A higher education version of the Diligence Inventory for Secondary Students was developed to address student effort in regard to his/her educational development. Undergraduate and graduate students completed the survey. The new version underwent some structural modifications in the scales, but both versions possessed excellent reliability and…

This article addresses issues concerned with providing testing accommodations for students with disabilities. It discusses policy and legal considerations, existing standards, research on current practice, and research on technical concerns. It recommends a research program on testing accommodations for students with disabilities. (Author/DB)

Data from parent reports on 1,803 children, derived from the MacArthur Communicative Development Inventories, are used to describe the course of communicative development between 8 and 30 months of age. Found wide variability in children's rate of lexical, gestural, and grammatical development; correlations between several components of language…

An 82-item multidimensional questionnaire, the Verona Service Satisfaction Scale, was recently developed in Italy to measure client satisfaction with psychiatric services. The scale contains 29 items from the English Service Satisfaction Scale. Psychometric characteristics and test use are discussed. Results support the use of the scale in service…

A study of the usefulness of the Anticipated Student Adjustment to College Questionnaire found it to be reliable and predictably related to a variety of pre- and postmatriculation self-report student data and real-life student behaviors. Uses of the instrument in high school and college are considered. (Author/MSE)

Looks at the large-scale experiments on the testing of oral proficiency in English, French, and German that have been carried out over the last five years in the Swedish gymnasium. Various kinds of tasks and different grading criteria have been used, and the practical problems of scheduling and of teacher training have been discussed. (nine…

This review of the Test of Early Written Language concludes that the test succeeds in identifying students who are below their peers in writing and in measuring long-term gains in written language achievement; but its format makes it difficult to document specific strengths and weaknesses and its reliability; and validity have not been…

This study focused on the validation of Generalizable Reasoning Skills assessment instruments with students with disabilities in secondary vocational programs. Results indicated that student self-ratings, teacher ratings, and a performance test were internally consistent and precise measures of reasoning skills for some uses but that most…

A study reveals the need for extensive refinement of the Revised Perceived Environmental Control Measure purported in the past to be a reliable and valid instrument to measure the relationship between the psychological construct, "locus of control," and environmental action or environmentally responsible behavior. (MCO)

This article briefly reviews findings from more than 250 research studies on instructional leadership and productive schools and discusses development and field testing of a needs assessment instrument for assessment of the continuing education needs of principals. (IAH)

The Consent Screening Interview was developed to enable consumers with mental retardation to express views and preferences about community residential placements and indicate to service providers their ability to give informed consent. Analysis of content and construct validity and interrater reliability, involving 69 subjects, revealed that the…

This study, involving 24 children or adolescents with pervasive developmental disorders, assessed 3 autism scales: Autism Behavior Checklist, Real Life Rating Scale, and Childhood Autism Rating Scale. The study analyzed interrater reliability, correlations between pairs of the three scales, diagnostic classification cutoff scores, and…

Researchers studied the reliability of the modified push-up test in measuring upper body strength and endurance in elementary through college students. It also examined the accuracy of partner scoring. The test proved much easier to administer than the regular floor push-up. It was valid and reliable for all students and suitable for partner…

The development and testing of a measure of pharmacy student performance in the clinical setting is described. Participating faculty refined an instrument for its ability to measure eight behavioral objectives of patient presentation. Items were of Likert or dichotomous format and measured problem-solving and communication skills. (Author/MSE)

Two parent report inventories geared at assessing language skills in toddlers are examined, in terms of reliability, validity, and application. The MacArthur Communicative Development Inventory: Toddlers and the Language Development Survey are compared and their combined use in handicap identification is discussed. (PB)