The study established the validity and reliability of a weighted individual performance-based assessment tool within the utility scope of middle school orchestral strings. The following research questions guided this study: 1. What specific string-playing behaviors and corresponding criteria validate a weighted individual performance-based…

Despite the critical role of emotions in multicultural teacher education, no attempt has been made to develop an instrument including affect as a dimension in measuring cultural competence for preservice teachers. To bridge this gap, the present three-study research used three distinct samples of 456 preservice teachers to develop and estimate the…

This study was designed to identify the help seeking behaviors of preservice teachers who are at risk for failure of state certification examinations through use of a scale adapted to the arena of teacher education, the Preservice Teacher Help Seeking Scales (PTHSS). In the past, self-report measures of help seeking behavior patterns have been…

Speaking performance tests typically employ raters to produce scores; accordingly, variability in raters' scoring decisions has important consequences for test reliability and validity. One such source of variability is the rater's level of expertise in scoring. Therefore, it is important to understand how raters' performance is influenced by…

Described in the interim report of the Children's Behavioral Classification Project (CBCP) is the CBCP instrument, a duplicated list of 274 behavioral items and three demographic items which provides a profile of the emotionally disordered child based on observations by the parent or parent-surrogate. (SBH)

This study compared 136 second, third, and fourth graders considered to be at high, moderate, and low risk of behavior disorders on several variables. The Critical Events Index was used; primary differences among the groups were on indicators of social competence and externalizing behaviors. (CR)

This study of handicapped and non-handicapped preschool and early elementary school children and their older normal siblings was designed to determine (1) the intercorrelation of parent and teacher ratings of the child's academic competence and social adjustment, and (2) the correlations of mother, father and teacher ratings with the child's…

The study investigated the reliability and validity of professional groups using the Modified Component Disability Instrument to identify/evaluate learning disabled (LD) adolescents. Ss included 166 LD teachers, speech clinicians, remedial reading teachers, school psychologists, school principals, and school counselors. Calculations were made for…

How teachers' judgments about student literacy behavior were analyzed under the Rasch model is described. The analysis was done to assist staff of the Western Australian Department of Education to revise aspects of a literacy program called "First Steps" for the early years of school. First Steps uses a developmental continuum of small…

This paper describes the Early Screening Project (ESP), a system to identify behavior problems among preschool children ages 3 to 5. The ESP is a three-stage, multiple-gating set of procedures which assesses both the frequency and intensity of adjustment problems. In Stage 1, teachers rank students on externalizing and internalizing behavior…