Investigated whether the predictive validity of the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) could be enhanced by having subjects (N=600 students) complete current and projected BDI protocols. Results confirmed that BDI scores typically decline with repeated administrations, suggesting the BDI does not discriminate between stable and unstable forms of…

Investigated the relationship between the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory paranoia subtle, neutral, and obvious subscales and criteria presumed to reflect various paranoid characteristics in a sample of male college students (N=100). Results showed that both the obvious and subtle Pa Items predicted various criteria. (Author/JAC)

Investigated the relationship between success in student teaching and 13 instruments commonly completed before student teaching and whether the measures predict success in student teaching. The data indicated the measures were ineffective. Suggested alternatives to the instruments used are proposed. (Author/JAC)

Data were collected throughout the 1989-90 school year at St. Cloud State University (Minnesota) to investigate whether or not Teacher Perceiver Screeners and/or Preprofessional Skills Tests (PPST) could be used to predict success in student teaching. Results indicated that the Teacher Perceiver Screener showed promise for use in predicting…

The hypothesis that the Zax Information Prifile (ZIP) would differentiate between help-seeking college students and non-help-seeking students was supported by the data. The potential use of the ZIP as a predictor of college adjustment and as a useful entrance screening device is discussed. (Author/EVH)

Investigated validity of the American College Testing (ACT) Assessment as a predictor of college success for Mexican Americans by comparing ACT scores and grade point averages for White and Mexican American college graduates. Mexican American students scored lower on both measures, indicating that ACT scores have validity in predicting college…

Research directed toward examining clinical depression among college students requires valid criterion measures for identifying depressed individuals. The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the most widely-used self-report screening instrument for identifying depressed college students, has been criticized for its heavy emphasis on cognitive items…

Undergraduate grade point average and American College Test subtest scores continue to correlate as well with the new National Teacher Examination (NTE) Core Battery as they did with the old NTE Common Examinations. Subjects were 94 teacher education graduates. Implications for teacher education programs are discussed. (IAH)

A study analyzed scores on placement tests and academic performance of over 1,800 first-year students at an urban public university. Results indicate that basic skills placement tests measured academic preparation more accurately than the American College Testing program and that standardized and local tests showed only moderate reliability,…

A study examined whether ACT subtest scores can be used to predict reading skills, as measured by the Nelson-Denny Reading Test, with a degree of accuracy that would support their use as a screening device for college placement. ACT test scores of 2,431 students were used to predict Form C Nelson-Denny raw scores. ACT test scores from 3,016…

A sample of 593 pilot trainees in Officer Training School were administered the Strong Vocational Interest Blank and the Officer Biographical and Attitudinal Survey. Their performance in pilot training was monitored in order to assess the effectiveness of biographical, attitudinal, and interest data in predicting pilot training criteria. Using…

A major concern for those in higher education is whether the instruments they use for screening students are valid and predictive. Of particular interest is whether a grammar test, used in many institutions to screen students for developmental English, and a reading comprehension test, used to screen students for developmental reading, truly…

Eighteen studies on the validity of tests of English as a foreign language (EFL) for college admission and placement decisions are briefly summarized. No studies were found on the extent to which these tests reflect language skills, curriculum (content validity), or theory or behavior (construct validity). Instead, all of these studies…

At the 1977 Educational Testing Service (ETS) Invitational Conference, the ETS Measurement Award was presented to Anne Anastasi. In view of the convergence of measurement and the law, the conference focused on six related issues. Barbara Lerner explored the screening procedures of American professional and graduate schools in "Equal…