The benefits of using essay tests rather than objective tests in professional education programs are discussed. Essay tests offer practice in writing, creativity and formal communications. Guidelines for using and scoring a sample essay test in biology are presented. (BH)

Results of the study reported include indications that student evaluations of college instructors tend to be higher when not anonymous and that undergraduate students' evaluations of instructors are lower after course marks are received. Problems associated with the use of student evaluations of instructors are discussed. (JMD)

To examine the premise that an overall cutting score on Basic Medical Sciences (BMS) tests allows medical students to enter clinical training despite deficiencies in certain subjects, cutting scores on four BMS tests were compared with those of discipline subtests. The original premise was not supported. (MH)

Examined the extent to which tutor ratings remained stable in the long term by evaluating 291 ratings of 140 tutors at Maastricht University in the Netherlands between 1992 and 1995. The results indicated that, if the aggregated score and overall judgement are used to interpret the precision of individual scores, four and two occasions,…

This study examined the validity and reliability of the Back Saver Sit-and-Reach test for middle school students. Students completed the test during physical education class. Results indicated that the test was moderately related to hamstring flexibility, but its relationship to lower back flexibility was quite low for both sexes. (SM)

Examines bias in Australian school examinations as it affects learners of languages other than English from different primary language backgrounds. Argues that the determination of whether tests are biased depends on how the test construct is defined and on whom is defining it. This issue is discussed within the context of a plan to compensate…

This study examined the temporal reliability of four quantitative measurements of linguistic behaviors in 20 preschool children observed in a naturalistic setting. Although inadequate reliability was found for the measure which used total number of words, very high reliability coefficients were obtained for the measures which used number of…

This study compared psychometric results on the Fear Survey Schedule for Children-II for 187 children and adolescents with mental retardation and 372 intellectually average students. The schedule demonstrated sound psychometric properties for both samples. Mentally retarded subjects scored significantly higher than the comparison sample, and their…

This study evaluated the internal reliability and face validity of a linguistically modified Self-Description Questionnaire and a sign language video presentation of the questionnaire items with 10 deaf students (ages 8 to 13). Results suggest that the modified measure and video presentation are appropriate for use with deaf students without…

Kindergarten children (n=101) were tested on the Bankson Language Test Second Edition and the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals Revised Screening Test and were given the tests again 7 months later. Results showed that the children scored higher on both tests at the second administration, without intervention from a speech-language…

This article discusses the use of language sample analysis (LSA) as a screening tool for preschool linguistic minority children due to the difficulty of using standardized tests in assessing language delays in speakers of minority dialects and languages. The use of LSA with seven African American preschoolers is examined. (CR)

This study examined the discriminant validity of the Trauma Symptom Checklist (TSC-40), developed to assess the impact of a history of sexual victimization, with a clinical sample of 103 men and 79 women. A history of child sexual abuse was associated with both high symptom levels and with elevation on the trauma subscale of the TSC-40. (Author/DB)

A brief history of developments in the assessment of the reliability of credentialing examinations is presented, and some new results are outlined that highlight the interactions among scoring, standard setting, and the reliability and validity of pass-fail decisions. Decision consistency is an important concept in evaluating credentialing…

A way to assess knowledge acquired through simulation-based learning (intuitive knowledge) is presented. A "WHAT-IF" test item format is developed, and two pilot studies involving 74 college students responding to WHAT-IF items are described. The tests did tap improvement in learning, although test validity was only partially supportive.…

Thirty students with dyslexia (mean age 13.5), 30 readers without disabilities, and 30 younger readers (mean age 8.9) were assessed to test the validity of the Reading Style Inventory (RSI). The RSI was not able to accurately profile children with dyslexia in terms of their cerebral hemisphere preferences. (CR)