In the context of developing assessment instruments in psychology, issues of standardization, norming procedures, and test reliability and validity are discussed. Criteria, guidelines, and rules of thumb are provided to help the clinician with instrument selection for a given psychological assessment. (SLD)

The Child Abuse and Trauma Scale, a self-report measure yielding a quantitative index of the frequency and extent of negative experiences in childhood and adolescence, was administered to 1,198 college students and 17 subjects with Multiple Personality Disorder. Results revealed the scale's strong internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and…

Analysis of social competence and problem behaviors for 164 special education students in grades K-3, using the Social Skills Rating System, found weak to moderate relationships between parents' and teachers' ratings. Gender comparisons revealed mixed findings. Results provide evidence for the instrument's convergent validity and suggest that…

Examines Nickels's claim that interactive models of lexical access in speech production cannot account for naming data from a group of anomic patients. This paper reiterates that the behavior of connectionist models is not easily predictable without running the appropriate simulations, and discusses the role of frequency in lexical access in…

Outlines a CRADLE (Collections, Reflections, Assessment, Documentation, Linkages, and Evaluation) approach to portfolio development and use in English-as-a-Second-Language classrooms. This approach focuses on a long-term commitment to portfolio usage by teachers, students, parents, and administrators. (MDM)

Methodological issues in geropsychological assessment research are discussed and illustrated through recent investigations. Cross-sectional studies are needed to extend and diversify age norms, and short-term longitudinal studies should be planned to assess the predictive validity of test outcomes and diagnostic profiles of older adults. (SLD)

A theoretical model is presented, suggesting stakeholder involvement in establishing the process of decision making in school-conducted needs assessment. Stakeholder involvement affects the validity of the selected needs, with validity defined as teacher agreement with needs selection. Data from a survey of 151 teachers support the model. (SLD)

This 3.5 year follow-up study concerns a behavioral treatment of stuttering for children aged 9 to 14 years, which involved awareness training, use of a competing response, and social support. Six of seven participants continued to be at or below the criterion of three percent stuttered words. Stuttering increased for one child, but remained far…

This article discusses issues involved in second language testing at the secondary school level in Britain. It focuses on the rationale for second language testing and the need to address criticisms of language tests, such as test validity and authenticity of tasks. (nine references) (MDM)

Describes the development of the School-Age Temperament Inventory (SATI) as a parental report of children ages 8 through 11 years. A total of 435 mothers and 228 of their spouses served as parent informants in its assessment. Suggests that the SATI has adequate validity and reliability for use in research and structured parenting programs,…

Two statistical approaches for adjusting grades were tested on data obtained from four American law schools (642 students). Neither item response theory nor the general linear model yielded consistent improvements in the predictive validity of Law School Admission Test scores and undergraduate grades for three schools. (SLD)

Reports the development of a multidimensional instrument of stable coping styles that focuses on whether one's problem-focused coping efforts were facilitating or inhibiting progress toward problem resolution. Describes steps of scale construction, provides initial estimates of stability of factor structure and construct, concurrent, and…

The validity and reliability of a scale measuring attitudes toward foreign language were studied with 536 high school seniors. Results of principal components analysis identified five interpretable dimensions and suggested the need to improve the internal structure of the measure. (SLD)

Teacher-Student Congruence was quantified by comparing 52-item descriptive profiles of 38 at-risk students, completed by both kindergarten teachers and receiving first-grade teachers, and reading achievement scores. Congruence in terms of student readiness, language, and perceptual/motor descriptors evidenced predictive validity. (Author/JDD)

A study of 20 first-year students at a small liberal arts college investigated the extent to which an adaptation of the Student Adjustment to College Questionnaire could predict student disillusionment with college. Results and implications for facilitating student adjustment are examined. (MSE)