The construct validity of reading comprehension test items was studied in a two-stage process. Five characteristics of task difficulty were defined and a heterogeneous set of 52 items were rated for these characteristics. Then correlations were obtained between ratings and item difficulty data. (CTM)

When a number of school readiness tests were used with a group of 322 kindergarten children to predict end of first-grade Metropolitan Achievement Test scores, no evidence of racial bias and only minimal effects of sex bias were found in the predictions based on analysis of variance. (CTM)

A job involvement measure adapted to reflect course involvement was unrelated to age, sex, class rank, and tested verbal ability. However, it was significantly and positively related to achievement motivation, locus of control, Protestant ethic attitudes, academic satisfaction, and performance. (Author/CP)

Relationships among Piagetian reasoning assessments and standard measures of intelligence and achievement were determined in 1972 by Stephens, McLaughlin, Miller, and Glass (EJ 055 112). The data were reanalyzed by Humphreys and Parsons in 1979 (EJ 218 642). In reply, Glass and Stephens note fallacies in Humphreys' and Parsons' reasoning.…

Later scholastic success is most highly related to early measures of achievement, affective status, and underperformance; affective status significantly predicts later social adjustment. Thus, neither poverty nor low achievement, both currently favored as Title I allocation criteria, should be used as sole indicators of need. (CP)

Examined are questions pertinent to the use of the Position Analysis Questionnaire: Who can use the PAQ reliably and validly? Must one rely on trained job analysts? Can people having no direct contact with the job use the PAQ reliably and validly? Do response biases influence PAQ responses? (Author/KC)

The generalizability of norms and concurrent validity of the Adaptive Behavior Inventory for Children (ABIC) was investigated with samples of 482 first-, third-, and fifth-grade children stratified by sociocultural group (White, Black, Hispanic, and Native American Papago). (Author)

The connection between attitudes toward higher education and course evaluation follows from theories of central directive states and communicative balance. Course evaluation is related to: (1) students' and instructors' own and perceived attitudes toward higher education and college teaching, and (2) congruence between these attitudes. (Author/CP)

Selective admissions may become an archaic notion for undergraduate institutions due to intensified competition for enrollments and a marketing mentality in recruiting students. It is likely that technical development of tests will continue on an incremental basis as testing agencies try to meet public criteria of fairness and credibility. (FG)

Raw scores on WISC-R subtests and the verbal, performance, and full scale IQ scales were correlated with age separately for White and Black males and females. The relationship between age and intelligence test performance was constant across race and sex and supports the construct validity of the WISC-R. (Author/RD)

The practical problems of constructing and using culture fair intelligence tests cannot be solved without a thorough theoretical analysis of research findings on cultural differences and on structures and definitions of intelligence, especially the concepts of fluid and crystallized intelligence. Part of a theme issue on intelligence. (Author/SJL)

Presents a questionnaire which can be used by teachers to assess individual differences in the social behavior of nursery school children. Evidence for the instrument's reliability and validity is included. (CM)

Criticizes the revised examination for the English Certificate, Oral Section, on these points: validity and reliability of the examination forms, and claims of authenticity, range, and accuracy in evaluation of language competence in the section called "Everyday Situations." (IFS/WGA)

The relative magnitudes of R-squared values computed through multiple regression models using grade equivalent scores, raw scores, standard scores, and percentiles as both predictor and criterion variables are compared. Grade equivalents and standard scores produced the highest R-squared values. (Author/JKS)

Generalizability theory was used to study the occurrence and generalizability of classroom interaction measures. Results indicated infrequent occurrence and lack of generalizability of many behaviors of the Brophy-Good Teacher-Child Dyadic Interaction System. (JKS)