The need for reliable, valid, and economical preschool screening measures to identify psychoeducational problems as mandated by P.L. 94-142 (the Education for All Handicapped Child Act) led to the development of the Minneapolis Preschool Screening Instrument (MPSI). (SW)

Nonrestricted-answer, multiple-choice test items are recommended as a way of including more facts and fewer incorrect answers in test items, and they do not cue successful guessing as restricted multiple choice items can. Examination construction, scoring, and reliability are discussed. (MSE)

Explored the relationship between the Revised Peabody Picture Vocabulary test (PPVT-R) and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) for a sample of 38 mentally retarded children. Found the PPVT-R correlated significantly with the WISC-R Verbal Performance and Full Scale IQ scores. (Author)

Raises questions about the wisdom of relying on any single measure, especially a norm-referenced one such as the ACT, for making selective admission, retention, and certification decisions in teacher education. (FL)

Investigations of the Inventory of Learning Processes (ILP) with college freshmen revealed satisfactory internal consistency coefficients for two of the four ILP scales but cast doubt on the factor structure of the inventory. As predictors of grade point average of Australian students, the scales were successful. (Author/GK)

Thirty nine 11-year-old children were given the same unilateral word-naming task on two separate occasions. A test-retest reliability of .46 was a function of both reading ability and sex. (Author)

Achievement test reliability and validity as a function of ability were determined for multiple sections of a large undergraduate French class. Results did not support previous arguments that decreasing the number of options results in a more efficient test for high-level examinees, but less efficient for low-level examinees. (Author/GK)

Presents evidence that attests to the potential usefulness of the MCI in science education research. Describes the first use of the MCI specifically in science education research and current research efforts that reveal satisfactory internal consistency, discriminant validity, and predictive validity of the MCI scales. (CS)

Functional-level testing is fundamental to the evaluation models of the Elementary Secondary Education Act Title I Evaluation and Reporting System, although criteria for determining what is a functional-level test are unclear. Reliability and validity of test scores in the range of chance is at issue. (Author/RL)

Reports the reliability, validity, and unidimensionality of New Environmental Paradigm (NEP) scale, an instrument designed to measure how people feel about nature. Based on statewide samples of farmers (N=348) and metropolitan residents (N=407) of Iowa, the NEP was determined to be valid, reliable, and multidimensional, measuring three distinct…

Short forms containing 24 or 25 items each were developed for the Individualized Classroom Environment Questionnaire, the My Class Inventory, and the Classroom Environment Scale. Reliability and validity data are reported. (Author/BW)

A self-administered rating scale containing 24 items thought to reflect the major components of Type A behavior was developed to assess Type A behavior in children. The scale was judged to be reliable after tests were conducted among 160 public school fifth and sixth graders and yielded the following factors: "eagergy"…

Provides information on statistical data and jargon so that English department members can more confidently and responsibly identify the inevitable weaknesses and limitations of both tests of writing ability and the research on them. (RL)

Presents and discusses a variety of psychometric information pertaining to the American Association of Mental Deficiency (AAMD) Adaptive Behavior Scale. Presents reliability and validity data. Delineates the technical characteristics of the AAMD Adaptive Behavior Scale. (Author/RC)

Suggests that the Barrett-Lennard Relationship Inventory (RI) has many advantages as a measure of marital satisfaction. This article describes these advantages and the instrument itself: scoring, forms, and evidence for reliability and validity. Recommendations for using the RI to measure marital satisfaction are also discussed. (Author)