Rating scales of the "scaled behavioral expectation" type were developed to measure the constructs of independence and initiative, conscientiousness, enthusiasm, critical facility, teaching skills, research and experimentation, communication, and persistence. The scales were used by faculty in three psychology departments, two chemistry…

The Student Observation of Teachers and Teaching Techniques instrument (StOTT) was developed by high school students who served on the Student Advisory Board to the Pennsylvania Department of Education. The StOTT instrument consists of 32 items. Each of the first 29 is included in one of the subscales: Teacher-Student Relations, Grades and…

To what degree testing can become adaptive is considered in three ways: from a formal methodological perspective; from a human process, stability, perspective; and from a sub-system or component view within an adaptive instructional system (AIS). With the advent of large computer-based training systems, the opportunity to broadly implement…

Recognizing that the first step in compliance with the 1964 Civil Rights Act requires the identification of racial attitudes, the Extension 4-H and Youth program utilized the Situational Attitude Scale (SAS) to assess the attitudes of its white professional staff toward blacks. This concern is based in part on the Extension's commitment to a…

The predictive validity of the Comparative Guidance and Placement Program (CGP) tests for two diverse curricular groups was examined. Three methods for developing predictive equations were compared. The CGP was administered to 417 Liberal Studies and 316 Business Technical students at a New England community college. Principal component analyses…

It is asserted in this paper that some standardized tests do not do a good job of what they claim to do, and for some testing purposes nonstandardized tests are more appropriate or efficient. Under present circumstances, group I.Q. tests should be abolished. They provide no useful information that cannot be gained from achievement tests. And what…

Problems in the interpretation of standardized tests used to group children of limited backgrounds, cultural bias in tests, and the misuse of tests are considered. Reports on the use of specific tests with disadvantaged students are reviewed and some of the efforts being made to provide better interpretive data are discussed. Alternative…

In Part I of this report, educational accountability is viewed as being composed of three types. They are: goal, program, and outcome accountability. In addition, three accountability schemes which are considered exemplary of the kinds of proposals presently made and which cover a broad range of accountability types are also discussed. The schemes…

An investigation was conducted to determine whether the Parental Attitude and Behavior Inventory (PABI) Form III, a lengthy self-report instrument (577 items each for both parents) for assessing parents' attitudes and behavior toward their children and each other, could be shortened to a more feasible length. This terminal report summarizes the…

In a comparative evaluation of a standard true-false format for personality assessment and a forced-choice format, subjects from college residential units were assigned randomly to respond either to the forced-choice or standard true-false form of the Personality Research Form (PRF). All subjects also rated themselves and the members of their…

Noting that improving the quality of learning in primary schools and preparing children for a long, complex life in the twenty-first century requires the highest quality of teaching and professional training, this book is part of a series to improve teachers' skills in the classroom. The book is intended to offer primary school teachers a means of…

This text prepares students to quantify observations through psychological testing. Measurement is critical in all the subareas of psychology, and the text begins by discussing the applications of testing in the subdisciplines of psychology. The book also discusses the extent to which tests are actually used. Early chapters discuss general…

Presents two scales constructed to measure farmers' attitudinal changes toward improved agricultural practices and toward adult literacy as a result of their participation in the Farmers' Functional Literacy Programme in India. (MF)

Gives examples of major sources of unreliability in multiple choice items in health professions classroom achievement tests (clues to response combinations, mutually exclusive alternatives, implausible distractors) and offers some suggestions for eliminating them when writing such tests. (MF)

This study evaluated the reliability and validity of a battery of instruments based on Multiple Intelligences theory, including teacher checklists and performance-based assessment activities developed for the identification of talent in culturally diverse and/or low-income kindergarten and first-grade students. Acceptable reliability but…