Indicator 8 of the State Performance Plan (SPP), developed under the 2004 reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA 2004, Public Law 108-446) requires states to collect data and report findings related to schools' facilitation of parent involvement. The Schools' Efforts to Partner with Parents Scale (SEPPS) was…

This article describes the development of a ten-item scale to assess biology majors' self-efficacy towards the critical thinking and data analysis skills taught in an upper-division cell biology course. The original seven-item scale was expanded to include three additional items based on the results of item analysis. Evidence of reliability and…

Using the Rasch model for ordered categories, this paper provides a method for qualitative interpretations of data from an affective measure such as an attitude scale. This maximum information approach provides explicit qualitative information about the meaning of a score on the latent trait being assessed. (SLD)

Developed an empirical strategy for transforming ordinal counts and percentages to interval scale measures by recoding them as ordered categories and estimating Rasch model scale parameters. Demonstrated the strategy for a neighborhood construct defined by 8 characteristics of 77 Chicago, Illinois, neighborhoods. (SLD)

Describes Rasch measurement procedures for equating multiple test forms or calibrating an item bank. The procedures entail: (1) selecting a data collection design; (2) estimating parameters; (3) transforming the parameters to a common scale; and (4) evaluating the quality of the linkage between the forms. (SLD)

Explored the dimensionality of responses to the Adult Behavior Checklist-Revised, a screening assessment for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHA) in college students. Responses from 317 undergraduates were used, with 8 judges involved in standard setting. Findings show secondary variables that may have clinical implications. (SLD)

Designed a questionnaire and created a scale measuring studying and learning based on motivation with items answered from ideal, "capability," and studying and learning behavior perspectives. Results for 372 Australian college students support the view that striving for excellence, desire to learn, and personal incentives are important…