Extended caution indices (ECI) specify the degree of confidence that can be placed in an individual's test score by analyzing patterns of item response. Among the most promising of such indices are the standardized ECIs. Contrary to the literature, several instances were found, in a previous study, of nonnormal distributions of ECIs with samples…

A study evaluated a composition grading scale used in the University of California at Los Angeles' program of English as a second language (ESL). It looked at (1) the comparative difficulty of the subscale categories; (2) the interrelationships of the subscale categories; (3) the incremental arrangement of the subscale categories and performance…

The Test Anxiety Inventory (TAI) and worry and emotionality items from the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) (Form Y) were administered to college students from three metropolitan colleges as part of several psychological experiments. The TAI was administered to a total of 543 students, and the STAI A-State items were administered twice to a…

The South Carolina Basic Skills Assessment Program (BSAP), a testing program, presents information to determine how successfully children in individual school districts are achieving the minimum basic skills required by South Carolina law. Each year BSAP tests are given to children entering the first grade and to children in grades 1, 2, 3, 6, 8,…

The document reports on a series of 18 regional workshops for school psychologists on assessment of visually handicapped students. Workshop topics are summarized, and materials indexed in an appendix are cross referenced for each topic: background information (social attitudes regarding vision loss, developmental implications); assessment (use of…

In order for Child Protective Services (CPS) to be increasingly effective in a community, there must be a continuing attempt to build and maintain a sense of trust and credibility between local CPS agencies and school systems. Literature justifies the need for a teacher inservice training by the necessity of developing greater community awareness…

This paper presents a study of eidetic imagery in children. An eidetic image refers to an afterimage which is both more vivid and longer lasting than other afterimages. The study attempts to analyze eidetic imagery as a psychometric problem and to relate it to other conceptually similar cognitive abilities. Two hundred forty-two second and third…

The well-known study on fear of success (FOS) by Horner (1968) asserted that women low in FOS do better on achievement-oriented tasks under competitive conditions, while women high in the motive do better when the situation is non-competitive. This paper critically reviews the methodology of this study and concludes that the statistical test…

Three statistical problems related to criterion-referenced testing are investigated: estimation of the likelihood of a false-positive or false-negative decision with a mastery test, estimation of true scores in the Compound Binomial Error Model, and comparison of the examinees to a control. Two methods for estimating the likelihood of…

Several issues are related to the use of educational tests. First, test users must be able to choose appropriate tests, interpret scores, and make decisions based on scores. In the field of educational testing, few test users have adequate training in these areas. Second, test makers must clearly specify directions for administration, allowable…

Twelve tests of reading and math at the elementary level are classified according to a model which makes a distinction between criterion and domain tests. Score reporting and item analysis techniques are discussed. It is argued that most objectives-referenced tests do not specify their domains sufficiently to make interpretations more general than…

The author stresses the need for caution in using intelligence test results to identify mildly retarded children under seven years of age. (LH)

A factor analytic study of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) was undertaken to determine the component abilities that underlie performance on the test for several major language groups: African, Arabic, Chinese (non-Taiwanese), Farsi, Germanic, Japanese, and Spanish. Evidence was found that three major factors underlie performance…

The preparation and use of an objective strength analysis report (OSAR) from the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) are described. The OSAR was designed to answer two needs: (1) a format which allows the school to easily answer the question "which reading objectives need more emphasis and/or better materials or techniques in order to raise its…

In the spring of 1980, the Department of Defense Dependents Schools (DODDS) completed its second year of basic skills testing. During the first year, the Basic Skills Assessment Program tested students' math skills in grades 7 and 11, and reading and language skills in grades 9 and 11. During the second year, the testing program was expanded to…