The Locus of Control Inventory for the Deaf (LCID), consisting of a 23-item Likert-like scale, and two commonly used scales to assess locus of control in hearing persons were administered to 174 deaf freshman students. Intercorrelation findings demonstrated greater soundness of the LCID as compared with the other scales. (Author)

This article illustrates the use of generalizability theory in special education to estimate the reliability of a measure when there is more than one source of error in the universe of inference and how the effects from changing the number of items and/or raters can be evaluated. (Author)

Impression marking of English Language essay and summary questions by pairs of examiners is shown, as expected, to be more reliable than single marking. Given the limited statistical information available, it is concluded that pairing of examiners can as well be done by random or quasi-random means as by attempts at calculated matching. (Editor/RK)

A procedure designed to help instructional decision-makers evaluate individual sources of diagnostic information in terms of their functional utility may add a desirable measure of precision to their instructional prescriptions for learners. (Author)

Recently, an evaluation procedure, behaviorally anchored rating scales (BARS), has been developed that attempts to capture performance in multidimensional, behavior-specific terms. Article reviews and evaluates the research on BARS and suggests new directions for future research. (Author/RK)

Two IRT-based procedures to estimate test reliability for a certification exam that used both adaptive (via a MST model) and non-adaptive design were considered in this study. Both procedures rely on calibrated item parameters to estimate error variance. In terms of score variance, one procedure (Method 1) uses the empirical ability distribution…

This study examined the validity and reliability of a newly developed instrument for performance assessment of teachers. The instrument was based on the "framework for teaching" proposed by C. Danielson, a framework that identifies the aspects of a teacher's responsibilities that have been documented through empirical studies and theoretical…

This book covers the principles of risk and risk management and offers a framework for analyzing the significant, often unforeseen threats facing higher education institutions today. It examines the critical elements of a disaster preparedness plan and addresses business continuity and mission continuity planning. The book also provides tools for…

This collection consists of six papers, each dealing with some aspects of reliability and performance testing. Each paper has an abstract, and each contains its own references. Papers include: (1) "Using Reliabilities To Make Decisions" (Deborah J. Harris); (2) "Conditional Standard Errors, Reliability, and Decision Consistency…

The sporadic investigations regarding children's concepts of death have lacked standard methods or instruments for evaluating these conceptions. Whether or not research on children's concepts of death can be gauged by a standard set of questions is explored in this paper. It reports on the evaluation of a new questionnaire's (Concept of Life and…

After presenting a general linear model as a framework for discussion, this paper reviews five methodology errors that occur in educational research: (1) the use of stepwise methods; (2) the failure to consider in result interpretation the context specificity of analytic weights (e.g., regression beta weights, factor pattern coefficients,…

While it is imperative that attempts be made to assess the predictive accuracy of any prediction model, traditional measures of predictive accuracy have been criticized as suffering from "the base rate problem." The base rate refers to the relative frequency of occurrence of the event being studied in the population of interest, and the…

This guide shows how to integrate assessment with teaching and learning to reach educational goals. The aim is to present assessment concepts in a concise manner that can be understood and applied by teachers, administrators, and other school personnel. The chapters, organized around major assessment topics, are: (1) "Integrating Assessment with…

This report summarizes efforts by the state of New York to ensure the accuracy and integrity of data reported by school districts. The Office of the State Comptroller (OSC) has taken the lead in reviewing these data, focusing on the uses of attendance and enrollment data and making recommendations for improvement in state systems and local…