Part of a special issue on adaptive behavior, the article discusses three assessment-related issues: (1) clarity of the construct of adaptive behavior; (2) norm samples for adaptive behavior scales; and (3) predictive validity of adaptive behavior scales. Improvements are noted in the standardization properties of major adaptive behavior scales.…

Describes social support as a significant resource for individuals and family members encountering stress. Presents a definition of social support and an instrument, the Social Support Inventory, to measure two dimensions of social support: kind of support, such as emotional, esteem, network, appraisal and altruistic; and source of support, such…

This article introduces a mini-series on research methods in school psychology. A conceptual overview of research methods is presented, emphasizing the degree to which each method allows the inference that treatment affects outcome. Experimental and nonexperimental, psychometric, descriptive, and meta-analysis research methods are outlined. (SLD)

Examines traditional psychometric approaches to measuring intelligence and recent work by cognitive psychologists to develop a rationale for a non-verbal reasoning test for 10- to 11-year-olds. Recent studies providing basis for analyzing structure of test items are outlined, and benefits of analyzing items at a sub-type level are discussed.…

The Delaware Student Testing Program (DSTP) is a mandated statewide assessment program that targets four core content areas. English language arts, including reading and writing, and mathematics are given to students in grades 3, 5, 8, and 10; science and social studies are given to students in grades 4, 6, 8, and 11. The DSTP reading and…

The writer calls attention to the many traps associated with one of the most frequent uses of assessment: the technical difficulties of measuring changes in learning over time. Noting that psychometricians don't like "change" or "difference" scores in statistical analyses because they tend to have lower reliability than the original measures…

This methodological report documents the design, development, and psychometric characteristics of the assessment instruments used in the third grade data collection of the ECLS-K. The instruments examined include those developed to measure cognitive and socioemotional development. In addition, issues in analyzing longitudinal measures are…

This paper describes the development of a scale that measures college students' attitudes about community service, based on Schwartz' process model of altruistic helping behavior. The development of such a scale is seen as essential for research, evaluation of interventions, and the prediction of outcomes of community service participation. The…

The psychometric research done by G. Rasch between 1951 and 1959, which is explained and illustrated in this book, takes psychometrics from being purely descriptive to being a science of objective measurement. Individual centered statistics require models in which each individual is characterized separately and from which, given adequate data,…

This videotape contains a series of presentations by Benjamin D. Wright of the University of Chicago about the Rasch model and measurement in testing. The first presentation is excerpts from a workshop held in 1974 for educators from the Portland (Oregon) Public Schools and the Oregon Department of Education. Dr. Wright's lectures were part of a…

This paper discusses appropriate measurement content and instructional strategies for courses in classroom assessment in the areas of grading and communicating assessment results. Classroom teachers need to understand a wider range of assessments than many textbooks cover, and an aspiring teacher's classroom assessment practices need to be…

This study of Law School Admission Test (LSAT) performance by selected subgroups has been conducted to provide some baseline information that can later be referenced in a variety of projects and activities. The study provides a detailed psychometric analysis, by selected gender and ethnic subgroup membership, of LSAT Form OLSS1. This form was…

Past research has shown that adults can report their own skill level on four dimensions of emotional intelligence, using the Trait Meta-Mood Scale (TMMS). This study assessed children's ability to self-report on the emotional attention, emotional clarity, and emotional repair dimensions of emotional intelligence, using a modification of the above…

This article provides an historical perspective on current interest in alternative assessment in the United States and identifies critical qualities that good assessment should exemplify. The paper then reviews research results regarding the technical quality and consequences of using this new form of assessment for large-scale accountability…