The ability of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), average achievement test scores, and high school class rank to predict students' grades was examined for 3,816 undergraduate students entering the University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia) in 1983 and 1984. Results suggest that the SAT makes a relatively small contribution to prediction. (SLD)

Describes a study examining the relationship between scores on a Sentence Skills component of an English placement test and final course grades in a community college marketing course. Finds a significant positive correlation between scores and final grades, but one not strong enough to be used for predictive purposes. (13 citations) (BCY)

Examined relations among measures of child language derived from observations of 20-month-olds' speech with mothers, experimenter assessments, and maternal reports. Found that structural equation modeling supported strong relations among the three sources, the loading of multiple measures on a single latent construct of vocabulary competence, and…

The clinical and positive psychology usefulness of quality of life, well-being, and life satisfaction assessments depends on their ability to predict important outcomes and to detect intervention-related change. These issues were explored in the context of a program of instrument validation for the Quality of Life Inventory (QOLI) involving 3,927…

The complexities of neurobehavioral assessment of the fetus, which can be neither directly viewed nor manipulated, cannot be understated. Impetus to develop methods for measuring fetal neurobehavioral development has been provided by the recognition that individual differences in neurobehavioral functioning do not originate with birth and…

With the recently passed Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (2004), federal law encourages monitoring student progress and gauging responsiveness to instruction. The Test of Silent Word Reading Fluency (TOSWRF; Mather, Hammill, Allen, & Roberts, 2004) is a group-administered test that holds promise for monitoring student progress.…

Research has shown that performance on the "Assessment of Basic Learning Abilities" (ABLA) test correlates with language assessments for persons with developmental disabilities. This study investigated whether performance on ABLA Level 6, an auditory-visual discrimination, predicts performance on a receptive language task with persons with severe…

Background: There is a history of over-prescription of antipsychotics to individuals with intellectual disability (ID), while antidepressants may be under-prescribed. However, appropriate treatment is best supported when the diagnosis of psychosis or depression is valid and carries good predictive validity. The present authors report a study…

The reliability and validity of the Myself as a Teacher Scale (MTS), developed to assess the self-concept of teachers, were studied. Materials developed by David P. Butts and Robert Howe were used to construct a 62-item Likert-type scale asking individuals to rate themselves on certain criteria. After a pilot study with 92 preservice teachers and…

This study evaluates the validity of two aggression scales for predicting observations of malicious or disruptive behavior at school. Subgroups of a sample of 1,560 children (age 8.6 plus or minus 1.5 years) were assessed using (a) peer nominations of aggression, (b) teacher reports on the Teacher Report Form (TRF) of the Child Behavior Checklist…

The "Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing" of the American Educational Research Association, the American Psychological Association, and the National Council on Measurement in Education are intended to provide a comprehensive basis for evaluating tests. This digest identifies key standards applicable to most test…

Possible relationships between student study behaviors and academic achievement were studied in an extension of a large-scale project at the Far West Laboratory. Factor analysis was used to identify latent variables measured by the 76-item Study Activity Survey (SAS) that might be more strongly related to college course achievement than are the…

A study was conducted to validate the Army's Computerized Adaptive Screening Test (CAST), using data from 2,240 applicants from 60 army recruiting stations across the nation. CAST is a computer-assisted adaptive test used to predict performance on the Armed Forces Qualification Test (AFQT). AFQT scores are computed by adding four subtest scores of…

This study tested the convergent and discriminant validity between two theories of college persistence: the Student Attrition Model and the Student Integration Model. The study examined conceptual similarities for each theory to explain departure decisions and examined how both theoretical frameworks enhanced the understanding of the processes…

Psychometric theory has been one of psychology's stronger foundations and a major contributor to the recognition of psychology as a scientific discipline. Basic principles of psychometric theory led to the development of respected intelligence tests and large and comprehensive testing and assessment programs. This paper synthesizes major…