Describes research on a scale measuring adjustment to college. A 52-item self-report Likert-type scale was administered in each of three successive years to freshman students. Reliability and validity were assessed. Criterion variables included attrition, psychological service requests, grades, election to an academic honorary society, and social…

The development of a scale to assess drug and other treatment effects on severely mentally retarded individuals is described. Separate factor analyses of the data from two samples resulted in a five-factor scale: (1) Irritability, Agitation, Crying; (2) Lethargy, Social Withdrawal; (3) Stereotypic Behavior; (4) Hyperactivity, Noncompliance; and…

Explains that a good essay question should be as specific in what it asks for as the students are expected to be in their answers. (HOD)

A revision of the Reading-Free Vocational Interest to eliminate sex bias in the inventory produced a common item pool for males and females, desexed grammar and vocabulary and altered pictorial items. New norms include the learning disabled, adult mentally retarded, and younger educable mentally retarded individuals. (Author/CL)

Examines the extent to which grades derived from a conventional norm-referenced examination can be interpreted in terms of criterion-referenced performance assessments of different abilities and skills. Results suggest that performance is more affected by test format and subject matter than by the intellectual abilities tested by them. (JOW)

The development and validation of a revised form of the RAM Scale in Likert format are described. The RAM Scale measures student philosophical orientations in terms of relative, absolute, or mixed biases or preferences toward issues of knowledge, methods, and values. (Author/PN)

The Test of Sensory Integration, which measures preschoolers' ability to organize, process, and synthesize input from different sensory channels, was evaluated in terms of domain and construct validity, interobserver reliability and decision reliability, and retest stability. Results suggested that total test scores can be used reliably and…

Examines Southwestern Bell's Interdepartmental Training Center's program of providing objective evaluations of trainers and the training process. Elements that are discussed include the evaluation format, the form of the evaluation instrument and its emphasis, the validation process, and refinements to the system. (CT)

Presents methodology for designing and delivering computer-assisted diagnostic tests and discusses two natural applications of this methodology: for testing purposes, and for implementing adaptive computer-assisted learning sequences based on test results. (MBR)

A response to 13 articles on the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children address seven areas: validity, theory underlying the intelligence portion, role of the clinicians in intellectual assessment, distinction between ability and achievement, evaluation of alternate models, remedial applications of the sequential-simultaneous processing…

Discusses several tests designed to determine speaking ability which preceded the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages/Educational Testing Service test and describes the benefits of the American Institute of Musical Studies oral proficiency testing program. (SED)

Studied a sample of emotionally disturbed children (N=100) beginning day psychiatric treatment to compare standard and abbreviated versions of the Weschler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R). Results demonstrated the efficacy of using an abbreviated version of the WISC-R with severely emotionally disturbed children. (LLL)

Describes the development and validation of a behavioral peer-rating measure of depression. The scale was developed by converting self-report indices of depression into behavioral rating items. Results of two studies (N=272) suggested that the nine-item scale has adequate internal consistency, criterion-related validity, and concurrent validity.…

Describes the three-phase development of the Psychological Distress Inventory (PDI), an instrument designed primarily to measure life stress in college students. Standard psychometric information is presented, including reliability, validity, and some effects of response set. The PDI allows users to separately assess degree of depression, anxiety,…

Describes the implementation of written comprehensive examinations in the doctoral program in counselor education at Florida State University. The examinations, administered to 26 students over three years, emphasized application of knowledge. Although conducted with limited resources, the examinations served the department's needs and satisfied…