Explores the development of the Advanced Placement (AP) U.S. history test and reviews its grading process for consistency and fairness. Examines the efforts taken to ensure compatibility with college-level U.S. history survey courses. (CMK)

Provides information on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in music. Discusses the "red flags," such as test sampling, from the "Arts Report Card" that signal doubt as to the usefulness of its data. Considers the lessons learned from the "Arts Report Card." (CMK)

In a computerized video-game-like spatial ability measure administered to 94 university students, the number of target hits was correlated with verbal intelligence quotient. The dynamic spatial measure does not load substantially on a general intellectual ability factor, but it does provide additional evidence that dynamic spatial ability is…

The effect of different item formats (multiple choice and open) on gender differences in test performance was studied for the Swedish Diagrams, Tables, and Maps (DTM) test with 90 secondary school students. The change to open format resulted in no reduction in gender differences on the DTM. (SLD)

Original data and other studies using the Positive Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire (ATP-Q) show that the reliability and norms of the instrument appear stable and that the ATP-Q is inversely associated with negative affective states but unrelated to conditions such as medical condition not accompanied by psychological distress. (SLD)

An expanded version of the method of content evaluation proposed by S. G. Sireci and K. F. Giesinger (1992) was evaluated with respect to a national licensure examination and a nationally standardized social studies achievement test. Two groups of 15 subject-matter experts rated the similarity and content relevance of the items. (SLD)

To explore theoretical issues inspired by the Likert response format, 2 social insight scales were developed and administered to 391 Air Force recruits. Results demonstrate the applicability of the probabilistic response format to measure differences in nontraditional knowledge domains and the existence of a factor that may be interpreted as…

Examined psychometric properties of Adolescent Risk-Taking Questionnaire, using 11- to 18-year-olds. Found that the four-factor risk structure was substantiated via confirmatory factor analysis. One week test-retest and internal consistency indices were sound. Older adolescents and boys perceived less risk and reported more risky behaviors than…

Physics as a subject for school students requires an understanding and ability to move between different modes of representation for the concepts under review. However, the inability of students to have a multimodal understanding of the concepts is seen as restricting their understandings of the concepts. The aim of this study was to explore the…

To understand the role of early intervention (EI) practitioner confidence in the use and application of assistive technology (AT), a 24-item Assistive Technology Confidence Scale (ATCS) was developed and distributed to EI personnel. This article reports on the development and psychometric properties of the ATCS and the relation between scores on…

Based on studies carried out on qualitative data an instrument was constructed for investigating how larger numbers of students handle graphics. This test, consisting of 18 pages, each with its own graphic display(s) and a set of tasks, was distributed to 363 students, 15-16 years of age, from five different schools. The format of the questions…

School counselors have been remiss in documenting how the school counseling program is an essential component to the growth of school-aged youth. As a result, school counseling programs and personnel either have been eliminated or school counselors have been assigned duties that do not reflect their training and education. Many school counselors…

Gay affirmative practice models provide guidelines for behaviors and beliefs in social work practice with gay and lesbian individuals. The aim of this study was to develop a valid rapid assessment instrument to assess the extent to which social work practitioners engage in principles consistent with gay affirmative practice. The Gay Affirmative…

In developing the Basic Empathy Scale (BES), 40 items measuring affective and cognitive empathy were administered to 363 adolescents in Year 10 (aged about 15). Factor analysis reduced this to a 20-item scale that was administered 1 year later to 357 different adolescents in Year 10 in the same schools. Confirmatory factor analysis verified the…

College students rank "raising a family" as one of their primary values (American Council on Education and University of California, 2003). Yet, little is known about their understanding of the respective roles of motherhood and fatherhood. Feminism, dual career marriages, and more egalitarian role models may have altered adherence to…