With increasing emphasis upon accountability, assessment in general, and communication competency in particular, is placing more demands upon human and financial resources. Therefore, those making the decisions about what and how to assess various factors must make informed, ethical, and responsible decisions. To that end, this paper provides a…

A study tested the validity and reliability of a structured interpersonal communication encounter method of assessing interpersonal communication proficiency. Subjects, 13 graduate students in Communicative Disorders, were assessed 2 times within 3 weeks by interacting with 2 different test initiators. Two tests of validity and two tests of…

Because previous reports have suggested that the lowered validity of tests scored with empirical option weights might be explained by a capitalization of the keying procedures on omitting tendencies, a procedure was devised to key options empirically with a "correction-for-guessing" constraint. (Author)

A sample of 126 adult psychiatric outpatients was administered the Psychological Screening Inventory. Discriminant function analysis revealed 18 percent misclassification for clinical scale scoring and 22 percent misclassification for factor scoring. As in similar studies with other instruments, factor analysis did not provide a superior basis for…

The investigations reported in this article serve a dual purpose. First, validity and reliability data relative to the School Counselor Attitude Inventory (SCAI) are presented for the users of that instrument. Secondly, those who share an interest in tests and measurement may find the presentation instructive. (Author)

Behavioral flexibility has long been recognized as an essential component of communication competence. A study served to develop a communication flexibility scale and corresponding validity and reliability information, and examined the relationship between communication flexibility and related constructs. The Communication Flexibility Scale…

A series of studies were conducted to develop a communication openness measure (COM) based on the concept of openness as specific message sending and receiving behaviors. A model of communication behaviors was first developed, consisting of three parts--who communicates to whom, how, and about what? Based on the model, two forms of a 120-item…

Information about current assessment practices was obtained from 54 surveys completed by Handicapped Children's Early Education Program (HCEEP) demonstration projects across the United States. Information about factors influencing the selection and continued use of tests also was provided. Results indicated that 19 tests were used by five or more…

Standardized reading tests and associated issues involved in the teaching of reading skills are discussed, with illustrative examples of reading tests commonly used in Australia. The nature of standardized reading tests is analyzed, and the circumstances under which such tests should be used are outlined. Interpretation of scores from standardized…

Of the 15 substantive papers in this report, 12 focus on the use of the Kent Infant Development (KID) Scale with severely handicapped children. The KID Scale measures 252 behaviors usually developed during the first year of life in five domains (cognitive, motor, language, self-help, and social). It was successfully adapted to elicit reliable…

This article discusses practical and theoretical problems related to the measurement of formal operations. The first section of the article discusses problems in measuring formal operations using the clinical interview method. These problems include the lack of both a standardized interview and a uniform scoring procedure. Section two discusses…

Kapes and Sievert's (1973) research on the difference between wooden and plastic peg boards for the GATB is replicated. The results indicate that individuals tested on the wooden equipment perform significantly higher than those tested on the plastic equipment. (Author/PC)

The present study was designed to examine the construct validity, reliability, item difficulties, discrimination indices, effectiveness and efficiency of the CCAT test. (Author)