Three levels from the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (K-ABC) standardization sample were randomly selected and their subtest score intercorrelations were subjected to factor analysis. The analyses yielded minor inconsistencies which suggest the instrument does not primarily measure simultaneous and sequential processing and achievement as…

State legislative action to control and reward teaching quality has resulted in the coming of age of systematic teacher performance evaluation for certification, merit pay, or career ladder advancement decisions. This article overviews issues of credibility and practicality--including test design, validity, and reliability--which arise when…

Normative data from 1300 (K-6) students and satisfactory psychometric data indicated a revised version (Classroom Adaptive Behavior Checklist) of the AAMD (American Association of Mental Deficiency) Adaptive Behavior Scale was valid in terms of test reliability, concurrent validity with another instrument, and discriminant validity between normal…

This study examined the predictive validity of the Coopersmith Self Esteem Inventory with adolescents relative to each of the criterion measures representing communication satisfaction toward each parent and feelings toward each parent, and the differential validity of the self-esteem, communication satisfaction, and feelings toward each parent…

The study investigated whether ethnicity and gender influenced anxiety scores at different developmental levels (grades one through three). Internal evidence of test bias was examined by computing internal reliability coefficients for the anxiety measures. The two anxiety scales were found to have adequate reliability coefficients for all groups…

The concurrent and discriminant validity of La Prueba de Analisis Auditivo, a Spanish auditory perception test, and the validity of the perceptual deficit hypothesis and of hypotheses derived from verbal processing theory were evaluated in a sample of 114 second-grade Hispanic pupils receiving reading instruction in Spanish. (Author/BW)

Reviews the 3-R's Test that measures achievement in three academic content areas: reading, language, and mathematics. Cautions that it lacks data supporting its validity and scaling. (HOD)

A search for systematic extraneous influences upon high school student ratings of teacher effectiveness is reported, with the view of demonstrating how such influences meeting the criteria (student motivation/preference and class size) need to be considered in the evaluation of the validity of such ratings. (PN)

Two persuasive communications were constructed and validated. Validity was tested by verifying the presence of supportive and counterarguments. The one-sided communication was shown to contain only supportive arguments, while the two-sided communication contained both supportive and counterarguments. Implications for instruction are addressed. (JN)

The author reviews the evidence for the beneficial effects of the Self-Directed Search (SDS), indicates that Hanson and Prediger have misinterpreted the theory, that their evidence is misleading, and that other evidence indicates that males and females of the same type are similar. The virtues of raw scores are summarized. (Author)

Possible relationships between five test examiner characteristics (gender, race, tenure, experience as a test administrator, and experience as a test developer or scorer) and six student achievement scores (reading, writing, language usage, mathematics, science, and social studies) were studied at the school level in a statewide assessment. The…

The present American higher education setting includes the use of Student Evaluations of Instruction (SEIs). This practice has a history that spans a number of decades and is now firmly established as part of the American system of higher education. However, there is a continuing dispute over the use of the information gathered from SEIs, the…

Recently NWEA completed a project to connect the scale of the WKCE with NWEA's RIT scale. Six Wisconsin school systems participated in the study, using test information from a group of over 1,500 students enrolled in fourth, eighth, and tenth grade who took both the WKCE and NWEA tests in the fall of 2003. Information from these tests was used in…

This document is an outline of a conference presentation on developing and implementing authentic oral assessment instruments. Among the topics covered are the following: alternative, authentic, direct, descriptive, portfolio, and performance assessments. A detailed comparison and contrasting is undertaken of alternative and performance…

The Rating Ethical Content System (RECS) was developed for adults, but the question remains whether children can recognize moral themes in media with the same competency as adults. The current study aims to test a modified version of the existing scale (RECS-K) for use by children in order to determine whether children can recognize ethical…