Since 1975, the Chicago public schools have been conducting ongoing research and development related to the identification and remediation of prekindergarten children with potential learning problems. The present study describes initial efforts toward the creation of a longitudinal data base aimed at determining (1) prekindergarten-age…

The development of a contextual classroom observation system is described. The system consists of an instrument, trained observers, data handling, and analysis. Thus, instrument development was necessarily paralleled by the development of training procedures, data recording and processing systems, programming, and analytic techniques. The…

To compile a list of activities and achievements considered as creative by laymen, 239 graduate and undergraduate students named their three most creative accomplishments and activities in each of six areas: mathematics and science; music; fine arts; performing arts; literature; and miscellaneous. This resulted in a 198-item list, which was rated…

The Parenting Stress Index (PSI) is a clinical and research self-report instrument designed to identify mother-child systems which are under stress and to indicate the sources of stress. It is based on the research literature in child development, parent functioning, and stress. The normative sample for the PSI consisted of 470 mothers with at…

Two different formats for multiple-choice test items were compared in an experimental test given in a college class in introductory psychology. In one format, a question or incomplete statement was followed by four answers or completions, only one of which was correct. In the other format, the double multiple-choice version, the same questions…

The purposes of this paper are to explore and present various opinions concerning the nature of functional literacy and the questions involved in assessing the extent to which one is or is not functionally literate, and to describe one instrument designed to measure functional literacy. The major sections of the paper provide information on the…

Because a critical issue in current assessment efforts is the widespread use of technically inadequate tests, the study examined tests chosen by 159 school professionals during a computer simulation of placement decision making about potentially handicapped students. Chi square analysis showed technically adequate devices were chosen…

When people talk about themselves, psychologists have noted that their verbal reports can be categorized as simple factual communications about the self, i.e., self-disclosure, or as ways to instruct others about how one is to be regarded, i.e., self-presentation. Responses to items on objective self-report measures of personality similarly can be…

This document is the third volume in a set of five Career Education Measurement Handbooks intended to help local education personnel in measurement and evaluation. Divided into seven major sections, this handbook is designed to provide practical guidelines for improving career education instruments developed at the local level. It is primarily…

A home assessment measure was developed as an economical alternative to parent interviews. The 48 items measured five factors: parent expectations and aspirations; family activeness; independence; language development; and support of school and education. Correlations with standardized reading and mathematics achievement tests were based on…

This manual sets forth comprehension guidelines and procedures for selecting instruments to measure educational growth, achievement, and outcomes. The necessary criteria are presented in a checklist format, permitting local district personnel to evaluate the worth of testing instruments before adoption. A subset of the criteria are defined as…

A test was constructed to measure a person's ability to produce Spanish sounds which are considered difficult but which must be mastered for fluency in Spanish. The test was used with learners from kindergarten to college. It was consensually validated by a panel of bilingual specialists after analyzing it according to contrastive analysis…

This study was undertaken to examine the reliability and validity of a student-designed instrument developed to provide feedback to high school teachers on student perception of teacher performance. The Student Observation of Teachers and Teaching Techniques (StOTT) questionnaire was developed by a board of eleventh- and twelfth-grade Pennsylvania…

This paper describes the development of the Test of Science Processes, an instrument for assessing achievement and diagnosing weaknesses in the use of science processes by students in grades 7, 8, and 9. The science processes considered were observing, comparing, classifying, quantifying, measuring, experimenting, inferring, and predicting. The…

The purpose of this study was to develop an interest inventory covering construction industry practices. A taxonomy developed by the Industrial Arts Curriculum Project served as a basis for item selection, and covered industrial management, production, and personnel technology. A scale for each of these was included in an inventory containing 138…