Discusses the use of protocols, which are concise, written descriptions of preferred practice principles and procedures to be used by child welfare workers to ameliorate situations where mistakes or omissions may have serious consequences. Explains a procedure for development of protocols and presents an example. (NH)

A statistical experiment was conducted in an operational setting to determine the contributions of different sources of variability to the unreliability scoring of essays and other free-response questions. Partially balanced incomplete block designs facilitated the unbiased estimation of certain main effects without requiring readers to assess the…

Examined descriptive information about marketing, enrollment management, institutional planning and factors affecting them. A factor analysis of statistically appropriate variables identified factors associated with a state of symbiosis between marketing and institutional planning. (Author/BL)

Computerized records are not necessarily accurate. Outlines how to do a short evaluation that checks the accuracy of student records. Includes discussion of how to improve student record-keeping. (MD)

A small data set is used to show that correlations and standard deviations measured within an explicitly selected group need not be smaller than those within an applicant population. Both validity and reliability estimates within a selected group can exceed those within an applicant population. (Author/LMO)

A computerized version of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory was developed that incorporated both administration and scoring. This method was compared with the original manual form. The results indicated that the test-retest reliability was high regardless of the method of administration and that similar results were obtained on the…

Reviewed studies in which clinicians made judgments and then rated the degree of confidence that they had in each of their judgments. Results reveal little support for the hypothesis that clinicians are overconfident. Confidence ratings were related positively to the validity of judgments in a number of studies. Experienced clinicians made more…

Briefly describes the objectives and design of the MicroRead Index, a microcomputer-based index which utilizes word and sentence length to measure readability of written materials. The program computes a reading level and a consistency index for comparative analysis and determines whether the sample size used was adequate. (MBR)

D. Wood and J. Erskine (1976) and B. Thompson (1989) provided bibliographies of roughly 130 applications of canonical correlation analysis, but the features of such reports have not been widely studied. This report examines the features of recent canonical reports, including substantive inquiries, but also measurement applications examining…

This study examined the reliability of three methods for detecting differential item functioning (DIF) (i.e., the Mantel-Haenszel method, the standardization method, and the logistic regression method) applied to achievement test data. In addition, the study examined the influences of different sources of error variance, including examinee,…

This study was concerned with ranking items with Likert scale data when the items are subject to systematic (nonrandom) patterns of nonresponse. Researchers applied the rating scale model of D. Andrich (1978) to data from a survey in which the item response rate varied from less than 1% to over 90%. Data were from a section of the Student Opinion…

The Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale (MARS) (F. Richardson and R. Suinn, 1972) was submitted to a reliability generalization analysis to characterize the variability of measurement error in MARS scores across administrations and to identify possible study characteristics that are predictive of reliability variation. The meta-analysis was performed…

The literature on measurement reliability shows the consensus that group heterogeneity with regard to the trait being measured is a factor that affects the sample measurement reliability, but the degree of such effect is not entirely clear. Sample performance also has the potential to affect measurement reliability because of its effect on the…

This test-retest reliability study was conducted to test the reliability of an instrument designed to measure the relative importance of eight implementation conditions. Data for the Ensminger-Surry Implementation Profile Instrument (ESIP) were gathered starting January 2003. Participants were from a variety of occupations. Ages ranged from the…

A matrix of characteristics associated with transformational leadership and with high reliability organizations was developed. Using the matrix as a lens, researchers examined a successful school involved in a school improvement effort to understand the success more fully. Transformational leaders provide opportunities for personal growth for…