This study tested the validity and reliability of the West Informal Reading Evaluation (WIRE), an unobtrusive screening device that identifies adult learners' reading abilities. Of the 154 students in basic education or high school completion courses who completed one form of WIRE, 123 subjects were administered another reading test that served as…

The pretest-posttest design referred to as Design 2 by Campbell and Stanley (1963) is commonly used in educational research and evaluation. The tenability of the assumption of a zero population difference commonly used with this design is questioned. A nonzero population estimate based on the mean difference observed in test-retest reliability…

To what extent do perceptions of aging vary across social strata? Previous research provides inconsistent findings, although it seems plausible that attitudes toward old age differ with age, social class, and ethnicity of respondents. However, issues of measurement (construct validity; reliability; dimensional equivalency) raise doubts on the…

Examines confusions that result from the use of the words "standardization,""reliability,""objectivity," and "validity" in connection with testing. (IRT)

These two related papers provide information on teacher attitudes toward black dialect use in the classroom and the measurement of such attitudes. The first paper reports on data from 176 administrators, counselors, teachers, and student teachers, revealing significant relationships between a teacher's definition of black dialect, attitudes toward…

The secondary level English proficiency (SLEP) test is a group administered 150 item multiple-test of English language proficiency that includes two subscores and eight different item types. It is designed to assess a foreign student's readiness for English medium instruction at the secondary level. This paper reports on two studies which were…

A large-scale and a small-scale simulation of the reallocation of students into and out of an originally-selected treatment group were performed. It was postulated that both the scores on a selection test and teacher ratings are measures of student needs in the Title I Evaluation and Reporting System (TIERS). In the norm-referenced model, three…

A study was conducted to explore the reliability and validity of three prominent procedures used in informal reading inventories (IRIs): (1) choosing a 95% word recognition accuracy standard for determining student instructional level, (2) arbitrarily selecting a passage to represent the difficulty level of a basal reader, and (3) employing…

Two approaches to criterion-referenced test construction are compared. Classical test theory is based on the practice of random sampling from a well-defined domain of test items; latent trait theory suggests that the difficulty of the items should be matched to the achievement level of the student. In addition to these two methods of test…

An aptitude test requiring 10-minutes' administration time was administered to high school students learning Forkner, Century 21, and Gregg shorthand for the purpose of determining test validity for different shorthand systems. Validity data were obtained from approximately 2000 students. Aptitude test reliability ranged from KR20=0.88 to 0.90.…

This paper discusses variables influencing written composition quality and how they can best be controlled to improve the reliability of assessment of writing ability. The study aimed to concentrate on the effects of different imposed time limits on student performance in written composition at grade 10 level using methods of generalizability…

This fifty item multiple choice test was developed by Portland Public Schools, Maine, to assess middle school students' understanding of the concepts presented in the "Responsibility" unit of the "Law in a Free Society" materials published by the California Bar Association. These materials deal with eight concepts for…