One of the areas subsumed under the data-based decision making and accountability practice identified in the National Association of School Psychologists' (NASP) "Model for Integrated School Psychological Services" is to collect information on psychological and educational variables to make decisions at a number of levels of service…

Reliability is a measure of consistency. It is the degree to which student results are the same when they take the same test on different occasions, when different scorers score the same item or task, and when different but equivalent tests are taken at the same time or at different times. Reliability is about making sure that different test forms…

Asking college students how much they have learned or grown is a common assessment practice in student affairs and elsewhere. Unfortunately, recent research suggests that these self-reported gains do a very poor job of measuring actual student learning and growth. This paper provides an overview of the psychological process of how students likely…

This paper presents a framework that institutions of higher education can use to improve, revise and introduce comprehensive systems for the collection and dissemination of information on student learning outcomes. For faculty and institutional leaders grappling with the many issues and nuances inherent in assessing student learning, the framework…

Research findings were reviewed on the Auditory Visual Combined Discrimination Test, which can be used with severely and profoundly mentally retarded persons to assess basic position, visual, and auditory discriminations. The test was found to be reliable and predictive of client performance in classroom learning, language, and vocational tasks.…

The study investigated the alternate forms reliability of four type-token ratios (TTRs) of oral language samples obtained from 52 elementary school children. Findings indicated that TTRs were not comparable when calculated for different sample sizes and that they were not reliable measures of the language performance of this population. (Author/DB)

Performance-based assessment, the umbrella term for various measures to test higher order thinking skills beyond the reach of multiple-choice tests, is the front runner in the race to provide testing alternatives. Problems concerning training, reliability, and cost remain unresolved. A sidebar summarizes testing developments in Arizona,…

A study of the reliability of oral tests in a medical school illustrates the use of a balanced incomplete block design, chosen when not all participating examiners can rate each examinee, for experimental research. (MSE)

This paper critiques the following tests of creativity: (1) the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking; (2) the Creativity Assessment Packet; (3) subtests of the Structure of the Intellect Learning Abilities Test; (4) Thinking Creatively with Sounds and Words; (5) Thinking Creatively in Action and Movement; and (6) the Khatena-Torrance Creative…

Reviews the "Quick-Score Achievement Test" (Q-SAT), an individually administered measure of school achievement for use with students aged 7-18, which has two forms and yields scores for reading, writing, arithmetic, facts, and general achievement. (SKC)

This digest offers principles of performance assessment as an alternative to norm-referenced tests. The definition of performance assessment developed by the U.S. Congress's Office of Technology and Assessment is given, common features are listed, and the terms "performance" and "authentic" are defined. Suggested guidelines for…

A comprehensive assessment of children with Attention Deficit Disorder should include use of teacher rating scales. Rater biases, positive and negative halo effects, practice effects, and other problems are outweighed by the ease of use, low cost, and reasonable reliability and validity of teacher rating scales. (Author/DB)

Discusses the content and cognitive specification of the third edition of the Test of Understanding in College Economics. Presents examples of the construction and sampling criteria employed in the latest and previous versions of the test. Explains that the test emphasizes recognition and understanding of basic terms, concepts, and principles with…

The completion of the first ten years of this journal is an occasion for review and reflection. The main issues that have been addressed over the ten years are summarized in four main sections: Purposes, International Trends, Quality Concerns and Assessment for Learning. Each of these illustrates the underlying significance of the themes of…

The 15 components used for assessment in an introductory psychology course were examined to determine their relative value as predictors of overall performance. Multiple-choice tests were consistently found to be more effective than essay examinations, but arguments are presented for the retention of essays, with suggestions for their improvement.…