Presents a critical view of the roles played by test publishers, educational institutions, teachers and counselors, and students in the proliferation, administration and interpretation of standardized group tests. Focuses on issues of construct validity, cultural bias, accountability and the need for protection for test-takers. (DOW)

As part of a larger longitudinal study to analyze the career development process in pharmacy at the University of California, demographic, attitudinal, and prior academic achievement data were collected from first-year students during 1971-1974. The additive value of the PCAT when directly contrasted with existing variables was assessed. (LBH)

Describes the use of the cloze procedure in testing global communicative competence of university students of French. The topics covered are: the instrument and procedures, background of scorers, inter-scorer reliability, scoring methods, power of discrimination and validating of the tests. Paragraphs used in the experiment appear in the appendix.…

The relationship between an instrument's quality and the frequency of its use in federally funded educational research in 1975 was examined. Highly rated tests were found to be used more frequently, especially achievement, vocational, and intelligence tests. Highly rated reading and personality tests, however, were not used more often. (Author/MV)

Validates an instrument for measuring non-natives' English-speaking proficiency, using Filipinos in the U.S. Navy. Shows significant correlations between test scores, the age at which English was first spoken, and military rank, suggesting an interaction between English-speaking proficiency and occupational advancement. (RL)

Describes validation procedures involving the Moyer Unobtrusive Survey of Environmental Attitudes (MUSEA) instrument in use with 379 seventh grade students. (CP)

Pretraining on test-taking strategies improved the reliability and predictive power of the Arithmetic Reasoning Test for seventh-grade Chicano students but not for non-Chicano students. Pretraining did not improve the reliability of the Missing Words Test for either group, but appears to have improved the predictive power of this test for both…

This investigation seeks to determine: the validity and reliability of cloze tests for measuring reading comprehension; the relation of cloze scores to difficulty levels of reading passages; the relation of cloze test performance to length of English training; and the merits of judgmental vs. random word deletion in test construction. (DB)

A comparison of two forms of the College Entrance Examination Board's (CEEB) English Composition Test with four rhetoric final examinations in a basic English composition course indicated that the CEEB was more stable and yielded better item statistics while departmental examinations were more highly related to course grade. (Editor/JT)

This research assessed the reliability and validity of the Purpose in Life test in an inmate population, investigated the relationship between the PIL test and attitudes, locus of control, personality factors, and several demographic variables, and compared the PIL scores of inmates with scores of normal samples. (Author/RK)

The adverse impact of a content-valid job sample test of metal trades skills was compared to that of a well-constructed content-valid written achievement test for the same technical area. The adverse impact of the former was considerably less. Suggests that industrial psychologists should explore more fully the potential of performance testing.…

Subsequent academic performances of students admitted to the University of New England on the basis of a Principals' Report during 1972 and 1973 are examined. The validity of the Principals' Report as a method assessing suitability for early admission is upheld. (LBH)

This article examines what types of language tests are suitable in evaluating instructional programs in testing for educational accountability. Norm-referenced measurements are found unsuitable for this purpose; new, criterion-referenced tests must be developed. (CHK)

A study of the correlation between certification test results and ratings of clinical competence for graduate medical students in internal medicine during a six-year period found strong correlations on both individual and general indicators of competence. (MSE)

This article highlights three common problems with assessment research, including the following needs: (1) to adopt a hypothesis testing approach; (2) for research to be guided by available formal and informal theory, and (3) for research to be consistent with general school psychological practice. New research methodologies and new research…