Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs) have become ubiquitous as a form of assessment in medical education but involve substantial resource demands and considerable local variation. A detailed understanding of the processes by which OSCEs are designed and administered could improve feasibility and sustainability. This exploration of…

Published by the Canadian Test Centre (CTC), "Insight" represents a group-administered test of cognitive functioning that has been built entirely upon the Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) theoretical framework. "Insight" is intended to be administered by educators and screen entire classrooms for students who present learning…

Principals and teachers do not use large-scale assessment results because the lack of distinct and reliable subtests prevents identifying strengths and weaknesses of students and instruction, the results arrive too late to be used, and principals and teachers need assistance to use the results to improve instruction so as to improve student…

Carried out four experiments in which male and female undergraduates (N=384) completed the Beck Depression Inventory under conditions ranging from absolute anonymity to a face-to-face interview. Results showed no evidence that depression is more severe or common in females. Responses appeared essentially unaffected by method of administration.…

Final-year Ontario medical students (n=88) took a 4-station objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) using standardized patients and involving decisions to forgo life-sustaining treatment. Performance was scored on a checklist of behaviors unique to each case. Results indicated that because of low reliability, the OSCE is not a feasible…

The School Subjects Attitude Scales is an instrument for measuring students' attitudes toward school subjects for grades 5-12. Twenty-four bipolar word pairs are used with evaluation, usefulness, and difficulty scales. The word pairs were selected on the basis of discussions and analysis of trial forms. Results can be used in program evaluation…

This article reviews the revised KeyMath Revised-Normative Update American and Canadian editions, and a draft version of the 1999 pending revision. The assessment instrument is intended to test basic mathematical concepts, operations, and applications of students in grades K-12. Its administration, standardization, reliability, and validity are…

The Early School Self-Concept Inventory (ESSCI) was developed for use in grades one, two and three, or ages approximately six through eight years. It consists of forty brief questions, each requiring "yes" or "no" answers. Testing time is generally 15-20 minutes for an average classroom size group. The ESSCI yields a set of…

This paper offers college teachers guidelines for improving their teacher made tests. It notes that teachers may focus on how well students have learned course objectives while being unaware of how the testing process itself contributes to the results obtained. The paper reports the results of a test-taking workshop designed to improve college…

Intelligence quotient (IQ) scores are widely accepted as measures of academic potential. However, both hereditary and environmental factors also play a role in performance. The limitations of IQ tests require that they be handled differently when administered to students from backgrounds other than the dominant cultural group. In addition,…