Investigates whether prompts and topic types affect writing performance of college freshmen taking the Manoa Writing Placement Examination (MWPE). Finds that the MWPE is reliable but that responses to prompts and prompt sets differ. Shows that differences arising in performance on prompts or topics can be minimized by examining mean scores and…

A recent RAND study questions the reliability of judgments used in portfolio evaluation in Vermont Schools. Researchers at the Center for Research in Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing are developing guidelines to determine whether the new performance-based assessments are valid and reliable. Emerging CRESST criteria concerning testing…

Ongoing research finds that alternatives to formal tests carry hidden costs and require trade-offs. National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing (CRESST) is studying how performance assessments work so that they may be designed to help students reach their highest potential. This article raises priority questions,…

Examined factor structure of Reasons for Living Inventory (RFL) and its internal consistency for 128 high school and 145 college students. Means were higher than those of adults who reported never considering suicide. Goodness of Fit Index was poor, suggesting that factors in teenagers' reasons for living are different from those of adults.…

One month test-retest reliability of the Revised Psychopathy Checklist (PCL-R) was examined in 88 methadone-maintained males, along with effects of increased information about patients on PCL-R scores and diagnostic derivations. Test-retest reliabilities are quite good. Other findings also confirm potential utility of the PCL-R for research. (SLD)

Describes what a computer-adaptive test (CAT) is, examines its roots, and points out some of the challenges this approach to assessment presents. (Author/VWL)

Use of the Orthogonal Cultural Identification Scale with 2,048 Mexican American and American Indian adolescents found that, as predicted, identification with one culture was independent of identification with another; cultural identification was strongly rooted in the family; and the scale was factor invariant across gender, grade level, and…

A study compared reports of 20 children (37 to 67 months) of either a voiding cystourethrogram (VCUG) or a pediatric assessment. Ratings of stress were significantly higher for children who underwent the VCUG and they reported more correct information than the children who experienced the pediatric assessment. (Author/CR)

Explores the consistency and accuracy of faculty evaluation, peer evaluation and self-evaluation of applied end-of-semester performances. Finds that faculty inter-judge reliability was uneven, while student peer inter-judge reliability was more uniform; faculty-peer evaluations were highly correlated, but self-evaluations were poorly correlated…

The relative roles of general cognitive ability, speed and efficiency of elemental cognitive processing, and oral reading fluency in the prediction of reading comprehension are examined using multiple regression. The construct validity of the curriculum-based approach to measurement of reading comprehension is supported. Reliability is assessed…

Internal consistency, test-retest reliability, item analysis, and construct and concurrent criterion-related validity of the Writing Essential Skill Screener-Preschool Version were studied using four independent samples of children (ages 4 to 5). The test displayed a high degree of reliability and validity for a brief pre-writing skills screener.…

Describes the development of the VV-BOS (Visualizer/Verbalizer Behavior Observation Scale), a computer-based instrument for direct observation of students' preferences for visual or verbal learning material. Results of a study with second-language learners indicated a high degree of reliability as an alternative to conventional questionnaires.…

Describes a study done at Suffolk County Community College (New York) that assessed the validity of the College Board's Computerized Placement Test in Reading Comprehension (CPT-R) by comparing test results of 1,154 freshmen with the results of the Degree of Power Reading Test. Results confirmed the CPT-R's reliability in identifying basic…

A quantitative study modeled the inherently subjective admissions process for 592 graduate school candidates and 72 raters. Logistic regression models were well-fitting and parsimonious, allowing analysis of each stage of the process. Extended committee discussion/deliberation phases were of limited productivity when inter-rater agreement was…

Reports the development of a paragraph-descriptor short form of the Schedule for Nonadaptive and Adaptive Personality (SNAP); (L. Clark, 1993) with self- and other versions. Data from 294 college students, with parental ratings for 94 students, support the reliability and validity of the measure. (SLD)