The design of a valid and reliable test of test-wiseness is reported: a 33-item multiple-choice instrument with 4 subscales trialed with several groups of English-as-a-Second-Language students. Findings indicate differential skills in test-taking; some learner scores are influenced by skills that are not the focus of the test. (13 references)…

The Miller Assessment for Preschoolers, intended for children ages 2-5, is designed as both a screening and a diagnostic assessment, measuring neuromaturational variables, coordination, language, memory, problem solving, and visual perception. This review examines test administration, summation of data, standardization, reliability, and validity,…

The reliability and validity of E. D. Hirsch's (1988) Cultural Literacy Test (CLT) was studied with 150 first-year college students at the University of St. Thomas in Houston (Texas). The test appears reliable, with a split-half reliability estimate of 0.93, and the cultural literacy construct and the CLT are valid. (SLD)

Seventeen educational measurement textbooks were reviewed to analyze current perceptions regarding true-false achievement testing. A synthesis of the rules for item writing is presented, and the purported advantages and disadvantages of the true-false format derived from those texts are reviewed. (TJH)

Finds that the Diagnostic Writing Skills Test, used as a diagnostic grammar pretest for students in a basic business communication course, shows positive correlations between the pretest and the final course grade, but does not predict that grade. (SR)

This assessment of the usefulness of the "Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence-Revised" and the "Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Third Edition" for gifted children found that both are technically superior instruments with sensitive items, exceptional standardization, strong construct validity, and…

The behavior of 120 children (grades 9-12) was rated by 2 groups of teachers using the Revised Behavior Problem Checklist. The correlation coefficients obtained indicate low to moderate relationship between teacher ratings of the same child, with the strongest correlations for the subscale Attention Problems-Immaturity. (Author/JDD)

Describes the development of a placement test specifically designed for students entering Pembroke State University. Includes question construction and suitable test standards in discussing the features of a good placement test. Concludes that the test provides a reliable measure of students potential success. (MDH)

Comments on Walker's article in this issue. Argues that Walker's study demonstrates the reliability of the Gesell Developmental Assessment (GDA) but leaves unresolved several key questions about the GDA's validity. (GLR)

Discusses the use of computerized adaptive testing (CAT) in the classroom. Highlights include item response theory; sequential probability ratio test (SPRT); combining SPRT with expert system reasoning, resulting in EXSPRT; and a study of college students that examined the efficiency and accuracy of the various CAT methods discussed. (Contains 16…

This review of the Screening Assessment for Gifted Elementary Students (SAGES) and the Screening Assessment for Gifted Elementary Students-Primary (SAGES-P) looks at test content, utility, and technical considerations. The tests are commended for their provision of gifted norms. Some reservations about the tests' validity and reliability data are…

Explains why it is so difficult to define communicative testing, discusses problems related to communicative testing, and concludes with suggestions for further research. (15 references) (CFM)

Using a within-subjects design, computer-based and paper-based tests of aircraft silhouette recognition were administered to 83 male naval pilots and flight officers to determine the relative reliabilities and validities of 2 measurement modes. Relative reliabilities and validities of the two modes were contingent on the multivariate measurement…

This replication study found that only 16 of 55 raters agreed on the category of reinforcement maintaining a disabled individual's self-injurious behavior after using the Motivation Assessment Scale. Additionally, only 15 percent of the correlation coefficients obtained were above 80 percent, and none of the reliability scores was above 80…

Discusses the content and cognitive specification of the third edition of the Test of Understanding in College Economics. Presents examples of the construction and sampling criteria employed in the latest and previous versions of the test. Explains that the test emphasizes recognition and understanding of basic terms, concepts, and principles with…