When designing competency based education programs to meet state requirements, California educators would do well to select only a small number of highly significant competencies per basic skill area, for which they can devise on-target instruction and valid competency measures. (SJL)

A study was conducted to test the criterion validity of a set of written patient management problems (PMPs) through a comparison of pharmacist performance on the PMPs and performance in the practice setting. The PMPs were replicated in the practice setting by actors. Inconsistencies between PMP performance and practice performance were noted.…

A 22-item instrument (My Classmates) was developed to measure fifth-sixth graders' perceptions of their peer relationships, and administered to 621 students. The instrument's reliability and validity were supported. Group membership was found to be related to certain student characteristics. (The questionnaire is appended). (GDC)

Addresses problems involved in developing and using performance tests, creating job-like testing situations, specifying measurable criteria, and controlling external factors to reduce problems of test reliability. Placing trainees in on-the-job training environments when training cannot be provided in the classroom or laboratory is recommended.…

Selective admissions may become an archaic notion for undergraduate institutions due to intensified competition for enrollments and a marketing mentality in recruiting students. It is likely that technical development of tests will continue on an incremental basis as testing agencies try to meet public criteria of fairness and credibility. (FG)

Traditionally research into the effects of teacher behaviors on learning outcomes has involved direct observational techniques. This paper departs from tradition and describes the initial development and use of a new instrument measuring student perceptions of numerous key teaching behaviors. (RL)

The practical problems of constructing and using culture fair intelligence tests cannot be solved without a thorough theoretical analysis of research findings on cultural differences and on structures and definitions of intelligence, especially the concepts of fluid and crystallized intelligence. Part of a theme issue on intelligence. (Author/SJL)

Procedures used to verify and validate the translation of tests, questionnaires, and other paper-and-pencil measurement devices for cross-cultural use are discussed. Recommendations are suggested for improving translation efforts. (MH)

A computer program for analyzing test results is presented. Item analysis and the point biserial correlation coefficient, both generated by this program, are explained and discussed. (MK)

A question and answer dialogue is presented that addresses some of the common barriers encountered by writers of criterion-referenced tests. The guidelines deal with performance objectives, intended outcomes, test items for higher levels of learning, compiling test items, managing item construction, and limitations of the criterion test. (JMD)

The Canadian Occupational Interest Inventory (COII) is presented in terms of historical background, development, inter-scale correlation, reliability, validity, population and norms, and use in the schools. (HLM)

A look at the history of intelligence testing suggests that those most closely allied with intelligence testing were often least able to see the larger issues. Input is needed from those who have examined broader currents in the history and sociology of ideas. New ideas must be cultivated to avoid redundancy in the field. (SLD)

Investigates how the language in which formal education is conducted affects learners' reading ability in the context of Malawi and Zambia. Administration of English- and local-language reading tests reveals that no significant difference exists in English-language reading ability between learners in each country, but large differences in favor of…

Issues that must be addressed in the large-scale application of computerized adaptive testing are explored, including considerations of test design, scoring, test administration, item and item bank development, and other aspects of test construction. Possible solutions and areas in which additional work is needed are identified. (SLD)

Results from a translated and revalidated measure of moral judgment completed by 161 Belgian adolescents and young adults and from a measure of religious judgment completed by 142 subjects support the usefulness of a questionnaire to measure religious judgment and provide information about its relationship to moral judgment in young adults. (SLD)