This study examined the temporal reliability of four quantitative measurements of linguistic behaviors in 20 preschool children observed in a naturalistic setting. Although inadequate reliability was found for the measure which used total number of words, very high reliability coefficients were obtained for the measures which used number of…

Capability is an expert system designed to support the process of compiling portfolios for competence-based assessment, particularly accreditation of prior leaning. The system was designed to provide cost effective management, consistency of rigor, support for tutors in accreditation workshops, and a structured approach to counseling. Outlines…

This study compared psychometric results on the Fear Survey Schedule for Children-II for 187 children and adolescents with mental retardation and 372 intellectually average students. The schedule demonstrated sound psychometric properties for both samples. Mentally retarded subjects scored significantly higher than the comparison sample, and their…

This study evaluated the internal reliability and face validity of a linguistically modified Self-Description Questionnaire and a sign language video presentation of the questionnaire items with 10 deaf students (ages 8 to 13). Results suggest that the modified measure and video presentation are appropriate for use with deaf students without…

Kindergarten children (n=101) were tested on the Bankson Language Test Second Edition and the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals Revised Screening Test and were given the tests again 7 months later. Results showed that the children scored higher on both tests at the second administration, without intervention from a speech-language…

A brief history of developments in the assessment of the reliability of credentialing examinations is presented, and some new results are outlined that highlight the interactions among scoring, standard setting, and the reliability and validity of pass-fail decisions. Decision consistency is an important concept in evaluating credentialing…

The Short Acculturation Scale for Hispanic Youth (SASH-Y) was used to assess acculturation among 137 fourth- and fifth-grade children in rural southern Colorado, including 11 Mexican, 33 Mexican American, and 93 Euro-American children. The SASH-Y, especially questions related to language use, was found to be robust with a young, rural Latino…

This article discusses the advantages and disadvantages of the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales for measuring adaptive behavior in adults with mental retardation. It concludes that the advantages of the coverage of the main domains of adaptive behavior, their standardization, impressive psychometrics, and brevity are becoming outweighed by…

This longitudinal study examined change in 220 adolescents' daily range of emotional states between early and late adolescence. Findings showed that emotional states became less positive across early adolescence; this downward change in average emotions ceased in grade 10. The greatest relative instability was during early adolescence; stability…

A study comparing peer and teacher evaluations of British university biology students' (n=39) performance found such comparison misleading as a guide to the validity of peer assessment. When individual criteria were analyzed, agreement of peers and teacher ranged from 31-62%, with specific areas of the criteria prone to over- and undervaluation.…

Evaluated the reliability and validity of the Child Behavior Scale (CBS), designed to assess behavioral indicators of risk and competence in young children. In the spring and fall, teachers used the CBS to rate their kindergarten children and sociometric measures were administered to children. Found that scores for six CBS subscales were…

Describes current procedures used for testing bilingual teachers in the United States and focuses on one means of assessment used in Arizona. Examinee questionnaire responses, teacher questionnaire responses and test section analysis all contributed evidence for validity. (33 references) (Author/CK)

The agreement of diagnostic classifications from two parallel subtests assessing a mathematics skill with three levels of scoring was studied with 431 Arab Israeli 10th graders. Results indicate that, even when parallel form reliability is high, less agreement is apparent when performance is evaluated at the micro level. (SLD)

Describes development of the Instructor Effectiveness Questionnaire (IEQ). Survey of 234 students participating in canoeing and kayaking at the Nantahala Outdoor Center (North Carolina) found that all 17 teachers received high scores, that the IEQ was able to discriminate between more- and less-effective instructors, and that female instructors…

The development of an experimental measure for assessing growth in movement in children (ages birth-3) is described. Results from the use of the Movement General Outcome Measurement with 29 infants and toddlers demonstrated the feasibility of the measure. The 6-minute assessment was found reliable in terms of inter-observer agreement. (Contains…