A set of procedures for validating the Army's Skill Qualification Tests (SQT) are described. Three phases are discussed: (1) the selection of tasks, (2) the selection of specific content for hands-on performance test items, and of written self-evaluation components, and (3) the establishment of content validity of the hands-on component. The task…

The purpose of this study was to compare certain characteristics of multiple-choice (MC) and complex multiple-choice (CMC) achievement tests designed to measure knowledge in medical-surgical nursing. Each of 268 junior and senior nursing students from four midwestern schools responded to one of four test forms. MC items were developed by…

This report defines the concepts and some of the problems of accountability and performance contracting with special emphasis on measurement problems in the latter. Measurement problems involve both the validity and the reliability of standardized achievement tests as a basis for reimbursing a contractor. The author suggests the use of criterion…

Differences in procedures used by academic institutions and government agencies in administering the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages' Oral Proficiency Interview test are examined, and results and implications of two studies of interrater reliability are discussed. (MSE)

A reliable measure of knowledge of social work facts and practice concepts in the areas of policy, administration, research, and evaluation is described, including the process of item development and selection, assessment of content validity, test administration, scoring, applications for individual educational planning, and use in program…

Sources of bias in students' ratings of college faculty raise questions about the use of these ratings in making personnel decisions that affect the teacher's professional career. Student ratings should be only one component of the evidence collected to evaluate the effectiveness of college faculty. (PP)

This document examines the concepts of validity, reliability, and appropriateness from a language testing perspective as they apply to the following four assessment issues raised by the National Reporting System (NRS): (1) What type of language assessment seems to be required by the NRS: proficiency or achievement?; (2) Knowing that the NRS…

This study attempted to develop a reliable and valid instrument for measuring the diagnostic and remedial capacity of primary schools and to apply this instrument in examining how special needs services are provided in ordinary primary schools in the Dutch speaking part of Belgium. The study's conceptual model was based on two clusters--the key…

This paper discusses the results of a study that investigated the reliability and validity of the Youth Client Satisfaction Questionnaire (YCSQ). The YCSQ is administered as a telephone interview, which provides a higher response rate than mailed surveys. Participants in the study were 87 clients (ages 11-17) and their parents who had completed…

School psychologist estimates of language arts grades through clinical inspection of Rotter protocols and the grammatical errors found on the test were correlated with actual semester grades earned in language arts. Most types of errors correlated significantly with semester grades, but clinical inspection yielded the highest correlation (.54)…

This article investigates cognitive decline and depressive symptomatology among older adults with mental retardation. A pilot study of assessment instruments is reported. Findings reveal that decreasing cognitive ability is associated with higher rates of observed depression and reported behavioral problems. Cognitive decline was associated with…

Development of a behavioral test of surgeons' interpersonal skills involved applying a rating scale to videotape recordings of physician interactions with a gall bladder patient, at three intervals. Quality of communication was found to vary over the intervals. The instrument used was more sensitive to variation than a comparison scale.…

Presents globally oriented scoring sheet, reference guide, and rating scale for facilitating clinical hypotheses from children's Kinetic School Drawings (KSDs) and further empirical evaluations of KSD technique. Provides information on instrument construction and preliminary findings in terms of procedures' reliability and discriminant validity.…

Vietnamese high school students completed a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) and completed daily diet reports for seven weeks. Data from the FFQ were compared to the food reports. The results indicated a few simple FFQ items, particularly for indicator foods such as rice, were reliable for dietary assessment for that population. (SM)

This study compared two instruments for evaluating the performance of individual college-level academic advisors: (1) a student form assessing abilities in listening and other counseling skills, knowledge, and technology use; and (2) a professional scale assessing task competence, other-orientation, and professional networking. Both showed high…