A set of instruments designed to measure generalizable interpersonal relations skills was validated with students in Illinois area vocational centers. The instruments developed possess a relatively high degree of content and face validity and moderate to high internal consistency and test-retest reliability. (JOW)

Two pilot tests with fifth and sixth graders evaluated the Secondary School Admission Test for identifying academically talented students of elementary school age. Testing indicated that mean scores for eighth and ninth grade normative samples are recommended as cutoffs for identifying highly able fifth and sixth grade students. (Author/JDD)

The concurrent validities of 3 short forms of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) were compared for their prediction of full-scale IQ for 145 male and 159 female psychiatric inpatients. Results support previous research showing better predictive accuracy for L. C. Ward's (1990) seven-subtest short form than the others. (SLD)

One hundred kindergarten children completed a phoneme segmentation test, an invented spelling test, and two tests of visual-motor ability. Scores on both tests of phoneme awareness predicted between 30% and 40% of variance in reading ability a year later, while visual-motor scores bore a less substantial relationship to future reading ability.…

Primary and second-order principal components analyses were performed on the Quality of School Life Scale (QSL), a measure of elementary school climate, for responses of 141 fourth through sixth graders. Findings suggest three general factors, but item composition of subscales differs somewhat from that proposed by the QSL's developers. (SLD)

The low and decreasing validity of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) for predicting first-year grades at the University of Hawaii (Manoa) for Hawaiian students is explored. No explanation is derived, but it does not appear to be an artifact caused by improper grouping of students. (SLD)

The applicability of the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS), developed in the United States, to another culture was assessed by investigating reliability and validity of the SWLS with 99 boys and 118 girls from Portugal. The cross-national validity of the scale and its utility with different age groups are supported. (SLD)

The Matrix Analogies Test measures nonverbal ability of handicapped and nonhandicapped children, ages 5-17, in a culture-fair fashion. It assesses pattern completion, reasoning by analogy, serial reasoning, and spatial visualization, with a short form available as a screening instrument. This paper describes the test's administration, format,…

The Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence-Revised, intended for children ages 3-7, is used to diagnosis exceptional intellectual ability in school settings. Its 12 subtests measure both Performance Intelligence Quotient and Verbal Intelligence Quotient. This paper describes the test's administration, summation of data,…

The study compared results of the Preschool Language Scale, administered to 214 rural and 214 suburban children in Nebraska. Both groups scored above age level, but a higher percentage of rural children failed a wide range of verbal ability and auditory comprehension items. The scale did not meet criteria for nonbiased, ecologically valid…

The extent to which convergent and discriminant validity of 4 self-concept traits and the method effects associated with 3 measurement scales that were equivalent across gender was studied. Data from 832 students (412 boys and 420 girls) in grades 11 and 12 in suburban Canada were analyzed. (SLD)

The extent to which student questionnaire responses reflect students' active behavior was studied through course attendance patterns of Israeli undergraduates, student completion of a questionnaire rating college lecturers, and interviews with 36 students. In this instance, the questionnaire did not reflect actual behavior. Explanations are…

Evidence is presented on the generalizability and convergent validity of performance assessments using data from six studies of student achievement that sampled a wide range of measurement facets and methods. Results at individual and school levels indicate that task-sampling variability is the major source of measurement error. (SLD)

Drawing on the experience of Oregon's new-teacher evaluation system, describes teacher work-sample methodology and evidence for its reliability and validity in evaluating the performance of prospective teachers. This is a methodology that responds to the challenge issued by the National Commission on Teaching and the America's Future challenge.…

Responds to the most commonly asked questions and criticisms regarding the Third International Mathematics and Science Study's assessment of students at the end of secondary school. Answers cover differences in age and grade levels, differences in enrollment rates, definitions of the U.S. advanced mathematics population, unbelievable numbers,…