The Ability Explorer (AE) is a newly developed self-report inventory of abilities that is appropriate for group or individual administration. There are machine-scorable and hand-scorable versions of the test, and there are two levels. Level 1 is for students from junior high to high school, and Level 2 is for high school students and adults.…

This report evaluates the conduct, validity, and uses of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Trial State Assessment (TSA). The report addresses such pressing problems as how participation in NAEP can be maintained and appropriate samples can be achieved; how errors can be minimized in the complex process of scaling and analyzing…

This document reviews the research on the use of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), with medical students and physicians. The MBTI is a paper-and-pencil instrument based on C. G. Jung's theory of personality typology. The introductory section of the review describes the MBTI and explains its dimensions (extroverted versus introverted, sensing…

The gap between policymaker enthusiasm for the uses of student assessment and expert caution is analyzed by examining new forms of student assessment as an education policy strategy. The study is based on interviews with 34 national and state policymakers and focuses on their differing expectations of what assessment policy can accomplish and how…

Modern applications of computerized adaptive testing (CAT) are typically grounded in item response theory (IRT; Lord, 1980). While the IRT foundations of adaptive testing provide a number of approaches to adaptive test scoring that may seem natural and efficient to psychometricians, these approaches may be more demanding for test takers, test…

Suggesting that too many educators and parents believe the myth of declining student literacy, this fastback puts student literacy in focus by examining trends in reading achievement from 1840 to the 1990s. The fastback discusses "then-and-now" studies, test restandardization studies, and the National Assessment of Educational Progress,…

This study examined the relationship between scores on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-III (WISC-III) and the older Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R). School psychologists in Wisconsin were asked to provide data on 300 special education re-evaluations completed during the 1992-93 academic year. Pearson product…

A discussion of the utility of research on language aptitude and learning style begins by examining the concept of language aptitude and the controversy surrounding it, which focuses on the nature of language aptitude, what characterizes it, and its significance. The research reviewed dates back to the 1920s. Tests used to assess aptitude are then…

Because applicant populations for many jobs and educational opportunities are becoming increasingly multicultural, the whole issue of fairness in testing has become highly salient. In South Africa, a main reason for the poor performance of the economy is the failure to make optimal use of all manpower, one of the crippling legacies of the…

Procedures for evaluating differential item functioning (DIF) are commonly used to investigate the statistical equivalence of items that are translated from one language to another. However, the methodology developed for detecting DIF is designed to evaluate the functioning of the same items administered to two groups. In evaluating the…

Topics of papers presented at the Mid-South Educational Research Association (MSERA) 1992 meeting include: learning; teacher education; culturally-diverse students' performance on Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking; school improvement; at-risk students; attitudes; holistic scoring of writing samples; handicapped students; black education;…

This document consists of the four issues of the "IACD Quarterly" published in 1992. Articles in this volume include: (1) "A Multicultural Approach to Assertiveness Training" (Wilma Henry and Mary Ann Jones); (2) "Life-Skills: Research and Application" (Michael Illovsky); (3) "'A Model for Grief Counseling:…

The merits and disadvantages of standardized and informal reading tests for limited English proficient readers are discussed. A growing reliance on standardized ("formal") tests due to their ease of administration and scoring is criticized because the tests are seen as: inadequate for describing students at high and low ends of the scale; not…

The purpose of this book is to provide information about the various psychological assessment procedures that are specifically relevant for practicing counselors and human development professionals. The book deals with the use of such tests in the counseling process and includes illustrative case studies. It emphasizes the selection,…

Many researchers have suggested that the main cause of item bias is the misspecification of the latent ability space. That is, items that measure multiple abilities are scored as though they are measuring a single ability. If two different groups of examinees have different underlying multidimensional ability distributions and the test items are…