The purpose of this study was to examine the types of instruments being used to document mathematics and science teacher quality characteristics in 48 nationally funded mathematics and science education awards. Each of the 48 projects operationalized teacher quality and determined how to assess it. The main research questions examined the…

This study reports on the validation of a scale to assess adolescent girls' frequency of sexual communication with their parents. The Parent-Adolescent Communication Scale (PACS) was administered to 522 African American female adolescents ranging in age from 14 to 18. The PACS demonstrated satisfactory internal consistency (across multiple…

Community coalitions (CCs) have labored with some difficulty to demonstrate empirical evidence of effectiveness in preventing a wide range of adolescent problem behaviors. Training and technical assistance (TA) have been identified as important elements in promoting improved functioning of CCs. A reliable, valid, and inexpensive method to assess…

Since the mid 1980's increasing research has been conducted on the relationship that exists between student attitude toward science and science achievement. While many are focusing on investigating this relationship, this study focused on assuring that measurement of attitude changes of diverse groups in America is done with valid and reliable…

With increasing emphasis upon accountability, assessment in general, and communication competency in particular, is placing more demands upon human and financial resources. Therefore, those making the decisions about what and how to assess various factors must make informed, ethical, and responsible decisions. To that end, this paper provides a…

A study tested the validity and reliability of a structured interpersonal communication encounter method of assessing interpersonal communication proficiency. Subjects, 13 graduate students in Communicative Disorders, were assessed 2 times within 3 weeks by interacting with 2 different test initiators. Two tests of validity and two tests of…

The reliability of the Student-Life Stress Inventory of B. M. Gadzella (1991) was studied. The inventory consists of 51 items listed in 9 sections indicating different types of stressors (frustrations, conflicts, pressures, changes, and self-imposed stressors) and reactions to the stressors (physiological, emotional, behavioral, and cognitive) as…

Because previous reports have suggested that the lowered validity of tests scored with empirical option weights might be explained by a capitalization of the keying procedures on omitting tendencies, a procedure was devised to key options empirically with a "correction-for-guessing" constraint. (Author)

Focuses on a unique measurement procedure which allows students to indicate when and the extent to which they guess on an examination. Suggests that such a procedure increases the accuracy of information derived from objective tests. (MH)

This study investigated the test-retest reliability and consistency over time of level 1 of the WRAT (for ages 5 to 12) for two time intervals, 2 weeks and 22 weeks. (Author)

A sample of 126 adult psychiatric outpatients was administered the Psychological Screening Inventory. Discriminant function analysis revealed 18 percent misclassification for clinical scale scoring and 22 percent misclassification for factor scoring. As in similar studies with other instruments, factor analysis did not provide a superior basis for…

Four hypotheses regarding stability of response process and response in personality testing are tested and supported. (RC)

The investigations reported in this article serve a dual purpose. First, validity and reliability data relative to the School Counselor Attitude Inventory (SCAI) are presented for the users of that instrument. Secondly, those who share an interest in tests and measurement may find the presentation instructive. (Author)

Reliabilities are compared for two types of test score data: number correct, and item response patterns. Item-pattern scoring using three-parameter item response theory takes into account how many and which items a student answers correctly. This procedure theoretically results in greater reliability than does number-correct scoring. Empirical…