Reports initial construct validity and reliability of a new measure of the organizational/supervisory climate of schools. The new measure contained six subscales validated by using three recognized indices of school effectiveness: school productivity, organizational effectiveness, and school holding power. Results support the OSCI's validity and…

A new construct of meaninglessness as a psychological dimension of everyday life is presented. Four theoretically based components of the construct were expressed in the self and life descriptions of 95% of 153 Dutch independently-living aged adults. Content analysis was used; components and explanations are discussed. (Author/EMK)

Validity of the Personal Growth Initiative Scale (PGIS) is tested by considering relations among the PGIS, ways of growing, gender-role orientation, and psychological well-being. Individuals' (N=169) ability to distinguish ways of growing in their lives that are in awareness, intentional, or both is related to gender-role orientation. (Author/EMK)

There is considerable opinion that standardized test scores do not predict academic performance as well for African American students as for white students. A study correlating Scholastic Assessment Test scores and grades for samples of black students in 15 colleges, 7 predominantly black and 8 predominantly white, found that tests' predictive…

A study involving 257 Navajo and Mexican-American elementary students investigated the internal structure of the DISCOVER assessment, a performance-based assessment grounded in Gardner's theory of multiple intelligence. Results showed low interrating correlations among the five assessment activities, indicating students gifted in one intelligence…

This article describes the second edition of the Attention Deficit Disorders Evaluation Scale (ADDES II), an individually administered behavior rating scale developed to assist in the identification and service of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorders. Its purpose, administration, interpretation of scores, standardization,…

Examines the assumption that the same characteristics of interactions between infants and caregivers are meaningful and important across cultures, using literature from very different cultures to illustrate relationships among cultural values, views of good parenting, and parents' interactions with their infants. Findings have implications for the…

The Silver Drawing Test of Cognition and Emotion was standardized for Brazilian children (N=2,000). ANOVA results are presented for age and education groups from early grades on, including distinguishing adult education levels; results are compared for U.S. and Brazilian populations. Growth in test scores, emotional content responses, and…

Teaching to the test has significant undesirable effects. This practice skews scores and invalidates the test, promotes convergent thinking, promotes learning that may be obsolete, excludes the arts and extracurricular activities, promotes didactic instruction over discovery learning, involves only short-term memory, and excludes higher-order…

This study, utilizing data from 208 educators, obtained estimates of the reliability of the four subscale version of the 40-item Computer Attitude Scale (CAS); provided detailed information regarding the factor patterns of the CAS subscales; and provided evidence about the differential validity of the CAS among four groups with differing intensity…

Utility of the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales-Expanded Form to discriminate among areas of adaptive behavior was substantiated by comparing profiles of scores obtained by 113 individuals with mental retardation and either a communication, social behavior, or motor disorder. Results support the use of the Vineland Scales in ecological evaluation…

This study evaluated the use of facilitated communication (FC) paired with a direct instructional strategy to improve the basic academic skills of 12 youths and young adults with autism. Results did not support use of FC as an educational tool, with subjects averaging below-chance performance in FC and both control conditions. (DB)

One means of establishing the validity of performance-based assessments is to determine whether the criteria for basic competencies on performance tests are reasonable in relation to expected (nationally normed) age-level performance. Links between performances on three assessments in Michigan and the Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills illustrate…

Examines the definition of fluency in the literature, and proposes a qualitative and quantitative approach that may be used to produce a "thick" description of language use for use in rating scale construction. The article suggests that validity considerations must be addressed in the construction phase of developing scales. (69 references)…

High-stakes testing's goals are to improve student learning of worthwhile academic content and narrow achievement gaps between advantaged and disadvantaged populations. Students are supposed to work harder and teachers are supposed to work more efficiently and effectively. Curriculum design and target-setting are key elements. (MLH)