The validity of criterion-referenced interpretations of the proficiency scales of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is discussed. A major goal of the NAEP scales is to describe student achievement in specific content areas from grade 3 (age 9 years) through grade 11 (age 17 years). The numerical values for NAEP scales are…

In forecasting its fall credit headcounts, the Office of Institutional Research and Analysis at Prince George's Community College (PGCC) utilizes the Component Yield Method (CYM), an enrollment projection model developed by the college's planning analyst in the early 1980's. By disaggregating enrolled students into multiple groups, each with an…

The National Teacher Examination (NTE) was given to a sample of 64 new trades and industrial (T&I) teachers attending 6-week workshops in Maryland during three summers. Each summer 18 to 25 teachers took the three tests in the Core Battery of the NTE, as well as a selection of other tests. The project sought to determine the pass-fail ratio of…

Regression-based adjustment of student outcomes for the assessment of the merit of schools is considered. First, the basics of causal modeling and multiple regression are briefly reviewed. Then, two common regression-based adjustment procedures are described, pointing out that the validity of the final assessments depends on: (1) the degree to…

This study describes the University of Connecticut's Program for Learning Disabled College Students psychoeducational evaluation process with its components for analysis of aptitude, information processing, and academic skill levels. The resulting report is used to assist students in planning a course of study and delineating support services…

Three research studies conducted at Thai universities involving language testing and courses in General English and English for Academic Purposes (EAP) are discussed. The first study examined the predictive validity of different types of language tests on academic achievement in General English and EAP courses. It found that the test format, as…

Evidence of the validity of the National Teacher Examinations' (NTEs') Early Childhood Education Test (ECET) as it is used in the New York City School System is presented. The NTE Core Battery and Specialty Area Tests are used as part of the alternative process for teacher licensure in New York City. The ECET measures knowledge and skills required…

This guide presents ratings of assessment instruments for use by speech-language pathologists with preschool students. Tests are reviewed in alphabetical order on forms filled out by practicing speech-language pathologists, including data on speech components covered by each test, age range, factors of norms where norms are used, reliability,…

Legal issues at the state and constitutional levels and associated misconceptions related to written preemployment integrity tests are addressed. Common misconceptions include the beliefs that: (1) such tests fall within the purview of state antipolygraph statutes; (2) unfair discrimination doctrines are violated by integrity testing; and (3)…

The development of the Depression Proneness Rating Scale (DPRS) and three investigations into its reliability, validity, and factor structure are described. Subjects of all three studies were university undergraduates. The first study (n=100) found a stability coefficient of 0.82 for the DPRS over a test-retest (Time 1-Time 2) interval of 9 weeks.…

This consumer's guide provides descriptive information about currently available surveys of student alcohol and other drug (AOD) use. Its purposes are to inform schools and communities about the instruments available to survey student AOD use, and to delineate the issues faced by educators while selecting or developing a survey instrument to…

From the fall of 1981 through June 1984, more than 850 disabled examinees took special administration of the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE). Grade point averages were obtained on 278 disabled students; 236 had enough complete data to be included in the study. Disabled students earned lower mean GRE scores than their nonhandicapped counterparts…

Data from the Stanford Test of Academic Skills Level I, administered to 10,910 tenth graders in Hawaii in Fall, 1985, are analyzed. The purposes of this report are to provide information on the effectiveness of the mathematics program in the high school, including the identification of deficiency areas and recommendations for improving…

The first purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between changes made during the development of written instruction and the effectiveness of the materials when presented to students. For this purpose, the Written Instruction Stylistic Evaluation was used to assess the comprehensibility of passages before administration of the…

To test the validity of the Watson-Barker Listening Test (WBLT), a study was conducted based on the hypothesis that there is a curvilinear relationship between receiver apprehension and listening ability. Subjects, 120 undergraduate speech students, completed the Receiver Apprehension Test (RAT) and the WBLT. Analysis of the data revealed a…