The article "Thinking About Linking" by Newton (2010) presents a novel philosophical perspective on the way that educational assessments should be linked. Newton starts by describing the linking framework as it was characterized in various publications and identifies a cross-cultural dimension in the definitions and uses of test…

Evaluated ability of premarital assessment instrument, PREParation for Marriage (PREP-M) Questionnaire to predict marital satisfaction and stability one year after marriage. Findings suggest that higher premarital PREP-M scores, higher marital satisfaction and stability. Means for most satisfied and stable individuals were usually significantly…

An instrument to measure cocaine-related expectancies across a continuum of use, the Cocaine Expectancy Questionnaire (CEQ), was developed and tested with 765 college students and 87 cocaine abusers. Expectancy factors identified by the CEQ were found to be powerful predictors of cocaine use. (SLD)

Where human beings are concerned and complex behavior is involved, prediction of future performance is no simple matter. Scientifically developed, systematically standardized and carefully validated tests have emerged as the most reliable tools in predictive efficacy. If opponents of standardized testing win, society will lose. (Author/CM)

Using data from a study with a prospective-cohorts design, accuracy of adult recollection was assessed for 1,574 young adults for whom information from the past 20 years was available. Results indicate good discriminant validity and predictive efficiency of the two self-report measures used. (SLD)

Development of an alternate form of Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices Test is described. Reliability analysis with 449 children of differing racial/ethnic backgrounds showed good reliability and comparable predictive validity. The alternate form is a promising research tool. (SLD)

In the year 2000, the Alaska High School Graduation Qualifying Examination (HSGQE) was given for the first time. The HSGQE is currently scheduled to be a graduation requirement for all students graduating as of January 2002, but early results from the use of the HSGQE in the Anchorage school district raise serious questions about the use of the…

This study involved the development, validation, and use of the Individualized Classroom Environment Questionnaire (ICEQ), which measures classroom environment perceptions along dimensions (Personalization, Participation, Independence, Investigation, Differentiation) which differentiate individualized classes from conventional ones. The ICEQ…

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…

This guide explains the benefits of and procedures for constructing and administering criterion-referenced performance tests in vocational education programs. Addressed in the individual sections are the following topics: the rationale for using task performance measures in vocational education; the predictive validity and physical fidelity of…

Both concurrent and predictive validity of two developmental instruments, each purporting to measure the same five developmental dimensions, were compared. The Developmental Profile II (DPII), a commercial test, was administered to the same children when they were in prekindergarten and first grade. The initial samples were 91 and 267…

The purpose of this research was to construct tests that could be used to support various decisions in the educational system in Tanzania. Emphasis was placed on decisions made at the end of primary education, and at the end of four years of secondary education. (Author/BW)

Predictive validities of scales developed to measure children's affective and cognitive attitudes toward school were examined in relation to the academic achievement of 430 female and 450 male 11-year-old Australians. Results suggest that these scales may be useful short-form measures of children's attitudes toward school. (SLD)

The Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) has been designed to test developed verbal and mathematics reasoning abilities of college-bound students, primarily high school juniors and seniors. For almost a decade there has been a research and development process to evaluate and change the entire SAT program. These changes were implemented in the SAT I:…

This document expands upon the discussion of standardized tests in federal legislation and Department of Education rules and regulations, in order to guide practitioners in using these tests and alternative assessment methods more wisely. Amendments of 1988 that address the uses of standardized tests, the federal regulations that implement the…