Rating scale development in the field of language assessment is often considered in dichotomous ways: It is assumed to be guided either by expert intuition or by drawing on performance data. Even though quite a few authors have argued that rating scale development is rarely so easily classifiable, this dyadic view has dominated language testing…

The last comprehensive study to examine the assessment practices promoted by school psychology programs was published 25 years ago (i.e., Wilson & Reschly, 1996). Since then, significant changes to assessment theory and practice have occurred. Data from a 2020 survey of directors of school psychology programs were collected to gain an…

Drawing on Glenn Fulcher's extensive work in performance-based language assessment of speaking, this paper explores the assessment of L2 speaking ability in local language testing contexts. For that purpose, I review Fulcher's influential work that highlights the relationship between the speaking construct, the task, the performance, and the…

Critical language assessment (CLA) has been addressed in numerous studies. However, the majority of the studies have overlooked the need for a practical framework to measure the CLA dimension of teachers' language assessment literacy (LAL). This gap prompted us to develop and validate a critical language assessment literacy (CLAL) scale to further…

Preliminary findings indicate that positive relations between parents and teachers are associated with successful school outcomes for children. However, measures available to assess parent-teacher relations are scant. The current study examined validity evidence for the Parent-Teacher Relationship Scale-I (PTRS). Specifically, the internal…

Whenever a major intelligence or achievement test is revised, there is always renewed interest in the underlying structure of the test as well as a renewed interest in the scoring, administration, and interpretation changes. In this interview, Amy Gabel discusses the most recent revision of the "Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fifth…

The first article in this section, "Rating Scales and Shared Meaning," by Winifred A. Lopez, discusses the analysis of rating scale data. The second article, "Rating Scale Categories: Dichotomy, Double Dichotomy, and the Number Two," by Mark H. Stone, argues that dichotomies in rating scales are more useful than multiple…

Developing scoring rubrics to evaluate student work was studied, concentrating on the use of intermediate points in rating scales. How scales that allow for intermediate points between defined categories should be constructed and used was explored. In the recent National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) visual arts field test, researchers…

Reviews a survey of members of the College Section of the National Council of Teachers of English concerning their use of grading scales in the evaluation of freshman writing. Concludes that the theoretical interest in the scales is apparently not matched by their use by teachers. (FL)

This study assessed the intra-rater and inter-rater reliability of the Motivation Assessment Scale as used with 20 adults with mental retardation, expanding the results of previous research by evaluating across additional time and administrations. Results from 19 raters indicated variable moderate-to-low intra-rater and inter-rater reliability.…

The Quality of Study Rating Form incorporates principles of meta-analysis to rate key features in a social work evaluation study. The method is described, a test of its reliability is outlined, and its potential applications are discussed. (MSE)

The scale invariance of the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory was examined when 412 children were rated by parents on functioning at home and the same children were rated by rehabilitation personnel in an educational setting. Results indicated that parents and personnel can be trained to make similar judgments. (SLD)

Using participants in a continuing education conference, an experiment was conducted to examine: (1) the consistency of self-ratings of ability across four different measurement conditions; and, (2) the relative leniency of retrospective pretest self-ratings compared to pretest self-ratings. Implications for evaluators are discussed. (Author/BS)

Factor analysis of data from 213 college business students supported the existence of 5 constructs for the Ethical Issues Rating Scale, an instrument measuring respondents' assessment of the importance of various ethical issues. Suggestions about refining the instrument and using it are discussed. (SLD)

The Language Proficiency Interview's structure, administration, and rating scale are outlined by an officer of the organization that designed it (Educational Testing Service), and some common mistakes made in its administration are listed. The need for training in the test's administration is emphasized. Its application in the corporate situation…