Design of a rating scale for pharmacy students' evaluation of instruction, differing from others in its incorporation of 10 dimensions of teaching unique to pharmacy education, is described. Two potential uses of the scale are use of the teaching dimensions in numerical scales, and scale use for providing teacher feedback. (Author/MSE)

Presents data that establish the convergent and discriminant construct validity of a new behavior-rating scale for use with the early childhood-preschool population, the Preschool and Kindergarten Behavior Scales (PKBS). The scale appears to show promise as a research tool, screening device, and assessment instrument for assessing social-emotional…

Presents results of a study developing an informal social skills teacher rating scale for use with early adolescents. Reports that the scale includes skill identification and situational analysis. Provides information on identifying and ranking responses and checking a content validity and reliability. Concludes that the matrix can generate…

This paper offers a rationale for and a description of the creation of the Developmentally Delayed Children's Behaviour Checklist, which is completed by caregivers or teachers and uses a taxonometric model to describe the child's (ages 4-20) disturbed emotions and behaviors. Results of clinical validation studies are cited. (Author/JDD)

The Preschool Development Inventory (PDI) obtains parents' assessments of their children's present development and possible problems. Of 220 children (ages 3 and 4), 11% obtained low General Development Scale scores, whereas 14% showed potential major obstacles to learning. Data concerning the PDI's sensitivity/specificity indicate that parents'…

Gifted (n=675) and regular education (n=322) students in grades two and three were compared for incidence of behavior problems as rated by parents and teachers. After controlling for grade and minority status, no significant differences were found between groups in incidence or type of behavior problems. Agreement between parent and teacher…

Twenty-two preschool children with cognitive delays were observed during independent play at home and group free play at school. Assessed developmental age was more predictive of play behaviors in home independent play than in classroom free play. Findings highlight the need to consider contextual variation associated with play-based assessment…

A national survey of elementary and middle school principals examined how parents can help children succeed academically. Principals recommended that parent behavior support children's self-esteem. The same scale is reprinted for parents to complete and compare their responses with those of the principals. (SM)

Maintains that new practices such as performance-based assessment that are consistent with the early childhood profession's process goals need to be developed and that testing of young children that is not developmentally appropriate constitutes misassessment. Promotes observational assessment that uses anecdotal notes and that complements…

Designed for use with individuals ages 3 months to 44 years, the Scales of Independent Behavior (SIB) measure adaptive behavior and problem behaviors in such areas as motor skills, social interaction, language, personal self-care, punctuality, destructiveness, and inattention. This paper describes the SIB's administration, scoring,…

Reviews research to derive cross-informant syndrome scales for 1991 profiles of Child Behavior Checklist, Teacher's Report Form, and Youth Self-Report. Summarizes studies of reliability and validity, as well as findings on cross-informant agreement, stability of parent ratings, cross-informant prediction, and comparisons of profile scores for…

A 45-item self-rating scale based on nine creativity fostering behaviors was developed and validated with a self-describing adjectives checklist. Analysis of the responses of 117 teachers found adequate construct and concurrent validities. Specific teachers' creativity fostering behaviors were found to correlate with sex and ethnicity. (Contains…

A study involving 453 pairs of Israeli parents and teachers used an item response theory measurement model(IRT) to examine the 28-item Conners Teacher's Rating Scale (CTRS) for diagnosing attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. IRT analyses revealed structural inadequacies involving the inappropriateness of the 4-point Likert-type scale used by…

This article provides an overview of some of the recent developments in assessing social skills of children, as well as best practices in conducting assessment and linking assessment to effective intervention. Naturalistic behavioral observation and behavior rating scales are proposed as first-line choices for social skills assessment. (Contains…

The Classroom Communication Ease Scale was administered to 50 deaf college students. Fit of data to the measurement model resulted in a set of 42 items that empirically define the concept of "communication ease" in its cognitive aspects and a set of 21 items that elaborate the concept further in terms of its affective aspects. (Author/DB)