The one-parameter psychometric model known as the Rasch model is described and examined. The basic principles underlying the model and the concepts of unidimensionality, local stochastic independence, and additivity are explained in non-mathematical terms. The requirements of measurement procedures, the measurement of latent traits, the control on…

Over a 2-year period, stability of performance on the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children of 25 nonhandicapped preschool children was examined. Overall, results indicated a high level of stability for both global scale scores and subtest scores. Less stability was indicated for performance patterns and subtest strengths and weaknesses. (PCB)

The Kaufman-Assessment Battery for Children (K-ABC), a new individually administered intelligence and achievement instrument, includes several subtests on which the examiner may teach the task to the subject. The purpose of this study was to determine if teaching or training could influence the test outcome and thus, lower the reliability of the…

Because touching is an important and often studied construct, and there is need for a valid self-report measure of touching behavior, a measure of touching behaviors was developed. Touching behaviors to be reported were: brief touch on the arm or shoulder, handshake, hug, hand holding, kiss on the cheek, and kiss on the lips. Persons identified as…

The primary purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between scores on the multiple-choice General Educational Development (GED) Writing Skills test and scores on holistically graded essays. Secondary purposes included the following: (1) examining the relationship of essay scores to scores on the multiple-choice GED Reading Skills…

Barbara Jordan served as the hearing officer for three-day adversary evaluation hearings about the pros and cons of minimum competency testing (MCT). This report is the complete transcript of the second day of proceedings. The pro team, lead by James Popham, began by presenting representatives of four states (Florida, California, Texas, and…

Because of reliability and validity problems in teacher- and parent-rated early childhood questionnaires, the Preschool Temperament Inventory (PTI) was developed to help teachers assess and appreciate individual differences of children prior to first grade. The PTI uses teacher ratings on eight temperament categories, including activity level,…

A series of research studies on the consistency of reading specialists' diagnoses of students with reading problems have indicated that clinical agreement has been astonishingly low. To investigate which factors seem to lead to consistency in clinical diagnosis, a study was conducted based on a theory of clinical problem solving called inquiry…

One of the major factors for the lack of quality listening research is a lack of knowledge about the process itself. The second major factor is the lack of a reliable and valid listening test. From a review of 107 articles on listening, 38 reports of listening research, and from studies of seven examiner-developed and three commercially-developed…

The study, involving 379 students (6-20 years old), investigated the 3-year performance stability of handicapped children from four racial groups (Anglo, Black, Mexican American, and Native American). Data were collected from the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children--Revised (WISC-R) and the Wide Range Achievement Test (WRAT). Results…

A standard method for exploring item bias is the intergroup comparison of item difficulties. This paper describes a refinement and generalization of this technique. In contrast to prior approaches, the proposed method deletes outlying items from the formulation of a criterion for identifying items as deviant. It also extends the mathematical…

Behavioral observation has become increasingly important in research in developmental and clinical psychology, as well as in program evaluation and instructional research. Several statistical approaches to assessing the dependability of behavioral observation were reviewed. The demand for accurate and efficient paradigms for behavioral observation…

An explicit model identifying 10 relevant components of achievement gain scores has been developed. Based on that model, all students under consideration are stratified according to individual observed pretest score, and achievement gains are measured relative to the average and range of gains among students in the same prescore stratum. The…

A Spanish translation of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC) was tested for reliability among kindergarten to ninth grade Puerto Rican children. The study was prompted by the concern expressed in previous studies that translated and adapted intelligence tests, which have been standardized primarily with children of one culture, do…

A 20-year study to monitor moral developmental stages is summarized with a focus on the invariant sequence and internal consistency of each stage. It is theorized that an individual passes through several stages in attaining moral judgment. As children grow older, they are able to integrate diverse points of view on a moral conflict. Each stage…