This technical note describes part of the work done to develop student achievement tests in reading and mathematics for use in a later phase of the Beginning Teacher Evaluation Study. While the achievement battery consists primarily of group-administered multiple-choice test items, several individual-testing studies were conducted to examine the…

This paper deals with measurement of language dominance at the early-childhood level using a rating scale to help bilingual programs with student classification and placement. Some of the assumptions unique in the measurement of language dominance are discussed and applied to the validation procedure on a Spanish/English language dominance scale…

An elementary survey of item characteristic curve theory, centered around the problems of individualized (tailored) testing, is presented. Following the introduction, discussions are provided of the following: Test Theory for Itemized Tests; The Guttman Scale; Item Characteristic Curve Theory; An Alternative Model; Specialization, Application, and…

The rod and frame performance of 70 children, 5 to 7 years of age, with respect to sex and age differences, reliability, and its relationship to general intelligence, was investigated. The rod and frame test was administered individually and again following a period of 35 to 69 days, at which time the Lorge Thorndike Intelligence Test, form 1A,…

The score distributions of the two methods of administration described in the title revealed comparable means, standard deviations, and general shape of distribution. With respect to validity coefficients, no appreciable differences were found. (JKS)

This paper presents the development of the Arabic Picture Vocabulary Test (APVT), derived from the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised, for use in assessing the aural-vocabulary of newly arrived limited English proficiency children, from kindergarten through grade three, whose first language is Arabic. The APVT, an individually administered…

The Pre-Reading Assessment Inventory (PRAI) was designed to fill a need for a wide-range, individually administered diagnostic test of a child's prereading skills (especially auditory blending and segmenting), knowledge, encoding and decoding strategies, and understandings about the reading task. The test development was based upon the research…

Describes a study whose aim was to improve the quality of the structured oral interviews used in Denmark to test the English proficiency of high school students after five years of instruction. The study focused on construct validity and interscorer reliability. (SED)

As part of the evaluation of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) Title I Migrant Program, this study investigated whether teacher judgment of oral language proficiency could be used as a covariate in analyzing the reading test scores of migrant children, so that their possible lack of English proficiency could be taken into account…

Student test scores are increasingly used to judge the competence of the educational enterprise. Exaggeration of scores is the result of directing attention away from the individual student achievement to the average scores of schools, districts, and states. Implications and recommendations are discussed. (BJV)

This document includes the Early Screening Inventory: Revised (ESI-R), a developmental screening instrument for 3- to 6-year-olds, and an examiner's manual. The inventory comprises two sample scoring sheets, one for preschool (ages 3-4) and one for kindergarten (ages 4-6), and a parent questionnaire. The inventory is intended to be individually…

Computer adaptive testing systems are feasible for certification and licensure testing. This is in part due to the availability of extensive yet inexpensive computers. Modern item response theory, combined with computerized adaptive testing, yields a powerful new method of testing which provides greater accuracy and efficiency and less boredom for…

When selecting standardized reading tests for purposes of decision making, the school psychologist must answer several questions, such as "What reading skills do I wish to assess?" or "How do I judge if the test is technically adequate?" Recommendations for test selection are made within the context of these questions.…

Noting that accurate procedures for predicting reading ability in school settings are necessary for a variety of purposes, this paper reviews methods for predicting reading ability and presents a new, more precise model for use at the second grade level. First, the paper defines reading expectancy as an informed estimate of the level of reading…

The rationale and development of a new series of motion picture tests of perceptual abilities of young children are described, and preliminary data regarding their reliability and validity are presented. The data suggests that the film tests are promising new perceptual measurement instruments. (MS)