The research of the Biology component of the Teacher Assessment Project (BioTAP) of Stanford (California) University is described. BioTAP uses portfolio development as an important aspect of teacher assessment. Advantages and drawbacks of teacher portfolios are discussed, including issues of validity and reliability. (SLD)

The development and preliminary testing of a six-item scale to assess risk taking among young adolescents are described. Test construction was based on information provided by eighth graders. The measure, used in a longitudinal study of 758 eighth through tenth graders from 3 rural counties in Maryland, showed good reliability. (SLD)

Issues concerning the selection of judges for standard setting are discussed. Determining the consistency of judges' recommendations, or their congruity with other expert recommendations, would help in selection. Enough judges must be chosen to allow estimation of recommendations by an entire population of judges. (SLD)

Training judges to generate item ratings in standard setting once the reference group has been defined is discussed. It is proposed that sensitivity to the factors that determine difficulty can be improved through training. Three criteria for determining when training is sufficient are offered. (SLD)

This paper discusses standard error of measurement (SEM), the amount of variation or spread in the measurement errors for a test, and gives information needed to interpret test scores using SEMs. SEMs at various score levels should be used in calculating score bands rather than a single SEM value. (SLD)

Results of 6 experiments with 109 Australian preschool children favor training in phoneme identity over segmentation as a component of initial reading instruction because it is easier to implement and its relation to alphabetic insight is stronger. Implications for the initial reading curriculum are discussed. (SLD)

A set of instruments designed to measure generalizable interpersonal relations skills was validated with students in Illinois area vocational centers. The instruments developed possess a relatively high degree of content and face validity and moderate to high internal consistency and test-retest reliability. (JOW)

The reliability and accuracy of evaluations of 126 surgical faculty made by 47 general surgery residents over 2 years were examined. The general accuracy and reliability over both years indicate that anonymous ratings of surgical faculty by groups of residents can be a valuable evaluation method. (SLD)

A study investigating variables in Canadian Chief Executive Officers' use of information sources to scan external business environments is reported. Findings show that frequency of source use correlates to perceived uncertainty and that source quality is more important than source accessibility--a finding that contradicts past user studies. (28…

The applicability of the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS), developed in the United States, to another culture was assessed by investigating reliability and validity of the SWLS with 99 boys and 118 girls from Portugal. The cross-national validity of the scale and its utility with different age groups are supported. (SLD)

Changes in information retention resulting from changes in reliability and number of intervals in scale construction were studied to provide quantitative information to help in decisions about choosing intervals. Information retention reached a maximum when the number of intervals was about 8 or more and reliability was near 1.0. (SLD)

The Matrix Analogies Test measures nonverbal ability of handicapped and nonhandicapped children, ages 5-17, in a culture-fair fashion. It assesses pattern completion, reasoning by analogy, serial reasoning, and spatial visualization, with a short form available as a screening instrument. This paper describes the test's administration, format,…

The Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence-Revised, intended for children ages 3-7, is used to diagnosis exceptional intellectual ability in school settings. Its 12 subtests measure both Performance Intelligence Quotient and Verbal Intelligence Quotient. This paper describes the test's administration, summation of data,…

In longitudinal study, California Child Q-Set descriptions of children aged 7-12 were given by teachers, mothers, peers, and child. Consistency of descriptions was expected to have causal relationship with two aspects of competence. Small reciprocal relationship between consistency of self- and child-descriptions and school achievement was found;…

Medical school admission interview ratings for four entering classes (n=356 students) were compared with preadmission academic variables (admission test scores, undergraduate grades), student characteristics (age, gender, residence), and interviewer characteristics (gender, professional background, admission committee membership). Recommendations…