School effectiveness indices (SEIs) based on residuals from regressing test performance in reading and mathematics onto prior-year test performance and a socioeconomic status measure (percentage eligible for a subsidized lunch program) were obtained for two consecutive years for 431 South Carolina elementary schools. The analysis involved school…

A study examined the scoring procedure for the second part of the modular section of the English Language Testing Service (ELTS) academic writing test. The scoring is done by external raters according to procedures and a scale specified for the test, resulting in a performance profile. The report chronicles the development of the procedures and…

This compendium is designed to assist vocational educators in selecting appropriate testing instruments to measure the learning outcomes of their programs. It presents by occupational area basic information on more than 150 validated measures and lists more than 1,200 additional entries in the Vocational Education Curriculum Materials (VECM)…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 13 titles deal with a variety of topics, including the following: (1) the preparation of eighth grade students for criterion referenced reading testing and its effect on standardized reading scores; (2) alternative cloze test…

The role of different types of testing instruments in second language programs is discussed. Knowledge-based tests, including discrete-point and integrative tests are contrasted with direct tests, including the Foreign Service Institute Scale and the Australian Second Language Proficiency Ratings (ASLPR). The ASLPR is described in detail in terms…

Survey results have suggested that, while teachers like to have test information available, most do not have great skill or consistency in interpreting test score data. Teachers who consider a certain type of test very valuable or useful are less likely to question the accuracy of the scores than are teachers who consider a test to be of little…

A formative evaluation minimum competency test model is examined. The model systematically uses assessment information to support and facilitate program improvement. In terms of the model, four inter-related qualities are essential for a sound testing program. The content validity perspective looks at how well the district has defined competency…

This set of articles draws from a conceptual model for Hispanic mental health research developed by the Hispanic Research Center of Fordham University and describes the development and use of "Tell-Me-a-Story" (TEMAS), a new thematic apperception test for the assessment of personality functioning in ethnic minority children. An…

This report provides the statistical tools necessary to measure the extent of error that exists in organizational record data and group survey data. It is felt that traditional methods of measuring error are inappropriate or incomplete when applied to organizational groups, especially in studies of organizational change when the same variables are…

The purpose of this study was to develop inventory items that measure the study habits and behaviors of adult students from a variety of college settings. There were two specific objectives: (1) to acquire as large and heterogeneous a sample as possible in order to factor out significant study behavior constructs for building a diagnostic and…

A study was undertaken to (1) examine the development and construction of a Group Informal Reading Inventory to predict the reading comprehension levels (independent, instructional, and frustration) of junior high school bilingual students for the purpose of reading instruction; and (2) validate the inventory through a three-way correlational…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 15 titles include studies of an informal reading inventory; an item-type to test phonic and context skills; reliability of residual gain scores based on means for a standardized reading achievement measure; alternatives to…

The four main approaches to measuring treatment effects in schools; raw gain, residual gain, covariance, and true scores; were compared. A simulation study showed true score analysis produced a large number of Type-I errors. When corrected for this error, this method showed the least power of the four. This outcome was clearly the result of the…

The initial study was based on responses of 103 examinees on an objective classroom test. Results indicated that response changes increased item difficulties as well as biserial and point biserial correlations. Test reliability was not decreased. This implies that not all students benefit from changing initial responses. The personal biserial…

A profile method was used to analyze the patterns of four English proficiency tests (Comprehensive English Language Test for Speakers of English as a Second Language: Structure, CELT: Listening, Reading for Understanding Test, and The New Cloze Test) regarding two examinee characteristics: their language proficiency levels and native language. One…