Differences in procedures used by academic institutions and government agencies in administering the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages' Oral Proficiency Interview test are examined, and results and implications of two studies of interrater reliability are discussed. (MSE)

Evaluation of the cumulative files of 143 severely disabled students (ages 6 to 20 years) in five school districts indicated: (1) a lack of appropriate technically adequate norm-referenced tests, (2) technical adequacy not a major determinant in test selection, and (3) less frequent use (than expected) of criterion-referenced and adaptive behavior…

This study describes the development and application of a needs assessment measure used to evaluate two inservice courses for Israeli mathematics teachers. Reliability and validity checks are presented through factor analysis, Cronbach alpha coefficents, and comparing instrument results with teachers' written comments. (BS)

The issue addressed by this study was whether the Jesness Inventory Classification System as revised for hand-scoring can provide useful information about the personality and behavior of nonoffenders. Data on the System's construct validity showed that youths of the nine subtypes differed on many background, personality, attitude, and behavioral…

Suggests that Likert ratings and semantic differentials differ in sensitivity to personal experience with the aged, that therapists had more positive beliefs about the elderly than did college students, and that therapist attitudes were not correlated with either proportion of elderly clients seen or desire to work with elderly. (Author/ABB)

The performance of disabled and non-disabled students on college admissions test were compared. Performance of learning disabled and hearing impaired students appears most discrepant from the norm. Evidence relating to validity and reliability of admissions tests for handicapped and nondisabled examinees suggests no dependable differences in…

Describes the development of the Perceived Well-Being Scale (PWB), which allows for separate assessment of psychological and physical well-being. Several studies bearing on the psychometric properties and usefulness of the PWB are presented and the implications of the findings are discussed. (Author/CT)

Reviews bases for contemporary discontinuity theories of mental development, presents findings that support alternative proposition of continuity and scrutinizes assessment methods from which these continuity results derive. Also offers several models that help explain the continuity findings, and argues that individual differences in mental…

This paper presents 11 statistical procedures which test the equality of m coefficient alphas when the sample alpha coefficients are dependent. Several of the procedures are derived in detail, and numerical examples are given for two. (Author/LMO)

Reviews the Curriculum Referenced Tests of Mastery that are intended to measure achievement, with the emphasis on measuring what a student has learned rather than predicting future success in school, concluding that the tests are worthy of consideration by any district. (HOD)

The Children's Anxiety Scale (CAS) was examined for bias in internal consistency reliability and item content for Anglo-American and Mexican-American kindergarten students. Results suggest equal test reliability for both groups, but also indicate caution must be exercised in interpreting CAS scores of young male children. (DWH)

The Learning Efficiency Test (LET) assesses a subject's learning modality preference. The reviewer cites the instrument's problems with reliability, diagnostic validity, and predictive validity. The need for better documentation of the test's validity and reliability is suggested. (DWH)

A reliable measure of knowledge of social work facts and practice concepts in the areas of policy, administration, research, and evaluation is described, including the process of item development and selection, assessment of content validity, test administration, scoring, applications for individual educational planning, and use in program…

Concludes that the test represents a carefully designed, standardized, norm referenced instrument for children aged 6 to 14.(FL)

Can students' writing ability really be assessed by standardized, objective tests? This question is explored here along with a discussion of the alternatives and advice for principals to help their English and language arts teachers confront the issue. (Author/TE)