To efficiently assess multiple psychological constructs and to minimize the burden on respondents, psychologists increasingly use shortened versions of existing tests. However, compared to the longer test, a shorter test version may have a substantial impact on the reliability and the validity of the test scores in psychological research and…

Presented at the national conference for the American Educational Research Association (AERA) in April 2009. This study examined the utility of scores on the SAT writing test, specifically examining the reliability of scores using generalizability and item response theories. The study also provides an overview of current predictive validity…

The practicality of three appraisal instruments was measured in terms of user preference, namely, behavioral observation scales (BOS), behavioral expectation scales (BES), and trait scales. In all instances, BOS were preferred to BES, and in all but two instances, BOS were viewed as superior to trait scales. (Author/ABB)

Examines the use of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (Megargee typology) as a valid classification system in correctional decision making in a series of six articles. Most results urge caution in the use of the Megargee typology, finding poor test validity and test-retest reliability. (WAS)

This paper updates the concept of test validity. This new conception entails a set of 10 categories combined together in pairs: curriculum and instructional validity, statutory and forensic validity, media and journalistic validity, political and legislative validity, and partisan and activist validity. (Author/DWH)

While Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) and American College Testing Program (ACT) scores are viewed as reliable, and colleges and universities continue to use them, they are often misunderstood and misused. They are reliable for predicting freshman grades only when comparisons are made within one racial group. They also do not account for student…

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)

Matriculation regulations in California require that community colleges which adopt standardized placement tests demonstrate that the tests are valid predictors of future course success. A positive correlation of at least .35 between test score and subsequent student performance in a particular course is needed to demonstrate the predictive…

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…

Although frequently attacked as invalid, demeaning, biased, illegal, and irrelevant, preemployment testing procedures appear to be increasing in popularity. Many prominent companies and organizations are making extensive use of tests. Part of the resurgence of testing is attributable to clearer definitions of acceptable practice. Legal precedents…

The National Teacher Examination (NTE) was given to a sample of 64 new trades and industrial (T&I) teachers attending 6-week workshops in Maryland during three summers. Each summer 18 to 25 teachers took the three tests in the Core Battery of the NTE, as well as a selection of other tests. The project sought to determine the pass-fail ratio of…

A study investigated the content and predictive validity of Hong Kong's new Use of English Examination (UEE), introduced by the Hong Kong Examinations Authority in 1989. The study set out to discover whether the examination was reliable for determining students' language needs on entering higher education, and whether institutions' existing…

A hierarchical modeling approach is used in studying the predictive validity of the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education examination, a key aid in selecting students for secondary education. Results from 51 schools indicated a modest predictive validity for the examination, with school and student characteristics influencing results. (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:…