An achievement test for the secondary school vocational electricity programs in South Carolina was constructed by a research coordinating unit (RCU) project. A trade and industrial supervisor and consultant, three electricity instructors, and four industry representatives comprised an advisory committee that participated in its development. Three…

Texts on measurement theory report many studies on the consistency of intelligence test scores, but the stability of academic achievement over the school years has never been adequately studied. To investigate the stability of achievement test scores from fourth grade to college, a random sample of 100 students was selected from a 1978 graduating…

The occurrence of discrepant, or non-contiguous, scores during holistic scoring of writing proficiency is usually blamed on variables of the test reader or external factors. It is hypothesized that characteristics of the essays themselves sometimes may generate discrepancies in essay scoring. Data from 152 essays of college sophomores in teacher…

This study examines differences and similarities in the information provided by direct and indirect measures of writing from the Collegiate Assessment of Academic Proficiency (CAAP). The indirect measure was a 72-item multiple-choice test, while the direct measure involved responding to two essay prompts. The 40-minute multiple-choice test can be…

A model and method for developing a valid and reliable paper-and-pencil test for evaluating the technical knowledge of baseball coaches in the National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) in Canada are discussed. Development of a general theoretical and operational model for the evaluation of NCCP coaches in all sports are also studied. The…

A pilot project determined whether a proposed essay addition to the new General Educational Development (GED) test batteries, scheduled for release in 1988, could be successfully administered and scored in local test centers with an acceptable degree of test reliability and validity. Conducted in cooperation with the GED Testing Service, the…

A study was conducted at Stark Technical College to compare a normative-referenced test for mathematics placement with a criterion-referenced test that had been used by the college. The study sought to compare statistically the scores of 165 students on the Mathematics Inventory Test (MIT--a criterion-referenced test that had been developed…

This report is intended to assist those agencies considering using California's Corrections Officer Examination as a tool for selecting personnel. It is intended to provide agencies with guidance in setting test cutoff scores rather than an exhaustive discussion of all of the factors that must be considered before setting cutoff scores for actual…

The question of whether weighting (rank-ordering) of student teacher evaluation criteria, as determined by student and supervising teachers, university supervisors, and employing officials, results in better differentiation between and among student teachers is explored in this paper. Participants in the study were asked to rank order 15…

An overview of listening tests and a description of the Watson-Barker Listening Test are presented in this paper. Topics covered include the readability and validity of listening tests; listening test administration; listening test criteria; creation of the Watson-Barker Listening Test; development, validation, and proper administration of this…

A review of studies on effective principals reveals that a number of methodological problems have prevented the accumulation of findings adequate to producing well developed models of instructional leadership and its effects on school outcomes. Problems of measurement and research design in the existing literature are reviewed and suggestions for…

A study examined the nature of the questions contained in two major standardized reading comprehension tests in terms of their centrality to the text. It was hypothesized that the use of a discrimination index for item selection would tend to favor relatively trivial questions. Half the reading selections from the Stanford Diagnostic Reading Test…

This booklet is intended to help school personnel, parents, students, and members of the community understand concepts and research relating to achievement testing in public schools. The paper's sections include: (1) test use with direct effects on students (test of certification, selection, and placement); (2) test use with indirect effects on…

The present study: (1) describes the development and make-up of a comprehensive semantic differential measure of school related attitudes for young children; (2) presents evidence for the reliability and the discriminant and convergent validities of the measure; and (3) discusses issues pertaining to the measurement of school-related attitudes in…

A study was conducted to test the reliability and validity of the Intimate Coding System (INCS)--an instrument designed to code verbal conversation in intimate relationships. Subjects, 34 married couples, completed Spanier's Dyadic Adjustment Scale, which elicited information about relational adjustment and satisfaction in intimate couples in…