A model for the validation of standardized tests of academic achievement upon populations not represented in the samples used to standardize the tests is presented, and the results of a field testing of the model are described. The 1973 editions of the Stanford Achievement Test and the Test of Academic Skills were administered to a sample of…

Thirty-two children aged 7 to 12 participated in a study to determine the reliability of the Ekwall Reading Inventory (ERI) and the Classroom Reading Inventory (CRI). The children were randomly assigned to take one of the two inventories, which were administered by four different specially trained teachers. The study used a test-retest design, in…

Using instructional variables identified by the literature as important in predicting classroom achievement, a bi-polar rating scale was designed to assess the structure of instruction in resource rooms. The data for 158 elementary school children in four school districts were analyzed. The scale evidenced good reliability, both in terms of…

The stability of intelligence test scores over time was examined for the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R). Subjects included 64 children aged 6-16, who had been administered the WISC-R during prior evaluations. These students had been referred because of academic difficulties. One-third of the sample had taken the test…

The impact of examiner/examinee familiarity and rapport on psychological test performance is reviewed. Drawing upon research involving hundreds of young handicapped and nonhandicapped children, it was found that certain handicapped children obtain higher scores when tested by familiar examiners. Implications for practice, theory, and personnel…

A 16-item self-report measure of loneliness and social dissatisfaction was developed to survey 506 third- through sixth-grade children. The measure was found to be internally reliable; more than 10 percent of subjects reported feelings of loneliness and social dissatisfaction; and children's feelings of loneliness were significantly related to…

The Self-Description Questionnaire III (SDQ III) was designed to measure 13 factors of self-concept. The reliabilities of the factors were high, and correlations among them were low. Academic achievement measures in language and mathematics were correlated with self-concepts in the same areas but not with other self-concept factors. (Author/DWH)

Developmental Record protocols were obtained from archival files for 1,069 institutionalized mentally retarded adults and children. Analyses revealed high internal reliabilities, but questionable validity. The Developmental Record did not adequately discriminate the five areas of functioning it purportedly assesses (self-care, perceptual-motor,…

The study evaluated the psychometric properties of reliability and construct validity of the Attitude Toward Mainstreaming Scale (ATMS) in an Australian context. It was concluded that the scale is both reliable and factorially valid in an Australian context. (Author/DB)

An examination of the extent to which scores on the Stuttering Severity Instrument (SSI) for Children and Adults, Third Edition, accurately reflect 10 judges' observations of stuttering behaviors found that SSI scores obscured the wide range of judges' raw counts and did not accurately reflect the observational data from which they were derived.…

Evidence supporting the use of a revision of the Opinions Relative to Mainstreaming scale, called Opinions Relative to Integration of Students with Disabilities, is presented. Scale testing with 376 professionals revealed satisfactory item characteristics, adequate reliability and homogeneity, and initial support for construct validity. The scale…

The behavior of each of 120 students in grades 9-12 was rated by 2 of the student's teachers using the Revised Behavior Problem Checklist. Results indicated a generally low to moderate degree of relationship among teacher ratings. It is recommended that clinicians collect behavioral ratings from many raters before reaching diagnostic conclusions.…

The Miller Assessment for Preschoolers, intended for children ages 2-5, is designed as both a screening and a diagnostic assessment, measuring neuromaturational variables, coordination, language, memory, problem solving, and visual perception. This review examines test administration, summation of data, standardization, reliability, and validity,…

This assessment of the usefulness of the "Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence-Revised" and the "Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Third Edition" for gifted children found that both are technically superior instruments with sensitive items, exceptional standardization, strong construct validity, and…

The behavior of 120 children (grades 9-12) was rated by 2 groups of teachers using the Revised Behavior Problem Checklist. The correlation coefficients obtained indicate low to moderate relationship between teacher ratings of the same child, with the strongest correlations for the subscale Attention Problems-Immaturity. (Author/JDD)