Trauer and Mackinnon (2001; Quality of life research 10, pp. 579-585) recently proposed that weighting satisfaction scores by importance ratings in measuring quality of life is undesirable and unnecessary. However, they didn't use empirical data to support their claim. In this study, different weighting algorithms developed by Cummins (1997;…

The usefulness of response latency data for biographical inventory items was assessed for improving the inventory's validity. Focus was on assessing whether weighting item scores on the basis of their latencies improves the predictive validity of the inventory's total score. A total of 120 items from the Armed Services Applicant Profile (ASAP)…

The question of whether weighting (rank-ordering) of student teacher evaluation criteria, as determined by student and supervising teachers, university supervisors, and employing officials, results in better differentiation between and among student teachers is explored in this paper. Participants in the study were asked to rank order 15…

This bulletin describes two phases of an experiment in examining science, one in 1963, and the second in 1964. The first phase of the experiment explored two forms of assessment: a Scientific Thinking paper; and a Practical paper. In the second phase two further factors were introduced: a Facts and Principles paper; and an Assessment of course…

Presents research findings on several aspects of multiple-choice testing: (1) Effect of guessing; (2) Effect of changing the initial response; (3) Effect of item order alteration; (4) Optimum number of chores; (5) Position response set; and (6) Assessment of partial knowledge. (HM)

Describes a study which investigated an alternative method (aside from simple ranking) for establishing evaluative criterion weights for evaluating vocational education programs and which would reflect the priortities expressed by various interest groups. (SH)

A national survey of medical schools concerning the use made of Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) scores in selecting students found wide variation in practices. Some institutions regarded the subtest scores equally and individually, some weighted the areas according to their curricula, and some summed or averaged scores with weighting. (MSE)

Four methods were used to weight predictors associated with a Resident Assistant job: (1) rank order weights; (2) unit weights; (3) critical incident weights; and (4) regression weights. A cross-validation was also done. Most weighting methods were highly related. No method was superior in terms of protection from validity shrinkage. (GDC)

Summarizes findings of a project that reviewed eight commercial gradebook programs to determine range of features offered, e.g., menu and group organization, calculations and weighting of grades, error checking and correction, reports and printouts, documentation, and special options. Information on producer, hardware requirements, and cost is…

The federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) requires school districts in every state to publish and disseminate annual report cards with information on district performance. Schools are required to report similar information. These report cards must include not only information on overall student achievement, but also on the performance of…

Studies from various institutions report faculty spend from 25 to 41 hours per week in teaching activities. The variability in total hourly work week reported tends to be a function of time spent in research endeavors rather than assigned teaching load. (MLW)

Letter grades are still the most popular way of indicating student performance. Both included (special-needs) and general-education students perceive the use of adaptations for some but not all students as unfair. Although half of all general-education teachers use informal grading adaptations, few consider them fair. Schools should develop a…

Investigated extent to which public flagship universities use weighted or unweighted standards in admission decision process. Findings from 91 universities indicated that nearly one-half of the flagship universities used exclusively unweighted standards in decision process for most entering freshmen, suggesting that recognition of honors courses…

This article uses four data sets to assess changes in the relative weights of test- and performance-based merit criteria on college enrollment during the 1980s and 1990s and considers their significance for affirmative action. Our results support the "shifting meritocracy" hypothesis, revealed by selective postsecondary institutions'…

The traditional system of letter grades discourages college-bound students from taking difficult courses. Many colleges look closely at an applicant's grade point average (GPA). When a student's GPA is computed, a grade from an easy course carries as much weight as a grade from a difficult course. Since a student can achieve a higher grade with…