Current status and new developments in behavioral assessment for clinicians and researchers are discussed. The field of behavioral assessment has attained a recognizable identity in recent years. Behavioral assessment can be defined as the identification of meaningful response units and their controlling variables for the purposes of…

After an extensive review of the available research on large-scale writing assessment, certain issues in writing assessment seem to be unresolved, and still other issues are not supported by adequate research. This paper reviews the basic issues in writing assessment, points out which topics are supported by strong research, and which topics are…

The authors state that this monograph provides information on how teachers and other school officials may assist students to score better on tests. The emphasis is on the development of test-taking skills, rather than on cognitive development. The contents include: (1) matching objectives, instruction, and testing; (2) assessment and test anxiety;…

Security procedures for the New Jersey High School Proficiency Test (HSPT) are discussed and evaluated. All New Jersey high school students are required to pass the HSPT, which was administered for the first time in 1984. Generally, security plans are designed to limit access to test questions prior to test administration and to prevent…

Forty-six tests from the Kit of Factor-Referenced Cognitive Tests, published by the Educational Testing Service, were used in an investigation of the factor structure of the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery. The overall kit contains 72 fairly short tests that have been developed to serve as markers for 23 factors that appear in the…

This report focuses on a myriad of national, state, and local laws, regulations and court decisions which govern the everyday work of industrial and organizational psychologists. Legislation already in effect and legislation still pending are discussed. Citing relevant legislation and court decisions throughout the text, the paper addresses such…

Inclusion of oral exams as a regular part of the school-based testing program has the advantages of providing motivation to learn oral skills, oral testing experience, additional opportunities for students to perform well, and improved relationships with students. However, logistical problems can be substantial. Adequate time for and efficient…

Barbara Jordan served as the hearing officer for three-day adversary evaluation hearings about the pros and cons of minimum competency testing (MCT). This report is the complete transcript of the second day of proceedings. The pro team, lead by James Popham, began by presenting representatives of four states (Florida, California, Texas, and…

The study was designed to examine the similarity of response options generated by different item writers using a systematic approach to item writing. The similarity of response options to student responses for the same item stems presented in an open-ended format was also examined. A non-systematic (subject matter expertise) approach and a…

Recent attempts to reduce the adverse impact of examinations have focused on alternatives to written tests. The present report, however, demonstrates how the adverse impact of written tests can be reduced by correcting for the degree to which a job applicant had been educationally and/or economically disadvantaged or deprived. A measure of…

A Spanish translation of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC) was tested for reliability among kindergarten to ninth grade Puerto Rican children. The study was prompted by the concern expressed in previous studies that translated and adapted intelligence tests, which have been standardized primarily with children of one culture, do…

An overview of the articles and definition of terms for the journal topic of domain reference testing. (HB)

The controversy over the use of standardized tests with minority-group children has generally ignored the issue of examiner race and sex factors on test performance. This study investigated the effects of the race and sex of a test examiner and the anxiety level of the subjects and their achievement test performance. Examiners (E) of different…

The internal consistency of the test for Auditory Comprehension of Language (TACL), as it is used in the diagnostic assessment of the language comprehension of black, low socioeconomic preschool children, was investigated in this study. 30 three year old and 30 four year old black Headstart children from Pulaski County, Arkansas were given the…

This issue reports on 19 research studies on Mexican American and Puerto Rican children. Research interest in Mexican American life and history is rising especially among Mexican American researchers. Seven separate research areas are discussed in this report; (1) history, (2) social mobility and assimilation, (3) community power, (4) reading…