggested that some academic behaviors initially are measured precisely (aggregation had minimal effect), while other behaviors, such as scores on the error passage reading measure, are not…

Content validity is an overriding problem in all measures evaluating written expression because there is no complete model of written language. Direct atomistic measures have greater instructional utility in diagnostic assessment, grouping, monitoring and decision making, reporting student progress, and giving feedback to students than do indirect…

A study involving 202 undergraduates and 115 regular educators examined the reliability of the Rucker-Gable Educational Programming Scale, a measure of teachers' attitudes toward and knowledge of appropriate program placement for handicapped children. Results showed the scale to be only moderately reliable. (SB)

This assessment of the reliability and validity of skills analysis programs within curriculum-based measurement (CBM), with various groups of handicapped and nonhandicapped youngsters, indicated that the skills analysis programs in spelling and math provided consistent information that related well to the primary graphed CBM scores. (Author/JDD)

Results established the indicator's technical adequacy and further defined the self-concept/level of aspirations relationship as supporting evidence of construct validity. (Author)

Stability coefficients on the Gray Oral Reading Tests were calculated for 68 elementary grade children classified as learning disabled. (Author)

Significant differences were found between college freshmen science (N=50) and nonscience (N=50) majors who were administered the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale--Revised (WAIS-R) and the Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-Educational Battery, Part II: Tests of Achievement. (Author/CB)

Studies of the reliability, normative data, construct validity, and concurrent validity of the Social Perception Behavior Rating Scale used with mildly learning-disabled, behavior-disordered, and nondisabled children indicated adequate reliability, marked differences in scores of handicapped and nonhandicapped children, and a logical pattern of…

A study of 71 students (ages 7-17) with disabilities investigated the interrater agreement of the Adjustment Scales for Children and Adolescents (ASCA), a behavior rating scale used in school settings. Participants were rated by 29 educational professionals in 24 classrooms. Results found ASCA produced acceptable levels of interrater agreement.…

A study involving 120 school-aged children that investigated the concurrent validity of measures of written language found that the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test Written Expression subtest correlates moderately with the Written Expression subtest of the Peabody Individual Achievement Test-Revised and the Spontaneous Writing Quotient of the…

In order to locate optimal cutoff scores for detecting developmental delays, the Brigance Screens were administered to 408 children (ages 21-48 months) along with a criterion battery measuring achievement and intelligence. The Receiver Operating Characteristic analyses were then used to locate optical cutoff scores for each form of the Brigance.…

Internal consistency, test-retest reliability, item analysis, and construct and concurrent criterion-related validity of the Writing Essential Skill Screener-Preschool Version were studied using four independent samples of children (ages 4 to 5). The test displayed a high degree of reliability and validity for a brief pre-writing skills screener.…

Describes development and testing of maze-like semantic maps for assessing reading comprehension of content-area information. Results involving 144 students (38 with learning disabilities) showed that maps could be produced and scored with high reliability. Criterion-related validity based on a standardized test was weak, but moderate-to-strong…