The utility of the Test for Severe Impairment was studied with 60 older persons who had Down Syndrome. Construct validity, test-retest reliability, and interrater reliability were established for the full study group and for subgroups based on degree of mental retardation and dementia status. Some possible applications and limitations of the test…

Created a teaching effectiveness rating instrument for use by students at Rand Afrikaans University. Analyzed the questionnaire's reliability and validity and found it to be a useful instrument for formative teaching assessment. (EV)

Two studies are reported demonstrating the reliability, validity, and clinical utility of the Language Development Survey (LDS) as a screening tool for the identification of expressive language delay in toddlers. The LDS test-retest reliability was .97. The LDS also correlated highly with other measures and the LDS identified at-risk group scored…

States that standard scores are the numerical universal language for reporting and comparisons. Discusses what standard scores are, specifically, and why they are used, along with how the conversion assessment of raw scores to standard scores is accomplished. Provides contact information for those who would like to further their knowledge on the…

The extent to which testing practices complied with professional guidelines regarding reliability and validity evidence was studied in research appearing in American Psychological Association journals. Documentation of reliability and validity was reported for 20% of the 2,157 instruments studied in these papers. About half supported one or the…

A study tested the psychometric properties of the Stereotyped Behavior Scale, an empirically developed behavior rating scale for adolescents and adults with mental retardation. Forty-five adults with mental retardation and various rates of stereotypies participated. Results found the scale had high rates of reliability, validity, and interrater…

Reports on the design and development of the Parent Concerns Questionnaire, an instrument designed to obtain the views of mothers in general, and particularly depressed mothers, in families subject to child and family care intervention. Discusses the reliability and validity of the instrument. (JPB)

Describes five basic elements that need to be considered with every test: backwash; reliability, administrative concerns; validity; and ethics. These elements are discussed in relation to tests for students who are second language learners of English. (Author/VWL)

Describes development and testing of the Literacy Orientation Survey (LOS)--an instrument for assessing teachers' beliefs about literacy learning and classroom practices as related to constructivism. Finds while LOS has robust internal validity and reliability, questions remain about external validity of teachers' self-reports of their…

The Feelings about School (FAS) measure was used to examine factors associated with kindergartners' and first-graders' feelings about school. Findings provided support for the reliability and validity of the FAS for both groups. Students' feelings about school were associated with their academic skills, especially for first-graders. Relation of…

Revised the Community College Student Experiences Questionnaire for Australian university students. Tested the new Australian Quality of Student Experiences Scale on first-year students using a Rasch measurement model. Although 58 items were discarded, the final scale of 62 items had excellent psychometric properties. (EV)

This study obtained construct (factorial) validity, internal consistency reliability, and 1-year criterion coefficients for scores from the College Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Response Evaluation (CARE), an evaluation tool examining ADHD behaviors as reported by college students and their parents. Among the CARE variables,…

The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children III (WISC-III) Intelligence Quotients (IQs) of 49 students (ages 7-16) referred for a three-year reevaluation were analyzed. Correlations of WISC-III IQs to WISC-III IQs three years previously were high for the Full Scale, Verbal, and Performance IQs. Even so, IQs dropped a statistically significant…

The Career Decision-Making Difficulties Questionnaire was administered to 540 U.S. and 1,026 Taiwanese students (1,461 completed). Structural equation modeling showed that the taxonomy of difficulties can be reliably measured for U.S. students, but not Taiwanese students, suggesting that cultural differences influence decision-making difficulties.…

Four independent samples of children were used to study the reliability and validity of the Writing Essential Skill Screener, a measure designed to screen primary grade children at risk for writing difficulties. Among findings was that the measure is comprised of two dimensions, writing and name writing, that the factor structure did not fit the…