Efforts to study the fidelity of translation of attitudinal scales into foreign languages have faltered due to the lack of powerful statistical tests to assess such transformations. This study uses a maximum likelihood factor analysis procedure to compare multivariate factor structures across subpopulations. The results showed that inconsistent…

Differences between four test-independent components of testwiseness and their relative importance were studied in a quasi-experimental investigation of their effects. The components were: (1) time-using training; (2) error-avoidance training; (3) guessing training; and (4) deductive-reasoning training. Three parallel forms of a 30-item test were…

A study was conducted at Catonsville Community College (CCC) to investigate whether academically poor students register later than academically able students. Students taking required placement tests in April through September 1988 provided the database for the study. Variables included their testing date; scores on English, reading, writing, and…

This book comprises part I of the eighty-seventh annual yearbook of the National Society for the Study of Education. Focusing on the theme of critical issues in curriculum, this volume consists of 12 articles by different authors. The first four articles focus on issues of professionalism: "Curriculum Issues in Historical Perspective" by…

For almost 20 years, student achievement in the United States has been measured by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reported in recent years as "The Nation's Report Card." Based on a sample size of 25,000 students at each of three grade levels, it has provided the only data that reflect in a comprehensive way what…

In 1988, the Tennessee Legislature passed permissive legislation (TCA 49-940) that allows school officials to test suspected students for using drugs. The law provides that testing is optional, with each local education agency deciding whether or not to adopt the policy. Twelve school systems chose to adopt the legislation as board policy. This…

A method is proposed to equate different sets of items administered to different groups of individuals using the Rasch model. A Rasch equating model was formulated to describe one common Rasch scale in different groups with different but overlapping sets of items. The item parameters can then be estimated simultaneously, avoiding different…

In an effort to improve the reliability of the Noncognitive Questionnaire (NCQ), the instrument was revised and the revision's reliability and validity were examined examined with black and white college freshmen. The NCQ measures eight non-traditional or non-cognitive variables that relate to minority student retention. The revised NCQ is…

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) measures variations in normal personality. The validity of the measure has only recently been examined by analyses of the structure underlying MBTI responses; and these investigations have used exploratory factor analyses, rather than confirmatory factor analytic methods. A confirmatory factor analysis was…

This booklet by a committee appointed to assess the teaching implications of the Reading and Writing tests of the New Jersey College Basic Skills Placement Test (NJCBSPT) is intended to provide ways of helping teachers assist students to improve their skills in reading and writing by, in part, pinpointing the major weaknesses of students taking…

The drug-testing plans covering 11 of the 12 civilian federal cabinet-level agencies met the requirements of U.S. Department of Health and Human Services guidelines, and the guidelines themselves were found to contain the elements required by Public Law 100-71. However, the drug-testing plans differ, so employees may find different circumstances…

The issue of drug testing is the focus of this ERIC Digest. Several aspects of drug testing discussed in question-and-answer format: (1) What is the current status of drug use in the schools? (2) What legal questions arise when schools consider drug testing? (3) How might drug testing be applied in a fair, economical, and legally safe manner? (4)…

A study of selected formal examination syllabi used in Great Britain revealed that the examining boards for the Certificate in Secondary Education and the General Certificate of Education have incorporated little material that would give students an understanding of international issues. Syllabi for the International Bacalaureate do contain more…

A response is given to the recommendation of the Georgia Governor's Education Review Commission that the grade point average (GPA) requirements for admission to undergraduate teacher education programs in Georgia be raised from the present 2.5 to 2.7. Brief summaries are presented of five studies dealing with the relationship of GPA for admission…

The necessity of controlling the order in which trained essay raters for a statewide writing assessment program receive student essays was studied. The underlying theoretical question concerns possible rater bias caused by raters reading long strings of essays of homogeneous quality; this problem is usually referred to as context effect or…