Confidence intervals for the 80, 85, 90, and 95 percent levels of confidence are presented for the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised (PPVT-R) using the estimated true score and obtained score based methods. Separate tables are provided for ages 2-1/2 to 18 and ages 19 and above. (Author/VW)

Designed for use by speech pathologists, psychologists, special educators, English-as-a-Second-Language teachers, classroom teachers, and other professionals investigating child, adolescent, and adult language, this test--the Hundred Pictures Naming Test (HPNT)--is a confrontation naming test designed to evaluate rapid naming ability across age…

A study of the reliability of oral tests in a medical school illustrates the use of a balanced incomplete block design, chosen when not all participating examiners can rate each examinee, for experimental research. (MSE)

If clearly and fully reported, verbal subtests of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised can provide teachers with insights into a student's learning characteristics. Specific weaknesses that may be identified by each subtest are linked to their educational implications, including alternative techniques the teacher might use for…

The uses, advantages and disadvantages, preparation, and scoring of essay tests and oral tests are outlined and discussed, and sample questions of each type oriented to pharmaceutical instruction are provided. (MSE)

This guide suggests that the responsibility of teachers is to provide rigorous academic instruction that will lead to improved performance on the Scholastic Assessment Test I (SAT I). Content-area literacy is especially important for the verbal section of the SAT I, and it suggested that all teachers should infuse reading and writing instruction…

The authors cite reasons for the poor standard of spoken French in British secondary schools and put forward some practical ideas for oral activities. (SJL)

Assessment activities for English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) instruction, contributed by classroom teachers, are organized according to the primary or predominant emphasis of the activity. Those in the first part of the book focus on alternative methods of assessment, including portfolios, journals, logs, and conferences. The second part discusses…

Describes a study of the effectiveness of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), high school graduation class percentile, and the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS), as predictors of short- and long-term academic achievement among a sample of 58 high-risk college freshmen who participated in 1-year special studies program. (PAA)

The assessment packet includes a series of oral tests to help develop speaking as an integral part of second language instruction at levels II and III. It contains: 8 mini-tests for use at level II; 9 mini-tests for use at level III; a rating scale and score sheet masters for evaluating performance on these tests; and a collection of suggested…

The oral proficiency interview should be administered infrequently, but there are other measures than can be used between interviews to maintain oral proficiency and achievement as the organizing principles of instruction while placing fewer demands on the teacher/tester. One such measure is a semi-direct procedure that has two steps. First,…

Describes a regional effort in Northern California to provide high quality French instruction for kindergarten through sixth grade in cooperation with the public schools. The role of the National French Contest as motivation and as a learning experience for the students is also discussed. (MSE)

The study investigated cultural bias in the verbal items of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R). Six verbal subtests of the WISC-R were administered to 40 Anglo, 40 Mexican-American, and 40 Navajo intermediate grade students matched for grade level, sex, and socioeconomic status. The responses of three groups of subjects…

A statistical model is presented for analyzing the results of group conversation tests in English, developed in a Finnish university study from 1977 to 1981. The model is illustrated with the findings from the study. In this study, estimates of percentile curves for the number of errors are of greater interest than the mean regression line. It was…

The assessment packet presented is a draft of a test designed for use with beginning level students of a second/foreign language in the Columbus (Ohio) public schools. It focuses on speaking skills and attempts to test only what students can be expected to say, realistically. The packet consists of: nine mini-tests for use at regular intervals…