The theoretical background, organization, performance subtests (object assembly, geometric design, block design, mazes, picture completion, and animal pegs), verbal subtests (information, comprehension, arithmetic, vocabulary, similarities, and sentences), reliability, validity (factor analysis), interpretation, advantages, and limitations of the…

The Basic Achievement Skills Individual Screener is described as a quick screening tool for assessing basic skills of students functioning at grade 1-8 levels. The tool uses norm-referenced and criterion-referenced measures to assess achievement in reading, mathematics, spelling, and writing. This paper discusses test administration, scoring,…

The Cognitive Levels Test, for use with ages 5-21, is designed as a quick cognitive assessment instrument with 4 subdomains: verbal reasoning, abstract reasoning, quantitative reasoning, and memory. This paper describes the test's administration, summation of data, standardization, reliability, and validity. (JDD)

The Stanford Binet Intelligence Scale measures four areas of cognitive abilities (verbal reasoning, abstract/visual reasoning, quantitative reasoning, and short-term memory), providing a continuous scale for appraising cognitive development from age two to adult. This paper describes the test's administration, standardization, reliability, and…

Performance assessment is discussed as it relates to evaluation of clinical performance in medical education. Issues include the meaning of reliability and validity in performance assessment and the balance between them, including simple vs. complex behaviors; stability of performance; specific vs. generic abilities; and experts' roles in clinical…

A system of school process indicators is needed to provide descriptions of educational opportunity, monitor reform, and explain student outputs. A model of school process is proposed, against which problems of definition, measurement, and sampling are identified. Criteria of importance, validity, and cost are considered. (TJH)

The study compared human figure drawings (using the Goodenough-Harris Drawing Test and Koppitz' Emotional Indicators) of 26 hearing-impaired and 26 normal-hearing children and adolescents. No significant differences were found between groups but the Emotional Indicators did not perform as predicted in determining emotional disturbance. (Author/DB)

An evaluation of the Manic Depressive and Depressive Association of Chicago (Illinois) used an adapted version of the Client Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSQ-8) as part of a mail survey. Results for 184 respondents reveal characteristics of both the instrument and client satisfaction factors. (TJH)

The paper outlines the rationale and development of curriculum-based measurement (CBM) and its empirical support; summarizes two reading models (Chall's stages of reading development and LaBerge and Samuels' model of automaticity); and discusses how CBM, with its use of oral reading rate measures, and the reading models may validate each other.…

This study attempted to establish the validity of an essay test of clinical judgment by defining the domain of clinical judgment and operationalizing this definition in a 12-item essay examination administered to 98 residents in internal medicine. The relationship between essay scores and other measures of competence was then examined and the…

This study evaluated the Consent Screening Interview, which assesses the ability of adults with developmental disabilities to give direct consent for community residential placement. Interviews conducted with 17 adults with mental retardation and a control group of 8 individuals indicated that the instrument differentiated between those subjects…

This study derived data from the Family Environment Scale, from home visits to 29 individuals with moderate mental retardation, and from other sources to determine that the Parenting Style Survey is a reliable and valid measure of parenting behaviors for individuals who have a child with mental retardation living at home. (Author/JDD)

Discussion of time-related measures in computerized ability tests focuses on a study of college students that used two intelligence test item types to develop a multitrait, multimethod assessment of response time measures. Convergent and discriminant validation are discussed, correlations between response time and accuracy are examined, and…

Discusses multicultural education, school choice, educational reform, curriculum development, and teacher education. If the curriculum represents the past truthfully, issues of multiculturalism and inclusion of all racial groups need not be raised because a valid curriculum represents them adequately. Race explains nothing in education other than…

Teachers must learn to distinguish among performance assessments of different quality and appropriateness. Design criteria (cognitive complexity, linguistic appropriateness, content quality and coverage, and meaningfulness) are judged by examining assessment tasks and scoring rubrics. Effects criteria (transfer, generalizability, instructional…