The Student's Perception of Ability Scale (SPAS) was developed in response to a need for a reliable and valid instrument to measure academic, rather than general, self-concept in elementary school children. This scale was designed for use with children in Grades 3 to 6. Descriptive data on the SPAS were discussed in terms of its substantive,…

Papers presented at the Military Testing Association Conference focused on technical information and experience in the area of personnel management. Papers were contributed by representatives of American and foreign business, educational, and military communities. Topics for the 17 sections comprising the conference were: (1) Occupational surveys;…

The relationship among writing assessment strategies which may be applicable to competency based testing was examined in a study involving 128 high school students in six English classes in grades 11 and 12. Each student wrote two essays of at least 200 words on topics designed to test expository, or explanatory writing, and completed an objective…

The efficacy of second dentition, the number of erupted teeth, as an index in assessing school readiness was examined. A series of cognitive, achievement, and social-emotional instruments were administered to a group of 41 first- and 43 second-grade children. The tests used in this study were: Devereux Elementary School Behavior Rating Scale,…

Research sponsored by the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) between 1949 and 1974 is summarized. For each of 72 research projects, the project title, investigator's name, LSAC report number, and a one-paragraph statement of purpose and summary are presented. The methodological procedure, results, conclusions, and recommendations are also…

Research sponsored by the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) between 1975 and 1977 is summarized. For each research project, the project title, investigator's name, LSAC report number, and a one-paragraph statement of purpose and summary are presented. The methodological procedure, results, conclusions, and recommendations are also summarized…

The development, norming, and validation of the Preschool Behavior Questionnaire (PBQ) are described. The questionnaire was developed to be a screening instrument for use by mental health professionals for the early detection of children's behavior problems. The scale was standardized on a group of preschoolers aged three to six, including male…

Thirty-three student teachers were observed in elementary school classrooms to determine if they manifested 16 interactive behaviors identified as desirable by college of education faculty. Teaching assistants used the Georgia Assessment of Teaching Effectiveness (GATE), an instrument which requires the observers to objectively record, but not…

This paper reviews methods which have been used to identify and validate learning hierarchies. Specifically, three methods which reflect the notion of a relatively inviolate sequence are discussed and compared. Two of the psychometric methods compare pairs of skills, the ordering-theoretic method (Bart and Krus) and the test of inclusion (White…

The study compared two adult education standards used to determine Louisiana student eligibility for taking the General Educational Development (GED) test. Of the initial 590 students, 516 remained as study participants. The traditional standard, Standard 1, required the student to earn 13.0 on the California Achievement Test (CAT) with no area…

Arguments in support of standardized testing are critically analyzed. Usual criticisms of such tests are summarized as relatively unimportant. However, two basic criticisms are offered: the competitive nature of scoring standardized tests and their lack of content validity. The test-makers contention that tests are neutral and simply need to be…

Each of the four Cultural Attitude Scales (CAS) contains fifteen graphic illustrations of the dress, sports, food and popular symbols for the Anglo American, Black American, Mexican American, and Puerto Rican cultures, respectively. Designed to measure ethnic identity or cross-cultural awareness for grades one to six, they do not require reading…

The validity of prediction equations based on American College Testing (ACT) Program test scores and high school grades is investigated. Presented are separate results for prediction equations based on ACT scores only, on high school grades only, and on both kinds of prediction jointly. Also included is a discussion of the relationship between…

The Mann-Suiter Developmental Screening Tests were administered individually to 79 German and American first grade students in their native languages. The subtests, which examined minimum skills necessary for school success, were used to develop a profile of each child's strengths and weaknesses in visual, auditory, and language areas. Children…

The percentage of universities using student ratings to evaluate teacher performance is steadily increasing, but this method can be abused if it is the sole criterion of evaluation. Recent surveys of faculty attitudes towards teaching evaluation indicate that most faculty members are in favor of systematic evaluation, prefer student ratings to…