Used cross-language blocking experiments to test the hypothesis that children learning to read inconsistent orthographies would show considerable flexibility in making use of spelling-sound correspondences at different unit sizes, whereas children learning to read consistent orthographies should mainly employ small-size grapheme-phoneme…

Schools are plagued with significant deficiencies in measurement and assessment methods. The practice of dropping grades to control unacceptable student behavior is wrong and probably illegal. Also, tests are often severely flawed or misused. Administrators must recognize sound assessment, reward it, and deny advancement to those violating its…

Studied 127 informal caregivers of Alzheimer's disease patients to determine correlates of 5 components of burden as measured by Cost of Care Index. Significant relationships between predictor variables and burden components suggest that global scores and measures of burden do not identify specific problem areas relative to various components of…

Means of identifying sources of rejection of hypotheses regarding linear multivariate statistical models are discussed. Problems with the use of a global test using Roy's largest root criterion and means of solving them are presented, along with a practical application of the techniques. (TJH)

Test bias detection methods based on item response theory (IRT) are reviewed. Five such methods are commonly used: (1) equality of item parameters; (2) area between item characteristic curves; (3) sums of squares; (4) pseudo-IRT; and (5) one-parameter-IRT. A table compares these and six newer or less tested methods. (SLD)

Examined time-sampling reports obtained from 9-15 year olds concerning their emotional states. Findings suggest that the onset of adolescence is not associated with appreciable differences in the variability of emotional states. (RH)

Reviews research on whether students should change answers or let first answers stand on objective tests. Finds that the odds are over two to one that a student's score will be raised, rather than lowered, if he or she changes answers. Offers three suggestions for improving students' test-taking strategies. (SR)

A class of oblique rotation procedures is proposed to rotate a pattern matrix so that it optimally resembles a matrix that has an exact simple pattern. It is demonstrated that the method can recover relatively complex simple structures where other simple structure rotation techniques fail. (SLD)

Techniques for reducing test anxiety include fostering study skills, reducing competition, using tests to meet a variety of needs, providing feedback, optimizing the test environment, setting realistic goals, and explaining the testing process. (SK)

Parents and professionals working with children with disabilities are urged to be alert to discrepancies between a child's usual behavior and capabilities and those exhibited during a formal testing or evaluation session. (DB)

Criteria for planning, designing, and writing test items are suggested. The criteria were developed via a discussion by subject matter specialists, psychometricians, and test construction experts. Seven criteria proposed for test items of merit address the congruence of an item with its intended purpose, technical assumptions, and editorial…

Contends that tests were not used in counseling in the mid-20th century partially as a function of the prevailing view of what constituted science. Questions the 19th-century view of science regarding testing and then moves on to assert that the 21st-century application of tests with clients requires a substantial paradigm shift. (Author/NB)

A model is developed to account for variations in test strategies (hypothesis testing) beginning with the premise that cognitive processes are adapted to reducing errors rather than detecting "truth." The Primary Error Detection and Minimization (PEDMIN) mode of lay hypothesis testing is described, and its five properties are explored.…

Surveyed test use patterns and practices among members (n=423) of American School Counselor Association. Most respondents believed tests were important part of their work, and most were highly confident of their ability to use test scores in counseling and to select, administer, and interpret tests. Other findings, however, suggest that this…

Examined the effects of model misspecification on the precision of decisions made using the sequential probability ratio test (SPRT) in computer testing. Simulation results show that the one-parameter logistic model produced more errors than the true model. (SLD)