This study examined the test-retest reliability and criterion validity of basal mastery tests of three commercial reading series. Results indicated that reliability and validity of the test varied among and within instruments. Implications for developing and using basal mastery tests are discussed. (Author/MT)

A measure of specialty indecision was administered to 567 medical students along with measures of vocational development and exploratory behavior. Initial evaluation of the psychometric properties of the Specialty Indecision Scale indicate that it is internally consistent, relates more to specialty choice than to career choice, and inversely…

Disguising scale purpose by using an innocuous skill title and filler items had no effect on the reliability and validity of Rotter's Interpersonal Trust Scale. (Author)

Offers a case study of how one teacher used readability formulas to select the most appropriate materials for her students. Presents 10 suggestions that the teacher followed to avoid being tyrannized by the formulas. (FL)

The Mathematics Attribution Scale-Algebra (MAS) was designed to assess attributions to ability, effort, task, and environment for success or failure in algebra. The study examined the reliability and validity of the MAS with high ability high school students. Results present a complicated picture of the psychometric properties of the MAS. (Author)

Three numerical coefficients for analyzing the validity and reliability of ratings are described. Each coefficient is computed as the ratio of an obtained to a maximum sum of differences in ratings. The coefficients are also applicable to the item analysis, agreement analysis, and cluster or factor analysis of rating-scale data. (Author/BW)

Presents data from studies designed to determine the psychometric properties of the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI). Subjects included 294 school children and 269 children who were psychiatric inpatients. Results showed the CDI can distinguish children with emotional distress from normal school children. (BH)

Discusses the uses and limitations of a test designed to identify that reading disabled subgroup whose principal deficit is in the ability to deal with visual stimuli holistically. (AEA)

The Standardized Test of Essential Writing Skills (STEWS) has been developed as a valid and reliable means of assessing expository writing skill. Studies concerning the reliability and validity of the STEWS are presented and their implications for use of the STEWS are discussed. (Author/DWH)

This manual describes development and use of the revised "Scales for Rating the Behavioral Characteristics of Superior Students" (SRBCSS-R), a teacher judgment instrument appropriate for use as one measure in the identification of gifted students. Part 1 explains the judgmental and empirical procedures used to revise the items on the original…

Item writing is a major responsibility of trainers. Too often, qualified staff who prepare lessons carefully and teach conscientiously use inadequate tests that do not validly reflect the true level of trainee achievement. This monograph describes techniques for constructing multiple-choice items that measure student performance accurately. It…

The purpose of this study was to gather empirical evidence to compare the reliabilities and concurrent validities of multiple choice and true-false tests that were written to measure understandings and relationships in the same content areas. (Author)

Discusses, with illustrations, the difficulty of estimating college students' mathematical ability from the results of one or two examinations. (MM)

The objective of constructing this scale was to produce a short, balanced scale, to measure favourability of attitude to coloured people, containing items relevant to the British situation, likely to be meaningful even to 11-year-olds. (Author/JM)