The 1992-93 school year saw the second statewide implementation of the Vermont portfolio-assessment program, and RAND continued its ongoing evaluation of the program's implementation, effects, and data quality. While the first year's study found evidence of the impact of the assessment program and low reliability of portfolio scoring, this year's…

Performance rating systems frequently use multiple raters in order to improve the reliability of ratings. However, unless all candidates are rated by the same raters, some candidates will be at an unfair advantage or disadvantage solely because they were rated by more stringent or lenient raters. To obtain fair and accurate evaluations of…

The present study investigated the reliability and validity of scores from the Child Abuse Potential (CAP) Inventory. The CAP is a screening device for physical abuse potential in adults; it is a self-administered test written on a third-grade reading level. Subjects were 113 mothers, including 53 (46.9%) mothers of young children with handicaps,…

Research into language acquisition is reviewed and implications for practice are discussed. The research stemmed from the State of California's mandate to use specific oral language instruments for identifying students who are limited English speakers. The development of a test to identify and place English as a second language students in…

Practitioner use of learning style theory and measures can have an impact on curriculum design, instruction and assessment methods, and student guidance in the secondary school. Concern about the "operationalization" of learning style continues due to confusion concerning definitions, weakness in reliability and validity of measurements, and…

This study explores the test-retest consistency of computer adaptive tests of varying lengths. The testing model used was designed as a mastery model to determine whether an examinee's estimated ability level is above or below a pre-established criterion expressed in the metric (logits) of the calibrated item pool scale. The Rasch model was used…

This article reports on the development, internal consistency, and reliability of a new preschool and kindergarten classroom observational measure based on NAEYC's Guidelines for Developmentally Appropriate Practices. The Classroom Practices Inventory (CPI) is a 26-item rating scale tapping the curricular emphasis and emotional climate of programs…

The psychometric properties of a paper-and-pencil instrument for assessing individual differences in cerebral dominance are explored. The instrument, Your Style of Learning and Thinking (SOLAT), contains 50 multiple-choice questions. The study subjects consisted of three groups: 235 undergraduate and graduate students, 124 undergraduate and…

This technical supplement to the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) Counselor's Manual presents the current research that has accumulated on the ASVAB. Information in this supplement was collected from published and unpublished sources, both civilian and military. This supplement contains both actual results of data analyses and…

The development and validation of a shortened and revised version of the Belief in Personal Control Scale (BPCS-RS) are described. Like the original 85-item version of the BPCS, the BPCS-RS measures three empirically derived factors (a belief in general external control of outcomes, an exaggerated belief in personal control of outcomes, and a…

Surveys used for program and institutional evaluation, such as self-studies conducted for accreditation review, are discussed. Frequently, these evaluations take the form of faculty surveys and student surveys. This paper explores the following general considerations associated with mail surveys and other surveys: avoidance of response bias;…

The Freedoms Scale was developed to assess the attitudes of slow learning and nonacademic secondary students in Canada toward democratic values, and, in particular, toward civil liberties. Vignettes were developed around situations describing threats to an individual or group's constitutional rights. Students were asked how they feel (e.g.,…

Academic testing observed in a year-long study of kindergarten classes in 15 districts was primarily concerned with whether children were succeeding with the content of a basal reader readiness workbook that essentially dealt with phonics. Such success was viewed as a prerequisite for the first preprimer in the basal series, the use of which…

The Infant Care Survey (ICS) was developed to measure new mothers' confidence in their knowledge and skills regarding the care of babies under one year of age. One potential use of this test would be the identification of groups at high risk for health problems or for avoiding medical care. Self-efficacy was an important construct in the…

This manual, which provides extensive new instructions for administering the Functional Assessment Inventory (FAI), is intended to enable counselors to begin using the inventory without undergoing any special training. The first two sections deal with the need for functional assessment and issues in the development and use of the inventory. The…