A study was conducted to evaluate the academic success of students involved in the Saddleback Community College (California) District's pilot assessment and placement project, and to design and apply procedures for evaluating the placement instrument cut-off scores. A group of 124 entering students agreed to participate in the pilot project and…

This study field tests and evaluates the Parenting Questionnaire, an instrument designed to assess parental attitudes and behavior, based on the child-raising theories of Dreikurs and Dinkmeyer and the Adlerian model for parent study groups. Dreikurs and Adler stress the purposive nature of children's behavior or misbehavior, and teach parents to…

The Child Development Rating Scales (CDRS) is a parent-administered adaptive behavior assessment instrument for use with children whose developmental age is birth through 5 years and whose chronological age is birth through 8 years. The scale was developed in order to conduct research on parents' abilities to assess a wide range of skills in their…

The Montgomery County (Maryland) Public Schools (MCPS) provide English language instruction to approximately 3,800 students with limited English proficiency. This report represents results of an evaluation of the English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL)/Bilingual services offered during 1981-82. The first phase focuses on the entry/exit…

To determine the relative reliabilities and validities of paper-based and computer-based measurement procedures, 83 male student pilots and radar intercept officers were administered computer and paper-based tests of aircraft recognition. The subject matter consisted of line drawings of front, side, and top silhouettes of aircraft. Reliabilities…

Whether judges on bias review committees can identify test items that function differently for black and white examinees was studied. Judges (n=42) on three bias review committees were asked to examine a set of items and predict differential item functioning (DIF) without empirical data. Test items from teacher certification tests in the content…

Reliability and validity data on a procedure for identification of students "at risk" for exhibiting behavior disorders are presented. The Systematic Screening for Behavior Disorders instrument relies upon teacher judgment and normative criteria in three interrelated stages that cross validate the results of each other. Stage 1 has…

Research on academic socialization has emphasized the importance of experience in the home and school for shaping the course of academic development. Rarely has research considered whether consistency or congruence of socialization experiences in these two settings is especially beneficial (or, conversely, whether inconsistencies are especially…

This study examined and refined a mathematics skills instrument used to predict success in an introductory statistics course and to measure improvement in mathematics skills. Alternate forms of a 28-item true-false test were administered as a pretest and posttest to 18 undergraduate and 19 graduate students enrolled in introductory educational…

The evaluation team of the Lincoln Public Schools (Nebraska) used the multi-attribution utility technology (MAUT) approach to prioritize potential evaluation projects. The priorities were used to allocate resources to the district's most important projects, and to eliminate or scale down less important projects. The problem was caused initially…

Studies carried out over a 12-year period addressed fundamental questions on the use of Rasch-based item banks. Large field tests administered in grades 3-8 of reading, mathematics, and science items, as well as standardized test results were used to explore the possible effects of many factors on item calibrations. In general, the results…

In examining why performance scores on writing tests so often fail to improve in neat positive intervals for individuals and groups, testers have sought the answer in differences in test conditions on progressive retestings. Two other sources of performance variation are possible: the U-shaped learning curve or phenomenon of apparent regression…

The present system of testing and placement at Lane Community College (LCC) provides for voluntary assessment in reading, writing, and mathematics during orientation period, followed by recommendations for enrollment in appropriate courses. While only 15% to 20% of the new students at LCC participate in the testing/placement program, it must be…

Relationships between student affective and cognitive learning outcomes and their perceptions of classroom environment as measured by the Classroom Environment Scale (CES) were investigated for a sample of 1,083 students in 116 science classrooms. It was found that CES scales displayed satisfactory internal consistency and discriminant validity,…

Job satisfaction in mental health organizations has been a neglected research topic, in spite of the fact that mental health organizations themselves are concerned with quality of life issues. To study job satisfaction at three long-term public psychiatric hospitals, the Job Satisfaction Index was administered to 44 direct service employees. In…