Asserts that currently accepted teacher competency tests are not valid and reliable measures of those qualities essential to effective teaching. Presents criteria that should be met by a valid assessment approach and, beyond competency assessment, stresses the need to improve the environment in which teachers function and students attempt to…

The use of standardized achievement tests as the primary criterion measures in the evaluation of basic skills programs has been criticized. In a comparative study of three types of tests, this article examines the major issue behind this criticism. (Author/JAZ)

Examines the reliability and construct validity of the Early Childhood Classroom Observation, a rating scale used to measure the quality of young children's experiences in programs seeking accreditation by the National Academy of Early Childhood Programs, a division of the National Association for Education of Young Children. (HOD)

Normative data from 1300 (K-6) students and satisfactory psychometric data indicated a revised version (Classroom Adaptive Behavior Checklist) of the AAMD (American Association of Mental Deficiency) Adaptive Behavior Scale was valid in terms of test reliability, concurrent validity with another instrument, and discriminant validity between normal…

A comparison of college faculty self-evaluation and evaluation by students at the University of Queensland, and the effect of student evaluations on instruction, found wide discrepancies between student and teacher perceptions of instruction for both highly and poorly rated teachers, but general positive faculty attitudes about evaluation and…

The study investigated whether ethnicity and gender influenced anxiety scores at different developmental levels (grades one through three). Internal evidence of test bias was examined by computing internal reliability coefficients for the anxiety measures. The two anxiety scales were found to have adequate reliability coefficients for all groups…

Reviews the 3-R's Test that measures achievement in three academic content areas: reading, language, and mathematics. Cautions that it lacks data supporting its validity and scaling. (HOD)

This study validated computerized versions of selected tests from the Kit of Factor-Referenced Cognitive Tests of 1976, compared performance of higher education students on computerized and paper-and-pencil versions of the tests, and explored whether gender, academic status, or age interacted with the tests. (MBR)

The quality of reading comprehension and mathematics instruction was explored in five urban middle schools using the Instructional Quality Assessment (IQA) toolkit (N = 34 teachers). The IQA is comprised of protocols for rating observed instruction and the quality of teachers' assignments with student work. The purpose of this research was to…

The present American higher education setting includes the use of Student Evaluations of Instruction (SEIs). This practice has a history that spans a number of decades and is now firmly established as part of the American system of higher education. However, there is a continuing dispute over the use of the information gathered from SEIs, the…

As part of an effort to monitor the transformation of classrooms within Limpopo Province, South Africa, an instrument was developed to assess students perceptions of their learning environments. The developed questionnaire, the Outcomes-Based Learning Environment Questionnaire (OBLEQ), was designed to measure the impact of the Curriculum 2005…

Reliability methodology needs to evolve as validity has done into an argument supported by theory and empirical evidence. Nowhere is the inadequacy of current methods more visible than in classroom assessment. Reliability arguments would also permit additional methodologies for evidencing reliability in classrooms. It would liberalize methodology…

The Neglect Scale was designed as a measure of neglect of children's basic needs by caretakers. It measures neglect of physical, emotional, supervisory, and cognitive needs. The version of the Neglect Scale described in this report can be used in interview or questionnaire format with adolescents to describe their current situations or with adults…

Portfolio assessment is an alternative form of assessment that is particularly attractive to adult, career, and vocational educators because it includes the assessment of active learning and performance rather than the mere recall of memorized facts. Portfolio assessment serves the interests of business and industry by forging a connection between…

A group of seven Japanese-language Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) testers licensed by the American Council on the Teaching of foreign Languages (ACTFL) conducted research related to ACTFL-OPI criteria. They first examined 24 audiotaped interview tests to see what kind of consistency there would be when individual testers applied general criteria…