This study examined the validity and reliability of a staff-completed rating instrument (to determine relationship patterns and compatibility during the resettlement of 57 people with learning difficulties from a hospital to group home settings in Wales). Although ratings were relatively consistent across raters, there was limited support for the…

Compares Angoff and Nedelsky methods for setting passing scores on tests. Using one of the methods, 84 college students were taught to estimate their probable scores on a vocabulary test. Estimates were compared to their later actual scores. The Nedelsky method was considerably less accurate under certain conditions, and both methods…

Two studies evaluated the 10-question Nylander questionnaire as a screening test for autism among adults in British psychiatric hospitals. Both studies found high inter-rater reliability and no false negatives, but the studies resulted in an unacceptably high rate of false positives. (Contains 3 references.) (DB)

Using an independent college sample, examines the characteristics of the Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Cognitive Ability-Revised. Differences exists in subtest performance based on the order in which the Standard and Supplemental Batteries were administered. Gender differences exist on the Visual Matching, Picture Vocabulary and Cross Out subtests.…

The internal reliability and concurrent validity of the Play Assessment Questionnaire (PAQ) was compared to that of the Minnesota Child Development Inventory with 170 deaf or hard of hearing infants and toddlers. The PAQ was found to be a useful nonverbal tool that assesses symbolic play behaviors and demonstrates a parallel development with…

Computed person-fit indices derived from Item Response Theory and used them to identify misfitting examinees using responses to cognitive ability and personality tests from 180 and 198 college students. Results suggest that person misfit may be related to the motivational set of the examinees. (SLD)

Factor and regression analyses of data from 241 business students found clear differences between grade point average (GPA) and Major Field Test in Business scores. GPA had strong internal validity and reflected performance in the context of institutional priorities. The test had greater external validity and enabled benchmarking against national…

Looks at the use of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), the most widely used test to assess the English language proficiency of students applying to colleges and universities in the United States or Canada. Examines the TOEFL in relation to backwash, reliability, administration, validity, and ethics. (Author/VWL)

Considers three possible responses to standardized testing: Ignoring the test, embedding the test, and embracing the test. Concludes that the problem lies not in the tests themselves, but rather in how educators approach them and, more inherently, in what educators believe about them. (SG)

Establishes a Kenyan standardization of the Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices (RCPM), a nonverbal instrument widely used to assess academic aptitude in young children. Data was gathered from a sample of 1,370 children between the ages of 6 and 10 years. Using the current data, the RCPM appears to be a reliable and valid instrument for use in…

Describes development of a questionnaire for evaluating nature and extent of practitioners' fears in working with high-risk youths. Three scales were proposed. A stepwise approach to test construction and validation was used. Predicted relationships between subscales were confirmed, supporting validity of the questionnaire. Internal consistency…

Discusses research on the National Curriculum Key Stage Two reading tests for years 1998, 1999 and 2000. Shows that in 1999 and 2000 the reading tests were progressively easier: the number of questions requiring higher-order reading skills, particularly those of inference and deduction, decreased each year, while the number of questions requiring…

The aim of this study was to examine ego identity status among Swedish adolescents using the EOM-EIS-II. Identity status scores and distributions were examined for 222 (108 female, 114 male) Swedish high school students. Identity status differences were found between genders. There was a greater likelihood of female adolescents being categorized…

Over the last two decades, considerable attention has been devoted to the potential of functional assessment and antecedent-based interventions, as well as to the importance of ecological validity in the evaluation of intervention practices. However, despite this increased interest, it is not clear to what degree trends in intervention research…

The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children--Third Edition (D. Wechsler, 1991; WISC-III) is often used to identify subtest-based cognitive strengths and weaknesses that are subsequently used to generate interventions. Given that intelligence is presumed to be an enduring trait, cognitive strengths and weaknesses identified via subtest analysis…