This paper reports on the development of the Youth Bends Easily Instrument designed to assess children's attitudes toward human differences. The instrument was commissioned by the Madison Public Schools (Wisconsin) to evaluate the Individual Differences program designed to help primary grade children deal with racial, physical, and social…

Research was conducted to develop the Police Career Index (PCI) and the regional assessment center exercises to provide a total personnel evaluation system to help police departments screen applicants, evaluate on-the-job performance of officers eligible for promotion, and gauge a person's suitability for police work. The PCI is based on actual…

This report examines how selection fairness is influenced by the item characteristics of a selection instrument in terms of its distribution of item difficulties, level of item discrimination, and degree of item bias. Computer simulation was used in the administration of conventional ability tests to a hypothetical target population consisting of…

In response to increasing evidence of score declines with no apparent agreement as to meaning or causes, the National Institute of Education (NIE) sponsored a Conference on Declining Test Scores in June of 1975. The objectives of the conference were to (1) clarify the evidence and estimate the extent of test score declines; (2) review evidence for…

In early 1966, the military services were directed to explore the feasibility of creating an aptitude test battery which would stimulate interest in military service, provide counselor and student information on vocational aptitudes, provide the services with information on enlistment prospects, establish mental qualifications for enlistment and…

In order to develop tools for use in the selection and vocational-educational guidance of U.S. Naval Academy midshipmen, three empirically-based scales, designed using the Strong Vocational Interest Blank (SVIB), were developed to predict three criteria: (1) disenrollment for academic reasons, (2) disenrollment for motivational reasons, and (3)…

A battery of tests dealing with attitudinal, reasoning and job-orientation skills were predictively validated against trainee performance criterion information obtained at completion of the Opportunities Industrialization Center (OIC) manpower training program and at approximately six to eight months following training. Validity coefficients based…

The goal of the project was to validate, refine, and develop plans for implementation of a performance-based challenge test in the cognitive and psychomotor aspects of basic clothing construction skills that could be utilized for grades 7-14. An advisory board and a jury panel representing the three instructional levels provided assistance in…

Appraises the Kaufman Test of Educational Achievement, an individually administered test of reading, spelling, and mathematics for children in grades 1 through 12. Considers the test well-conceived and carefully constructed, though not sufficiently tested for validity in the field. (SRT)

Sketches some of the dilemmas in language assessment and presents exemplary practical approaches to assessment in the language arts areas of listening, oral language, reading, and writing. (SD)

Reports progress on developing a self-concept scale for preschool children. Discusses promising psychometric properties for the Piers Preschool Pictorial Self-Concept Scale. Directions for future research include: (1) item comparisons and scale validity studies using related instruments, (2) comparisons for subjects from diverse ethnic…

Examines 218 black migrant farm workers to determine applicability of Index of General Well-Being, compare level of mental health with that of the general population, and assess and identify variations in subjective well-being. Finds lifestyle, social support, housing conditions, age, sex, and education influence subjective well-being. Discusses…

Describes a study whose aim was to improve the quality of the structured oral interviews used in Denmark to test the English proficiency of high school students after five years of instruction. The study focused on construct validity and interscorer reliability. (SED)

Examines the performance of ethnic minority students on Rubin's CCAI, with a view toward discovering potential cultural biases embedded in the instrument. Concludes that such biases appear to exist. (MS)

Argues that the Florida Teacher Certification Examination is culturally, linguistically, and philosophically biased against minorities. Suggested alternatives to testing are implementation of knowledge about effective schools, teacher workshops on effective techniques and attitudes for teaching nonachievers, and improved early education. (CMG)