Used paired comparison to construct a reading preference inventory based on 14 reading themes drawn from previous research. Tested it using intermediate-grade children in three Canadian communities. (FL)

Looks at cloze scores for students at two different schooling stages--grade 5 and grade 10--on materials at their own grade level. Concludes that the cloze score of approximately 40 percent currently used to judge reading ability at all grade levels is not stringent enough for higher grade levels. (FL)

Reliability, validity, and standards-setting procedure for a criterion-referenced test (Test of Metric Skills) were examined for use in science curricula. Results indicate a number of factors influencing test reliability/validity and that science teachers need to be aware of these factors to enhance accuracy of their judgments. (Author/JN)

Developed a brief behavior rating scale consisting of 28 items divided into seven categories for use in a school setting. Test validity was based upon the successful discrimination between neurologically impaired, socially maladjusted, emotionally handicapped, and normal children. (Author)

Several methodological problems (particularly the assumed bipolarity of scales, instructions regarding use of the midpoint, and concept-scale interaction) which may contribute to a lack of precision in the semantic differential technique were investigated. Results generally supported the use of the semantic differential. (Author/JKS)

Arguments and prejudices against the use of individually administered intelligence tests are considered and compared with possible values that may be obtained. Cautions about test score interpretation are discussed. Implications of abolishing intelligence testing are considered and recommendations for effective testing policies are presented. (CTM)

The Springs task, an individually administered measure of ability to criticize and control experiments, is described. The task has characteristics similar to Inhelder and Piaget's Bending Rods task; it yields scores on naming variables, controlling variables, and analyzing experiments. (See also RIE: ED 163 092.) (JKS)

The development and validation of three instruments for the multidimensional assessment of a child's classroom behavior are described. The multidimensional nature, internal consistency, and test-retest properties of scales depicting teacher-, peer-, and self-rated behavior are explicated. Principal-components analyses demonstrate the convergent…

This study provides validity information for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) by examining some of its inter- and intra-test correlates. (CFM)

Four threats to validity of an alternative objective test item format, the multiple-mark format, were studied with data from a state-mandated assessment with about 30,000 students at each of three grade levels. Reliability and validity coefficients show that the format has promise as an objective format that can be aligned with new curriculum…

Fifty-five mothers of young children with Down syndrome completed the Parenting Stress Index. Low internal reliability coefficient for the Adaptability/Plasticity Child Domain subscale was found. Factor analysis of the scale found that the Adaptability/Plasticity factor did not perform as a unidimensional structure, but provided information on…

Evaluation of the factor validity and reliability of the Aberrant Behavior Checklist (Japanese version) with 322 subjects (mean age 30) with moderate to profound mental retardation found most items loading on the same factors as in the original factor solution, high coefficient alphas across 5 subscales, high test-retest reliability, and…

Examined psychometric properties of the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory, Preschool Behavior Questionnaire (PBQ) (Parent and Teacher versions), and Sutter-Eyberg Student Behavior Inventory (SESBI) with a sample of 2- to 6-year-olds. Established internal consistency for SESBI and the PBQ-Teacher. Obtained evidence for long-term stability on the…

This study evaluated the validity and reliability of performance portfolios in a preservice elementary mathematics/science methods class, assessing students' domain-strategic and general-learning strategic knowledge. Results supported performance portfolios as a valid method of assessing desired abilities of preservice teachers that can be…

Differences between and interrelationships among reading and math achievement test scores for 269 students with learning disabilities were investigated to determine whether previous findings were replicable. Findings supported previous research that showed different achievement tests purporting to measure the same construct did not provide…