Study compared marijuana urinalysis results to self-reported marijuana use from 33,313 juvenile arrestees surveyed through the Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring Program (ADAM) between 1991 and 1997. While strength of agreement between the two measures varied by jurisdiction, intrajurisdictional agreements were consistent over time. Findings suggest…

Describes procedures implemented by the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) for the development of national versions of the assessment instruments in all instruction languages used in the participating countries. Presents data that provide empirical information on the effectiveness of these procedures. (VWL)

Found, based on data from 28 states, that there is scant evidence to support the proposition that high-stakes tests, including high-stakes high school graduation exams, increase student achievement. Also found that adoption of high-stakes testing policies leads to increased dropout rates, decreased graduation rates, and higher rates of younger…

Investigated the acceptance of computerized assessment, particularly compared to conventional paper-and-pencil techniques, in seriously impaired psychiatric inpatients. Describes the development of a self-rating questionnaire (OPQ, Operation and Preference Questionnaire) and reports results that showed computerized assessment was convincingly…

Ethical career assessment of female clients requires global gender sensitivity as well as knowledge of gender issues in the areas of individual differences and career choice process. Whether quantitative or qualitative, informal or formal, assessments and interpretations should be gender sensitive for both men and women. (Contains 79 references.)…

Compares drug-positive rates between welfare-receiving arrestees, non-welfare receiving arrestees living below the poverty level, and non-welfare arrestees living above the poverty level. Welfare-receiving arrestees were more likely to be female, older, less educated, and to test positive for opiates and benzodiazepines than the other subgroups.…

Discusses the problems with high-stakes testing using information from two Arizona State University studies that compared academic and vocational student scores on standardized tests. Suggests that there are many questions related to high-stakes testing that need to be answered before too much weight is given to a single test. (JOW)

Compares urinalysis results for cocaine and opiates to self-reported three-day cocaine and opiate use. Statistics indicate that the strength of agreement between the two drug use measures is consistent over time. These findings suggest that the need for urinalysis should be reconsidered. (Contains 16 references and 2 tables.) (GCP)

Introduces a framework for systematizing the design of language performance assessments and explicating the role of tasks within them. Their design outlines fundamental components that must be rationalized and operationalized in order for performance assessment to produce coherent evidence of examinees' abilities. (Author/VWL)

Administered Rokeach Value Survey (RVS) and confidence rating scale (CRS) to 13 psychotherapists and 62 clients. Results from RVS demonstrated therapists were more value stable than their clients and that clients shifted their value systems toward therapists' value configurations. Results from CRS indicated therapists were more confident than were…

An extension of the discussion of loglinear models presents post hoc procedures for statistically evaluating treatment effects, contrasts, and confidence intervals, illustrating methods for main effect and interaction contrasts and paying special attention to odds ratios and their interval estimates. Procedures for treating variables as…

Presents overview of Item Response Theory (IRT). Explores substantial advantages of IRT in both ability and attitude measurements. Describes and illustrates basic IRT models. Discusses instrument construction and computerized testing. (Author/BHK)

This article addresses the health-related physical fitness assessment of K-two children by providing the elementary physical education specialist with strategies for planning and organizing an educational, positive, and efficient testing environment. (IAH)

Compared Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) and Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale-Fourth Edition (SB:FE) in identification and assessment of 48 intellectually gifted students. Findings suggest that scores of SB:FE and WISC-R, while both measuring 'g' factor, produce varying scores for gifted; many children currently in…

How state educational authorities in Kentucky use statewide test data to rank the state's 178 school districts was studied, using data from the "Kentucky Essential Skills Test: Statewide Testing Results" (1987). The methods used, means of refining those methods, the fairness/accuracy/validity of resulting interpretations, and problems…