Conducted a series of studies (N=627) to develop and validate the Supervisory Styles Inventory (SSI), with parallel versions for supervisors and trainees. Four separate analyses consistently revealed three factors among the perceptions of heterogeneous samples of trainees and experienced supervisors, which suggests that supervisory style is…

Factor analysis of the Gifted Student Screening Scale (GSSS) indicated that it is appropriate for use with both gifted and nongifted students. Cross-validation using discriminant analysis showed that the GSSS stably differentiated gifted and nongifted students. Cut-scores for identifying students for further testing for gifted programs were…

Developed a measure of burnout for college students and created a profile of burned-out students based on "level of functioning" variables. Students (N=120) completed a series of tests. Results showed burnout to be related to measures of memory, learning style, self-esteem, vocational self-concept, and sensation seeking. (BH)

The axioms of a three-set Guttman simplex model are presented and the effects of relaxing the axioms for one of the three sets are examined. This model can be used to define longitudinal developmental scales. (NSF)

Discusses two studies that explore the possibilities of adopting the C-Test (which involves the deletion of the second half of every other word in the text, leaving the first and last sentence intact) for testing Hebrew. Suggests the test be used with the cloze test for assessing similar things. (SED)

This study analyzed the results of applying two different methods of likert-scale construction (single-column and discrepancy-column formats). The findings indicated that the discrepancy format provides stronger discrimination for purposes of measuring need. (Author/BW)

A widely used preschool screening test, DIAL (Developmental Indicators for the Assessment of Learning) was revised and restandardized on a national sample of 2,447 children. The rationale for the test construction and test standardization are discussed and the establishment of norms in the form of cut-off points are described. (Author/CL)

Some problems associated with the criteria of reproducibility and scalability as they are used in Guttman scalogram analysis to evaluate cumulative, nonparametric scales of dichotomous items are discussed. A computer program is presented which analyzes response patterns elicited by dichotomous scales designed to be cumulative. (Author/DWH)

The nontechnical ability to identify or match argumentative structure is considered by many to be an important reasoning skill. Instruments that have questions designed to measure this skill include major standardized tests for graduate school admission, for example, the Law School Admission Test (LSAT), the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), and…

The purpose of this study was to examine the recovery of item parameters in simulated Automatic Item Generation (AIG) conditions, using Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) estimation methods to attempt to recover the generating distributions. To do this, variability in item and ability parameters was manipulated. Realistic AIG conditions were…

This handbook contains instruments to gather literacy assessment data. The instruments are either discussed in "Windows into Literacy: Assessing Learners, K-8," or they are related to other instruments discussed in that book. The instruments may be photocopied by teachers for use in assessment or revised to answer teachers' questions about their…

This discussion of the challenges associated with contemporary assessments opens with the description of an assessment grid. The grid, which contains 11 dimensions on which assessments may vary and examples of its use, form the first third of the book. The National Assessment of Educational Progress, two international studies, and the Kentucky…

This digest introduces ways of responding to the call for criterion-referenced information using Bayes' Theorem, a method that was coupled with criterion-referenced testing in the early 1970s (see R. Hambleton and M. Novick, 1973). To illustrate Bayes' Theorem, an example is given in which the goal is to classify an examinee as being a master or…

This Digest draws from the current literature and the author's experience to identify suggestions for developing performance assessments and their accompanying scoring rubrics. This Digest, part 1, addresses writing goals and objectives and developing performance assessments. Before a performance assessment or scoring rubric is written or…

This paper shows that a substantial degree of invariance can be attained with an examination not explicitly designed to do so, provides an example of how invariance can be demonstrated through plots, and dispels misconceptions concerning the rigidity of the definition of invariance. Responses of 177 examinees to 94 items of a final examination…