This report discusses the outcomes of a study designed to assess two measures of family functioning for families with children with disabilities: the Family Support Scale (FSS) and the Family Resource Scale (FRS). The FSS is an 18-item questionnaire that measures the amount of perceived support given to the parents of young children with…

This manual documents the technical aspects of the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS). In May 1999, Massachusetts public school students in grades 4, 8, and 10 participated in the second annual administration of the MCAS tests in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science & Technology. This report provides information…

This report presents findings of a review of the current research on the effectiveness of distance education in higher education. Major findings indicate, first, there is a paucity of truly original research dedicated to explaining or predicting phenomena related to distance learning; and, second, although most studies indicate that distance…

The purposes of this study were to describe the validation of a new instrument, the Teacher Communication Behaviour Questionnaire (TCBQ) and to show its use in assessing students' perceptions of their interactions with their teachers by focusing on their teachers' communicating behaviors. Participants were 1,202 students in grades 7 through 9 from…

Teachers and principals need to understand and be able to talk intelligently about statistics. They need to be able to clarify concepts and generalizations used in tests that measure student progress. Among the terms educators need to be able to explain are "mean,""average,""median,""validity,""reliability,""pilot studies," and "item analysis."…

Previous research on differences in the reliability, validity, and difficulty of essay tests given under different timing conditions has indicated that giving examinees more time to complete an essay may raise their scores to a certain extent, but does not change the meaning of those scores, or the rank ordering of students. There is no evidence…

Scores from elementary school children and adult basic education students on the Adult Informal Reading Test were used to form distribution profiles for a number of tested variables. The profile notion was concluded to be a useful means for displaying the performance trends of published informal reading inventories. (FL)

Experience and research on the appropriateness and reliability of various criteria used in oral language tests are discussed. It is concluded that global marking schemes, which are less detailed, may enable the scorer to better evaluate communicative effectiveness, which includes both linguistic and paralinguistic factors. (MSE)

Consistency of teacher behavior across time was measured by selected instruments for 34 female teachers of grades one-six who were graduates of the same institution. Indicated teachers who were followed for four years were rated consistently by principals, students, and independent observers. (MH)

Discusses changes in testing as a result of the availability of extensive inexpensive computing and some recent developments in statistical test theory. Describes the role of the Computerized Adaptive Test (CAT) and modern Item Response Theory (IRT) in ability testing tailored to each student's knowledge and ability. (JAC)

Explores the role of diagnostic practices in school psychology. Basic principles related to diagnostic typology and concepts of reliability and validity are reviewed in the context of recent diagnostic decision-making research. The intrusion and eventual reduction of particular errors of consistency and inconsistency in psychodiagnosis are…

The aims of the present study were methodological and substantive; validity and reliability of the Optimism-Pessimism Test Instrument (OPTI) were tested. Moderate, but significant, correlations were found between OPTI and attitude toward school, self-concept, delay of gratification, and locus of control. (GK)

Relationships between mothers' ratings and teacher nominations for aggressive and withdrawn behavior were examined in a sample of 40 Cuban American male secondary school students. Results were consistent with the extensive concurrent and construct validity of the Behavior Problem Checklist. (CM)

Developed an instrument to measure the well-being of the aged. The Philadelphia Geriatric Center Multilevel Assessment Instrument (MAI) assesses behavioral competence in health, daily activities, cognition, time use, and social interaction. Performance of 590 older people determined the MAI is useful for research and assessment in service-giving…

Over 2,000 writing samples were collected from four undergraduate institutions and compared, where possible, with scores on a multiple-choice test. High correlations between ratings of the writing samples and multiple-choice test scores were obtained. Samples contributed substantially to the prediction of both college grades and writing…