Purpose: Standardized tests are one of the primary assessment tools used by speech-language pathologists (SLPs) to diagnose child language impairment. Numerous child language tests are commercially available; however, it is unknown what factors lead clinicians to select particular tests to use in clinical practice. This study investigated whether…

The transfer from an early intervention system to a program for a 3-year-old is a critical event that not only brings opportunities but also presents challenges to children and their families. In order to help families handle these transition related issues, professionals should collect authentic data about family concerns, needs, and expectations…

The 2007 reauthorization of Head Start requires Head Start programs to use child assessments and developmental screeners that are developmentally, linguistically, and culturally appropriate, as well as valid and reliable in the language in which they are used. This can be a challenge, since very few child assessment tools are developed or tested…

Recently, educational researchers and practitioners have turned to value-added models to evaluate teacher performance. Although value-added estimates depend on the assessment used to measure student achievement, the importance of outcome selection has received scant attention in the literature. Using data from a large, urban school district, I…

Nine preschool and school-age language assessment tools found to have acceptable levels of identification accuracy were evaluated to determine their overall levels of psychometric validity for use in diagnosing the presence/absence of language impairment. Eleven specific criteria based on those initially devised by McCauley and Swisher (1984) were…

Considers both validity and reliability simultaneously in selecting the best short forms (SFs) of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised (WAIS-R). Results indicate that incorporating reliability as a criterion has a dramatic impact on the obtained best SFs. (LLL)

The conventional approach for testing the equality of two normal mean vectors is to test first the equality of covariance matrices, and if the equality assumption is tenable, then use the two-sample Hotelling T[superscript 2] test. Otherwise one can use one of the approximate tests for the multivariate Behrens-Fisher problem. In this article, we…

Some aspects of test reliability are discussed. Topics covered are: (1) how high should a reliability coefficient be?; (2) two factors affecting the interpretation of reliability coefficients--range of talent and interval between testings; (3) some common misconceptions--reliability of speed tests, part vs. total reliability, reliability for what…

Reviews the Sucher-Allred Group Reading Placement, used to determine the instructional reading level for students in grades 2-12. Concludes that the test correlates well with other standard tests and is useful as an informal reading inventory. (RS)

Take a scientific approach to the use of psychological testing in business and industry, and analyze jobs carefully as an important part of setting up a testing program. The article offers a step-by-step procedure for testing employees, analyzing results, and deciding whether the test is useful or not. (Author/AJ)

To compare the means, reliability coefficients, and concurrent validity coefficients for four tests, two with and two without optional items; and to determine if pupils could select items that would improve their scores, 210 seventh grade pupils were first administered the seventh grade spelling subtest of the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills. They were…

As part of a continuing research program to improve screening of enlisted men, this study was undertaken to compare a variety of computer-simulated conventional and branching tests and to extend the theoretical analysis of branching techniques. The degree of coordination between test scores and underlying ability is used to compare conventional…

Examines the controversy surrounding the administration of the Metropolitan Achievement Test on reading and the subsequent recall of the results data by the chancellor of the New York City schools. (IRT)