The Test of Reactions and Adaptation in College (TRAC), a measure of students' personal dispositions toward learning, is presented. Results from 2 different samples of college students (n=1,081) indicate acceptable psychometric characteristics for the TRAC. The TRAC predicted college success better than high school weighted academic average did.…

Highlights the application of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) in college counseling, couples counseling, medical problem assessment, military applications, personnel screening programs, and other areas. Provides a general description of the MMPI-2, discusses continuity of MMPI and MMPI-2 scales, and describes new scales…

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)

A test battery that corresponded to the Gesell Developmental Assessment (GDA) was given to 400 4-6 year olds. A truncated version of the GDA had moderate reliability and predictive power. Experienced judges sometimes differed in their assessments of a child's developmental level and recommendations for grade placement. (GLR)

Federal law requires that individuals with handicapping conditions be administered assessments in ways that accommodate their disabilities without penalizing them. Validation studies are needed to evaluate the meaning of scores resulting from nonstandard test administrations. The limited number of these studies to date is reviewed. (SLD)

A broad description is given of admissions procedures to Israeli universities. In Israel, a single unified test, the Psychometric Entrance Test, is used for admission to the various universities. Issues of validity and reliability and problems of ensuring fairness for non-Hebrew speakers are considered. (SLD)

An approach to test modeling is illustrated that encompasses both response consistency and response difficulty. This generative approach makes validation an ongoing process. An analysis of hidden figure items with 60 high school students supports the feasibility of the method. (SLD)

Implications of using alternative assessments for accountability in a high-stakes testing environment (using tests to make impact decisions for students, schools, or teachers) are examined. The psychometric properties of standardized alternative assessments are discussed, and the consequences of their use are considered. (SLD)

The University of Texas Southwestern Medical School administered identical, simultaneous objective structured clinical examinations to large medical school classes and found the method logistically and psychometrically feasible. Potential for use of the test to make pass-fail grading decisions and proposals for modification of administration and…

Investigated psychometric properties and correlates of Students' Life Satisfaction Scale with adolescent sample (n=222). Individual differences in global life satisfaction were not associated with age, grade, or gender but were associated moderately with socioeconomic status. Measures of family-related self-concept were greater predictors of life…

Discusses teachers' self-perceptions of their teaching effectiveness in higher education. Topics include self-concept; student evaluations of teaching effectiveness (SETs); a multidimensional university teacher self-concept instrument and an evaluation of its psychometric properties; and a multitrait-multimethod analysis of relations between…

This study tested the factor structure of coping and stress responses in Navajo adolescents and examined the reliability and validity of the Responses to Stress Questionnaire (RSQ; Connor-Smith, Compas, Wadsworth, Thomsen, & Saltzman, 2000) with this population. Confirmatory factor analyses revealed that a correlated five-factor model of…

Standardized portfolios are being used by teachers and teacher candidates to demonstrate subject matter knowledge for certification or to be considered highly qualified; however, the psychometric adequacy of data used for this purpose has not been evaluated. In the current study, we examined the interscorer reliability, concurrent, predictive, and…

The recent reauthorization of the Individuals With Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA; 2004) is first discussed in its historical context. Then, a programmatic line of research (funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development since 1989) is described that is relevant to a proposed model for universal…

The authors conducted a content analysis on new scale development articles appearing in the "Journal of Counseling Psychology" during 10 years (1995 to 2004). The authors analyze and discuss characteristics of the exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis procedures in these scale development studies with respect to sample…