The Core Alcohol and Drug Survey helps universities obtain accurate information about the effectiveness of their substance abuse prevention efforts. The self-report tool examines the nature, scope, and consequences of college students' substance use. Currently, 500,000 students on 800 campuses have completed the survey. The article presents…

The development and preliminary testing of a six-item scale to assess risk taking among young adolescents are described. Test construction was based on information provided by eighth graders. The measure, used in a longitudinal study of 758 eighth through tenth graders from 3 rural counties in Maryland, showed good reliability. (SLD)

Primary and second-order principal components analyses were performed on the Quality of School Life Scale (QSL), a measure of elementary school climate, for responses of 141 fourth through sixth graders. Findings suggest three general factors, but item composition of subscales differs somewhat from that proposed by the QSL's developers. (SLD)

A version of the randomized response survey unrelated question technique is presented in which the answer to the unrelated question is known to be yes. Raw data become a direct linear transformation of response to the sensitive question and can be used in analysis at the individual level. (SLD)

Describes a study conducted by the Department of Defense Polygraph Institute for their forensic science curriculum that investigated the effects of computer-based instruction on student learning of psychophysiological detection of deception test question formulation. Treatment of the experimental and control group is explained and posttest scores…

Changes in information retention resulting from changes in reliability and number of intervals in scale construction were studied to provide quantitative information to help in decisions about choosing intervals. Information retention reached a maximum when the number of intervals was about 8 or more and reliability was near 1.0. (SLD)

The development of a self-evaluation questionnaire compiled from 2,041 student-generated descriptions of coping behavior is described. A factor analysis of data for 643 students in years 11-12 of Australian secondary school yielded the 90-item Adolescent Coping Checklist--a questionnaire concerning different ways that adolescents cope with…

It is contended that this book should appeal especially to those who write and administer tests designed to measure psychological or educational constructs, as well as to the classroom teacher. It would be of only moderate value to those writing questions for program evaluation or questionnaires. (SLD)

Analysis of educational psychology textbooks identified textbook authors' guidelines for teachers to follow when writing multiple-choice test items. Selected guidelines were used to evaluate multiple-choice items (N=1,080) from 18 college instructor guides to educational psychology texts. Results indicated that approximately 60 percent of the…

To investigate the relationship between reading and listening test scores, 3 different sets of listening items accompanied by answer sheets requiring varying amounts of reading were administered to 1,200 students in grades 3 through 8. Listening scores increased as more printed information was added to the answer sheet. (SLD)

Instead of relying on standardized test scores and interdistrict comparisons, school systems must develop a more powerful, timely, and local approach to accountability that is truly client-centered and focused on results. Accountability requires giving successful teachers the freedom and opportunity to take effective ideas beyond their own…

The recall of information about Hepatitis B demonstrated by 180 seventh graders was tested with three test types: (1) short-answer; (2) true/false; and (3) multiple-choice. Short answer testing was the most reliable. Suggestions are made for the use of short-answer tests in evaluating student knowledge. (SLD)

Investigated the reliability and construct validity of scores on a Spanish version of an academic self-concept measure for economically disadvantaged Hispanic middle school, English as a Second Language students. Results did not completely support five hypothesized constructs corresponding to five factor subscales on the English version. Students…

The International English Language Testing System is described, including the test's underlying principles, design, administration, scoring, reliability, and interpretation. Some criticisms of the program are briefly discussed. (MSE)

Secondary school teachers invented a context for Louisiana's Eighth Grade French and Spanish Proficiency/Credit Exams based on real-life situations students would encounter on class trips to Disney's EPCOT Center. Test activities assess performance in four language skills areas: listening, reading, writing, and speaking. Students' reaction to this…