The Miller Assessment for Preschoolers (MAP) is a new developmental screening tool for children aged 2 years 9 months to 5 years 8 months. The instrument, which has been standardized on 1,200 subjects representing nine geographic regions, identifies children who are functioning below the developmental level of their peers. The sampling method was…

This is the third report on the use of a technical classification assessment center (TCAC) for evaluating general detail (GENDET) personnel in the Navy. The first two reports described the development of the TCAC and the validation of the TCAC against supervisors' ratings of job performance for a small exploratory sample. This report presents the…

While supervisory research focuses on trainee performance in counseling situations as the primary outcome criterion, few instruments have been developed for evaluating behavior in the supervision interview. To develop a scale that reflects critical factors in the supervisory relationship, the Supervisor Personal Reaction Scale (SPRS) and the…

Results of two studies, involving surveys of alumni of postsecondary institutions, are presented to assess the effect of format and typeface on mail survey response rates. The first study focused on the effect of booklet/folder format versus stapled sheets. The method of reproduction, page content, page size, and appearance of the questionnaires…

The construction of parallel tests from item response theory (IRT) based item banks is discussed. Tests are considered parallel whenever their information functions are identical. After the methods for constructing parallel tests are considered, the computational complexity of 0-1 linear programming and the heuristic procedure applied are…

A procedure for the sequential optimization of the calibration of an item bank is given. The procedure is based on an empirical Bayes approach to a reformulation of the Rasch model as a model for paired comparisons between the difficulties of test items in which ties are allowed to occur. First, it is indicated how a paired-comparisons design…

Nine methods for automated test construction are described. All are based on the concepts of information from item response theory. Two general kinds of methods for the construction of parallel tests are presented: (1) sequential test design; and (2) simultaneous test design. Sequential design implies that the tests are constructed one after the…

This procedure for testing the mastery of programming skills uses online testing and correction. The student is presented with a test problem and is asked to solve it, encode the solution, debug the code, and save it on a floppy disk. The instructor corrects the program at the appropriate points through the use of REM statements. The erroneous or…

This brief review of research examines the mail questionnaire as a research tool. Major topics reported are the advantages and disadvantages of mail surveys response rates, and questionnaire construction. Among the advantages reported are ease of distribution and tabulation, the possibility of a large sample and geographic range, low cost,…

This paper describes the development and characteristics of structural interview procedures designed to aid researchers in investigating children's understanding of their logical arguments. The procedures comprise a system which assesses verbal expression, understanding of implication, and ability to reason logically; it also assesses…

In this discussion of techniques for teaching and testing listening comprehension according to the Provisional Proficiency Guidelines of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, five questions are addressed: (1) the nature of the relationship between listening and speaking; (2) the kinds of listening tasks that should be…

The intent of this handbook is to illustrate the relation between teaching and testing and to demonstrate how they can promote student learning. The first section, "Foundations," offers a discussion of broad ideas about teaching, learning, and testing, and their interrelationships. Chapter one describes generally the kinds of things that…

The correspondence between the Minnesota MMPI and the Mini-Mult in terms of similar clinical decisions has been examined in several recent reports. The purpose of the present study was to extend the comparative data between the Mini-Mult and the standard MMPI to include two samples of alcoholics. (Author)