The growth in the minimum competency testing movement stems not only from a concern with what students are getting from their schooling, but also from a desire to make sure that the public gets a return on its investment in education. (Author/RLV)

The relative importance of different cognitive subprocesses in Bender performance was studied with Black middle-class first graders. Results suggest that the Bender owes much of its clinical validity to loadings across all stages of human information processing. Kagan's hypothesis on conceptual tempo in Bender performance is also analyzed. (SJL)

The predictive validity of WISC-R factor scores was examined with samples from the four sociocultural groups of Anglo, Black, Chicano, and native American Papago. The full scale IQ and verbal comprehension (VC) factor scores were significantly better predictors of achievement as measured by teacher ratings and the Metropolitan Achievement Test.…

Sixteen-year-old EMR children were administered the WAIS and WISC-R in counterbalanced order to determine the comparability of the two assessment instruments. The WAIS was found to yield significantly higher scores. Results suggest differences between the two instruments among children of subnormal intelligence. (Author)

Compares the nonverbal intellectual performance as measured by the Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices of Chicano and Anglo third-grade boys. When language status and cultural content of the testing instrument are controlled, mean group differences become negligible. This is a sound intelligence measure for use with Chicano children. (Author)

Evaluates the research of Harste and Strickler (AA 525 393) and its rationales. (Author/RK)

An examination of the test-retest reliability and construct validity of selected types of self-concept measures (nonverbal, verbal, pictorial, and observer-ratings) among a multiethnic population. Five self-concept measures were administered to 218 seventh and eighth-grade pupils from inner-city public schools. (Author)

An increasing number of occupational and educational planning aids are relying on self-estimates of aptitudes rather than objective measures of abilities. A preliminary examination of the accuracy of self-estimated aptitudes with high school seniors (N=74) suggests unsubstantiated self-estimates may lead to decisions based on unrealistic…

Portfolios, demonstrations, exhibitions, displays, and video attestations all challenge traditional test theory, which is focused on individuals in isolation. However, teachers are expected to work collaboratively and resolve problems within a social context. Instead of limiting collaboration when evaluating a teacher's site-based portfolio,…

Greek parents (N=320) were given the Child Abuse Potential (CAP) Inventory and results were compared with American scores. Internal consistency reliability was high for four scales (abuse, distress, rigidity, and inconsistency). The Greek and American versions had similar factorial structures. Comparison found that Greek scores were significantly…

A study with 804 undergraduates finds that Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 protocols that contain random responding with an onset after item 370 can be distinguished from protocols with an earlier onset of random responding. Results suggest that protocols with late random responding may be interpretable in terms of basic clinical and…

A series of studies by the Technical Review Panel (TRP) of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) to improve the quality and utility of the NAEP is introduced, with a description of the NAEP, the creation of the TRP, the education policy issues that influenced the selection of research topics, and the relationship among the…

Reviews problems with the current movement to use national standards and performance assessment to reform education and the impact of the standards on students with disabilities. The characteristics of standards, as they are currently being employed, are discussed, along with issues related to measurement, reliability, and validity. (Author/CR)

Reviews recent advances in early childhood assessment and evaluation. Discusses several well-known assessment devices for screening and intelligence testing and provides information regarding their use, reliability, and validity. Tests discussed include the Developmental Indicators for the Assessment of Learning-Revised, Early Screening Profiles,…

The applicability of a Chinese translation of the Students' Evaluation of Educational Quality (SEEQ) (H. W. Marsh, 1982 and later) and the generality of findings based on North American research were studied with 844 students at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Results support the use of the SEEQ in this Chinese setting. (SLD)