The intraclass reliability of an oral examination administered during a clinical clerkship was analyzed in three ways: by traditional estimation, by faculty evaluation of taped examinations, and with use of a new evaluation form. A noticeable increase in reliability was found with the new form's use. (MSE)

The "CSE Program Evaluation Kit" is a series of nine books intended to assist people conducting program evaluations. This volume, the seventh in the kit, provides an overview of a variety of approaches to measuring performance outcomes. It presents considerations in deciding what to measure and in selecting or developing instruments best suited to…

Describes the development of two forms of the Checklist for Assessment of Science Teachers and their application to preservice teachers. Reveals that differences in classroom activities and student-teacher relationships are found between the treatment and nontreatment teacher groups, but not in teacher personal adjustment. (CC)

The problem session approach represents a restructuring of traditional testing and evaluation procedures aimed at assessing student achievement and ability. (JS)

In a comparison of two systems used for evaluating the skills of medical students in relating to patients, the one utilizing interaction analysis yielded more reliable ratings and seems to have potential as an instructional method. The other system used traditional types of judgments registered on a 10-point continuum. Both systems were used with…

Compared three instruments assessing depression in alcoholics: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-II), the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory Depression scale (MMPI D), and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). The number of subjects who were diagnosed as "depressed" varied considerably according to the…

A dozen different approaches that yield 13 reliability indices for criterion-referenced tests were identified and grouped into three categories: threshold loss function, squared-error loss function, and domain score estimation. Indices were evaluated within each category. (Author/RL)

Investigated scoring agreement among three different training levels of Visual Motor Integration Test (VMI) diagnosticians. Correlational data demonstrated high interexaminer reliabilities; however, there were gross errors in precision after raw scores had been converted into VMI age equivalent scores. (Author/RC)

The article focuses on the controversy over norm-referenced v criterion-referenced measures (CRM) in assessment of learning disorders. The authors contend that while the reliability of CRMs is generally indisputable, the validity of measures designed from local curricula is still dependent on the intuitive judgments of teachers. (Author/SBH)

The O.S.U. Step Test was administered to 68 male university students to determine the objectivity of three methods of monitering heart rate--subjects count, investigator's count, and ECG records--with results indicating that the investigator was significantly more accurate in heart rate determination than were the subjects. (MB)

This study examined effects on 62 elementary students with learning disabilities undergoing triennial reevaluation of the change from the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children--Revised to the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children--Third Edition. Results indicate changes in the correlation with Woodcock-Johnson--Revised Tests of Achievement…

Examines the reliability and validity of the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI). Results based on 2,078 clients at 31 university counseling centers who completed the BSI at intake indicate that, although internal consistency for the subscales was high, factor analyses yielded a six-factor solution rather than a nine-factor one. (RJM)

A study of 10 children (ages 3-6) with pervasive developmental disorders investigated the interrater reliability of the Psychoeducational Profile (PEP). Results show good interrater reliability for the developmental items, indicating that the PEP can be used to evaluate progress in development of children with pervasive developmental disorders.…

On the basis of data from 2 studies with counseling graduate students, the Multicultural Awareness, Knowledge, and Skills Survey--Counselor Edition was revised. The new 33-item instrument consists of 10-item Awareness, 13-item Knowledge, and 10-item Skills subscales. Evidence of reliability and validity are described. (Contains 35 references and 3…