The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) was administered to 56 learning disabled children, using standard assessment procedures and format as outlined by Wechsler. Abbreviated Intelligence Quotient (IQ) scores were then derived by applying the Kennedy-Elder (K-E) formula. Frequent IQ classification changes rendered the K-E…

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)

Instructional validity indicates that a district is testing what is taught. Minimum standards of fairness in pursuing educational equity are proposed. The standards include efforts to remediate students who fail competency tests, use instructional validity studies; present an adequate opportunity to learn, make an appropriate use of results, and…

At a community college in Hawaii, two separate validation processes were carried out in order to install a new student placement test, each serving a different purpose at different times in the installation process. Decision Theory was used to arrive at a decision tool to allow for compromises between accuracy and enrollment management. The…

Studied validity of the Career Decision Scale (CDS) for use by high school counselors in identifying students needing career services. Results showed that the construct or factor validity of an adapted CDS did not support its use as a measure of different components of educational/vocational indecision. (WAS)

Raises philosophical and technical questions about the Tennessee minimum competency testing program, including: what subject and skills are basic; who determines what competencies are minimal; what should be the consequences of failure; who is responsible for remediation of failing students; do or should skills being taught match skills being…

The concept of consequential validity wrongly links the idea of the consequences of test use with the idea of validity, widely held to be rooted in the accuracy of inferences drawn from examinees' test performances. The reification of consequential validity can distract from a needed clarity about test use consequences. (SLD)

Eight subtests were selected from the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children--Third Edition (WISC-III) to make a short form for clinical use. Results with the 2,200 children from the WISC-III standardization sample indicated the adequate reliability and validity of the short form for clinical use. (SLD)

The Defining Issues Test (DIT) of moral judgment, a stage preference approach, is compared with the Moral Judgment Test (MJT) widely used in Europe. The MJT is a stage consistency test. Construct validity is defined in terms of seven types of studies, which support use of the stage preference approach. (SLD)

This case study was designed to demonstrate how an institution could use readily available archival data to produce a simple yet informative validity study as a necessary step in understanding the effectiveness of their selection process. Results indicated the GRE does not significantly predict graduate school success across all disciplines…

Tested criterion-related validity of Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) performance scale with Stanford Achievement Test, Special Edition for Hearing-Impaired Students (SAT-HI). Results indicated WISC-R performance scale has adequate criterion-related validity and SAT-HI percentile ranks may provide a better metric than…

Reviews recent developments in the use of commercially available written integrity tests for employee selection. Discusses legal issues related to the use of the polygraph and integrity tests, and reviews empirical research on the reliability, criterion-related validity, construct validity, fakeability, and adverse effects of integrity tests. (TE)

Describes the Child Abuse Potential Inventory and associated psychometric data. Discusses uses and misuses of the inventory, general test limitations, and screening instruments available to professionals concerned with child maltreatment. (RJC)

This paper demonstrates how an analysis of the "Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing" (1985) can define the body of knowledge needed by teachers for the effective use of tests in classroom instruction. Procedures are described for identifying standards relevant to teachers' roles and their behavior. (SLD)

This commentary discusses three essential themes in performance assessment and its scoring. First, scores should mean something. Second, performance scores should permit fair and meaningful comparisons. Third, validity-reducing errors should be minimal. Increased attention to performance assessment may overcome these problems. (SLD)