The program design and psychometric characteristics of the Maryland School Performance Assessment Program (MSPAP) are described, focusing on scaling, equating, standard setting, score accuracy, and validity. The MSPAP is an innovative performance-based testing program administered annually to students in grades three, five, and eight. (SLD)

Traces the conceptual origins of adaptive behavior of handicapped people, from state residential institutions to its role in the complex process of community integration. Measurement instruments are reviewed. Measurement, conceptual, and methodological issues are discussed. (Author/BJV)

A new assessment scheme--the Short-Term Assessment of Risk and Treatability (START)-- presents a workable method for assessing risks to self and others encountered in mentally and personality disordered clients. This study aimed to demonstrate (a) prevalence and severity of risk behaviors measured by the START, (b) psychometric properties of…

Background: The purpose of the present study was to test components of Raine's (2002) biosocial model, specifically the interactive effects of perinatal complications, rejecting parenting, and family adversity on the development of early-onset antisocial behavior (ASB). Boys' internalizing problems were also tested to investigate the specificity…

The purpose of this study is to investigate the content-specificity of communication skills. It investigates the reliability and dimensionality of standardized patient (SP) ratings of communication skills in an Objective Structured Clinical Examination(OSCE) for final year medical students. An OSCE consisting of seven standardized patient(SP)…

Computer-based testing (CBT) is typically implemented using one of three general test delivery models: (1) multiple fixed testing (MFT); (2) computer-adaptive testing (CAT); or (3) multistage testing (MSTs). This article reviews some of the real cost drivers associated with CBT implementation--focusing on item production costs, the costs…

In this study, the Resilience Scale for Adolescents (READ) was developed with confirmatory factor analysis and cross-validated factor model. The results show that the READ has sound psychometric qualities and that it measures all the central aspects of the psychological construct of resiliency. (Contains 4 tables.)

The Community College Student Experiences Questionnaire (CCSEQ) is designed to determine how community college students spend their time and the quality of effort that they put into the learning process. This updated manual describes elements of the CCSEQ and presents findings from 56 community colleges that have administered the questionnaire as…

Issues in collecting data on the classroom performance of teachers are discussed, with a focus on written descriptions of teacher behavior in contrast with videotaped observations. The central issue in this comparison is the comparability of the information when it is observed live and when it is simply recorded on videotape. The fundamental…

This pair of studies investigated the psychometric adequacy of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children - Revised (WISC-R) with a population of 8,396 potentially gifted elementary children of diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds as well as diverse emotional and social environments. Study I showed subjects' profiles differed strikingly from…

This primer is an introduction to item response theory (also called item characteristic curve theory, or latent trait theory) as it is used most commonly--for scoring multiple choice achievement or aptitude tests. Written for the testing practitioner with minimum training in statistics and psychometrics, it presents and illustrates the basic…

The objective of this study was to examine the attitudes of elementary school children toward school and subject matters as they related to such factors as sex and grade level. A two-instrument battery, the Affective Reporting System, was administered to 2,846 elementary school children. Results indicated a general decline in attitude toward…

The ninth report of the Michigan Educational Assessment Program contains the technical information needed to evaluate the instruments and techniques used to measure and report the status of student achievement and attitude. This report is intended for people with expertise in psychometrics. The Program is described in the first section of the…

Purpose, progress, and in most cases, major findings are presented for research conducted at Educational Testing Service, Princeton, N.J. during 1972-73. Under the rubric, Psychological Research, summaries are provided for work dealing with human development, learning and cognition, personality, and social behavior. For the category, Educational…

The psychological-educational test program that is used at Harcum Junior College in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania is discussed. The program assists students individually and in groups to assume responsibility for making their own educational and vocational career decisions. Student and class profiles from 1962 to 1970 which include I.Q. average, verbal…