The usefulness of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) (J. Butcher and others, 1989) for diagnosis and assessment of depression and psychoses was studied with 264 psychiatric inpatients. MMPI-2 profiles were sensitive to group differences, and the derived regression equations were stable and fairly good at classification.…

A study examined the reliability and validity of the Quality of Life Instrument Package using data from 500 persons with developmental disabilities in Ontario. Data indicate that most of the instruments found in the package met acceptable psychometric standards. Appropriate uses for the full and short version are discussed. (Author/CR)

Using data from state and academic reports, an independent committee of researchers has evaluated the Massachusetts Teacher Tests. Scores are found to be highly unreliable, and the tests are found to contain questionable content. Suspending use of the tests is recommended. (SLD)

The critique of the Massachusetts Teacher Tests by W. Haney and others points out some flaws in the tests but ignores the fact that the tests provide some useful information to guide teacher selection decisions. Calls for additional study of these teacher evaluation instruments. (SLD)

While recognizing high-stakes testing's value, both the "GI Forum" decision and the Office of Civil Rights guide raise questions that boards and educators should ask about the administration and consequences of their own testing programs. Methods for systematically collecting, analyzing, disseminating, and acting on test results are needed. (MLH)

In study 1, 35 veterans in vocational rehabilitation received resume preparation counseling. In study 2, 15 substance abusing veterans in compensated work therapy received vocational assessment feedback to help them use self-knowledge effectively. Both interventions increased career decision-making self-efficacy. (SK)

The factorial and normative data of a teacher rating scale containing the 18 symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) were examined using a sample of 4,009 children and adolescents. Two factors (inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity) were derived. Normative data are presented for a nationally representative sample, and…

Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to evaluate 11 Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) indicators of response distortion using 343 college students, some of whom simulated malingering or defensive responding, 181 forensic psychiatric patients, and 95 other psychiatric patients. Results show the usefulness…

A questionnaire developed to measure barriers to help-seeking behavior in adolescents was tested with 280 high school students following a pilot study. The instrument, Barriers to Adolescents Seeking Help, was found to have good test-retest reliability and adequate validity. Its use in identifying adolescents amenable to or resistant to therapy is…

Describes the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) Civic Education Study. Compares the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Civics Report Card with the IEA Civic Education Study. Focuses on the gaps in the NAEP that the IEA research will fill. (CMK)

Provides information on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Evaluates the NAEP arts assessment on three different issues (fact finding, influencing instruction, and "placing product"), considering the political spin given the arts NAEP. Highlights several concerns regarding the arts literacy campaign as a vehicle for…

Describes the resistance of a nontraditional public high school, the Durant School, to the global changes that would destroy its local ecology. In this school, the partially successful fight against the imposition of state standards and mandated tests has been a fight to preserve the school's integrity, mission, and autonomy. (SLD)

Criticizes the Grade 11 Social Studies Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP), stating that it lacks incentives for all students; is not truly an exit examination; drives changes in local curriculum; and is too heavily grounded in structuralist assumptions. Appeals for a progressive redirection of the Social Studies MEAP. (CMK)

In an engineering technology course at Coventry University (England), the utility of computer-assisted tests was compared with that of traditional paper-based tests. It was found that the computer-based technique was acceptable to students, produced valid results, and demonstrated potential for saving staff time. (Author/MSE)

It is argued that the statements and accusations made by Stephen Jay Gould about the use of factor analysis are incorrect and unjustified and that tests properly designed for the purpose can adequately measure a "general" or "g" factor of intelligence, particularly in view of the developments in testing since "The…