The growing concern for eliminating duplication and overlap within and between organizations in a school system has led to neglect of the varied forms of redundancy and a disregard for the benefits that accompany it. A particular benefit is increased reliability of the system. Four forms of redundancy are described. (KS)

Tested hypothesis that use of different languages in telephone survey could adversely affect cross-cultural comparability of standardized research measures. Of 2,299 persons surveyed in 1988 National Survey of Hispanic Elderly People, 86.6% were interviewed in Spanish and 13.4% were interviewed in English. Factor structure associated with positive…

Study used 103 bilingual college freshmen to evaluate psychometric characteristics of the Personality Inventory for Youth (PIY) translated into Spanish. Scales and subscales of the Spanish PIY demonstrated internal consistency and temporal stability comparable to English counterparts, and multivariate analysis did not identify a language effect…

Examined psychometric properties of self-perception scales of the Berkeley Puppet Interview (BPI) with children at preschool, kindergarten, and first grade. Found that young children have a multidimensional self-concept that can be reliably measured. The BPI was sensitive to normative change and individual differences. Support for validity was…

Explored patterns of consistency and change in maternal reminiscing style across conversations with different young children in the same family. Found that mothers evidenced striking stylistic consistency. Mothers' use of a stylistic dimension with one child predicted her use of the same dimension with the other child, above the variance accounted…

Describes the Dyslexia Early Screening Test (DEST) and the Cognitive Profiling System, both normed and designed to be administered to children four years and older. Reliability and validity of the tests are discussed, as well as their use to identify children at risk before they fail. (Author/CR)

Evaluated the reliability of a computerized version of the Healthy Start Knowledge Quiz for preschool children. Students completed the computerized test, and data analysis indicated that it was reliable for assessing general health-related knowledge in preschool children from diverse backgrounds, and it was easy to administer with a flexible…

Studied the internal consistency reliability and construct validity of scores on each of five dimensions of a Japanese version of the Dimensions of Self-Concept Scale. Results for 354 female high school students show that a five-factor oblique model accounts for the greatest proportion of covariance in the matrix of 15 subtests. Contains 20…

This study examined the accuracy of a 13-year-old girl's account of a sexually abusive incident. Information given by the victim was compared with an audiotaped record. Over 50% of information reported by the victim was corroborated by the audio record and 64% was confirmed by more than one source. (Author/CR)

This paper discusses psychometric aspects of the functional analysis model in planned intervention with mainstreamed students having emotional/behavioral disorders. Discussion focuses on reliability and validity of clinical analysis of behavior and functional and structural analysis in the classroom. (DB)

Reviews literature and statistical test data from previously administered student evaluations at Middle Tennessee State University to draw conclusions about evaluation reliability. Five series of tests were performed on the evaluations, comparing measures such as time of class and type of course taught. The most notable finding was that…

Discusses some of the major issues faced in attempting to assess systematically the effectiveness of business-communication courses (by assessing the level of improvement of students' writing competency). Discusses goals of assessment, type of test (standardized versus custom-made), guidelines for scoring, use of results, and reliability and…

This study examined the validity and reliability of four assessments, with three instruments per domain, with 103 students at residential secondary schools for the hearing or visually impaired. Domains included generalizable mathematics, communication, interpersonal relations, and reasoning skills. Data suggest the instruments are highly…

A study examined the reliability and validity of the Quality of Life Instrument Package using data from 500 persons with developmental disabilities in Ontario. Data indicate that most of the instruments found in the package met acceptable psychometric standards. Appropriate uses for the full and short version are discussed. (Author/CR)

Using data from state and academic reports, an independent committee of researchers has evaluated the Massachusetts Teacher Tests. Scores are found to be highly unreliable, and the tests are found to contain questionable content. Suspending use of the tests is recommended. (SLD)