This report describes a procedure that promises to improve the stability, accuracy, and efficiency of the employment of latent trait models and an application of the procedure to the Rasch model. Data were collected from the Portland Public Schools Level Tests administered to 25,740 students. Since each of the 173 items (chosen from the total…

A study was commissioned to develop and validate a test to assess the attitudes of Alberta students towards the world of work. A revised instrument was created that used 75 items grouped into 15 scales, of five items each, measuring perceptions about available opportunities. During the validation field trial the instrument was administered to 467…

Article presented three broad approaches to the problem of declining scores on Scholastic Aptitude Tests after analyzing the probable causes for the turn away from student literacy. (Author/RK)

The Gross Self-Insight Scale was administered to an encounter group and a control group before and after the group experience. The scale was found to have very high reliabiltiy and moderately high validity. Observation of the encounter group members' behavior supported the change in the scale scores of group members. (SE)

Raters viewed a videotape of an interview with a patient after having read one of three types of pretherapy information about the patient. Raters then completed scales regarding patient's level of adjustment, psychic distress, amount of change, and success of therapy. Only ratings of pretherapy to posttherapy patient change varied. (Author)

A study to evaluate seven commonly employed reading comprehension testing techniques in terms of predictive validity, difficulty and discriminability is described. (Author/RM)

Contests the value of daily performance grades as a replacement for formal testing. Course modification and testing change are seen as more effective, and it is noted that recitation grades or punitive grading for absence are often overly harsh and unjust. (CHK)

A language comprehension test using electronically distorted sentences was developed at Bar Ilan University in Israel as an attempt to measure communicative competence. Reliability coefficients, student reactions, and a sample dialogue are provided. (MSE)

This annotated bibliography of materials in the ERIC database contains 30 annotations (dating from 1974 to 1989) on informal reading inventories (IRIs). The citations were selected to help professionals understand the history of, the uses of, and the issues surrounding IRIs. The major sections of the bibliography are: Overview, General Uses,…

Two issues in the writing of multiple-choice test items were investigated: a comparison of three versus four options; and the use of the inclusive "none of these" option versus a content option. Subjects were 220 introductory psychology students, who were enrolled at a large southwestern university, responding to a final examination in psychology…

A description is presented of the development of an attitude survey, the Mississippi Student Teacher Attitude Inventory, which was designed to establish a reliable instrument for obtaining feedback concerning student teaching. A synthesis of studies from related literature indicate that there are numerous ways to approach the assessment of student…