Using published findings and by further analyses of existing data, the structure, validity and utility of the Academic Behavioural Confidence scale (ABC) is critically considered. Validity is primarily assessed through the scale's relationship with other existing scales as well as by looking for predicted differences. The utility of the ABC scale…

Two studies were carried out to predict academic success in the highly competitive environment of a private preparatory school, Choate Rosemary Hall. The 1st study focused on the question of whether there are indicators beyond middle school grade-point average (GPA) and standardized test scores that might enhance the validity of measures for…

Atkinson and Geiser (2009) make a strong argument for moving to a new form of college admissions testing using curriculum-based achievement tests. In making their case, however, they exaggerate the weaknesses of current tests such as the ACT and SAT by minimizing these tests' predictive utility and claiming a stronger relationship to socioeconomic…

The actuarial method is the gold standard for risk assessment in child welfare, juvenile justice, and criminal justice. It produces risk classifications that are highly predictive and that may be robust to sampling error. This article reports a revalidation study of the Arizona Risk/Needs Assessment instrument, an actuarial instrument for juvenile…

This study examined the effects of defensive responding on the prediction of institutional misconduct among male inmates (N = 349) who completed the Personality Assessment Inventory (L. C. Morey, 1991). Hierarchical logistic regression analyses demonstrated significant main effects for the Antisocial Features (ANT) scale as well as main effects…

In this study, a dynamic assessment was used to measure the morphological analysis skills of participating sixth graders. The primary aim of this research was to examine the utility of this dynamic assessment and specifically to identify whether this measure can differentiate among students based on reading proficiency. Twenty-seven…

The Texas Projection Measure (TPM) has grown out of the state's need to meet the requirements of No Child Left Behind (NCLB). An examination of the state's method of predicting 8th grade mathematics scores reveals that several factors have been ignored in the process of developing the model, including assumptions in its underlying statistical…

The formula is simple: Highly effective teachers equal student academic success. Yet, the physics of American education is anything but. Thus, the question facing education reformers is how can teacher effectiveness be accurately measured in order to improve the teacher workforce? Given the demand for objective, quantitative measures of teacher…

The Turkish edition of the Test Anxiety Inventory (TAI-T) was accomplished in three stages, each stage constituting an independent study with new samples. In the first study, using bilingual Turkish high school and college students, the transliteral equivalence between the Turkish and English TAI items were achieved. The second study, using a…

There is little doubt that teacher quality is a key determinant of student achievement, but finding ways to identify and reward the best teachers has proven illusive. This research brief considers the stability of value-added measures of teacher effectiveness over time and the resulting implications for the design and implementation of…

Although criteria for the diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD) have become better defined, few research findings have appeared in the literature which characterize the degenerative course of the disease. Of particular interest to both clinicians and researchers would be a study focusing on changes in the patient's…

A sample of 640 children between 2.5 and 6 years old provided norms for scales of the Revised Gesell Preschool Examination. Scales focused on motor, adaptive, verbal, number, and personal and social development. A total of 272 children were reevaluated at 8.5 years on 22 variables derived from teacher ratings, parent questionnaires, and tests. The…

Traditional vocational appraisal, based primarily on the questionable predictive validity of tests, is reappraised; a new look for appraisal is proposed and integrated with a comprehensive approach to career counseling. (Author)

This followup to a previous study questioning the use of the Academic Achievement score on the SVIB to predict the academic achievement of women supports the earlier study's results. (HMV)

First grade children in Israel were tested on the Wechsler Preschool Primary Scale of Intelligence (WPPSI); most were retested using measures of Reading and Arithmetic. Intelligence and achievement test scores were correlated to provide estimates of the predictive validity of the WPPSI. The Israeli WPPSI was highly valid for predicting school…