Assessment programs like the American College Test (ACT) and the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) continue to play an important role in the admission decisions of many colleges. In many cases, they also serve a meaningful counseling and guidance function for high schools and colleges. The data reported in this paper suggest that the two programs can…

The validities of the Pennsylvania Educational Quality Assessment (EQA) Preparing for a Changing World Instruments at grades 5, 8, and 11 were investigated. The study was carried out in a suburban school district where many students had experienced a great deal of change in their lives. At each grade level approximately 60 students who had…

Two types of sensitivity indices were developed in this paper, one internal to the total test and the second external. To evaluate the success of these statistics the three criteria suggested for a satisfactory index of item quality were considered. The Internal Sensitivity Index appears to meet these demands. Certainly it is easily computed. In…

Research which resulted in the development of the United States Employment Service Specific Aptitude Test Battery for use in selecting inexperienced and untrained individuals for training as nurse aids is described. Occupational norms were established in terms of each significant aptitude measure which when combined, predict job performance.…

This study empirically investigated the validity and utility of the stratified adaptive computerized testing model (stradaptive]developed by Weiss (1973). The model presents a tailored testing strategy based on Binet IQ measurement theory and Lord's (1972) modern test theory. Nationally normed School and College Ability Test Verbal analogy items…

The College of Arts and Sciences Senior Survey asked students to nominate their most and least valuable courses during their undergraduate careers. The end-of-course student ratings were compared between 40 courses rated as valuable and 16 courses rated as nonvaluable. All differences were statistically significant, with valuable courses getting…

Validity and reliability studies of the Bullen Reading Attitude Measure (BRAM) were conducted on 291 white children in twelve classes in two schools, grades one through six, in Fall River, Massachusetts. The instrument's validity was obtained by measuring the correspondence between respondents' answers given on the attitude subtests and their…

Faced with a frustrating lack of ability to solve the problem of providing educational opportunities for inner city children, many have turned, in frustration and despair, to the creation of myths about the whole enterprise, including achievement testing. Three myths about educational achievement testing and inner city children that are addressed…

The GED occupies a well earned position of strength as an accepted and reliable program of 30 years standing. Nearly 2.2 million civilians have passed the GED and 300,000 people in the United States are earning their high school diplomas each year by passing the GED at State-set levels. Although there will be new national norming and new forms of…

This study describes and tests the aptitude treatment interaction (ATI) approach to reading. The rationale which forms the basis of ATI--pairing student to method--evolved from the works of Piaget and other psychologists whose studies focus on the general, and cognitive, development of children. From these studies, it was determined that…

This paper argues that the problems of minority and disadvantaged students at traditional colleges and universities are different from those students attending junior or community colleges. The goals and guidelines set up by the E.O.F. (Educational Opportunity Fund) Community Advisory Board at Rutgers University in Newark are delineated and…

The discrepancy approach, with a nonmonotonic function, was used in a questionnaire designed to measure the difference between reality as perceived and desires. Reality is described as a student's perception of teacher performance and notion of an ideal teacher performance. The questionnaire deals with both the intensity and direction of a…

This address presents a discussion of the rationale, procedures, reliability, and validity of the "Social and Nonsocial Executive Skills Profile." The skills profile was developed to identify and measure aspects of the preschool child's classroom behavior that are highly related to social and nonsocial competence. Executive competence is defined…

In this paper, several models for the psychometric nature of criterion-referenced tests are presented and results derived with implications for test construction, reliability and validity measures, and educational decision making. Both dichotomous and continuous underlying abilities to perform are considered. Illustrative data fitting both cases…

The construct of motivation toward school is vaguely defined. The Junior Index of Motivation (JIM Scale) is one of few instruments claiming validity in measuring motivation toward school among junior and semior high students. This study discusses the shortcomings of the JIM scale, and compares item and total score characteristics and correlates…