Term papers written by 42 students in two subjects were assessed by their classmates and by lecturers in the relevant subjects. No difference occurred between lecturers and students in average marks, variations in marks, agreement in marks (reliability), or relationship between marks and performance in final examinations (validity). (Author/MSE)

Teacher trainees enrolled in graduate-level, special education methods courses were asked to rate themselves on the attainment of eight teaching competencies. Their self-evaluations were correlated with independent ratings by three teacher trainers who participated as expert raters. Self-ratings and ratings by participating experts did not…

Describes an experiment conducted by the English department at the University of Missouri, Columbia, in which a brief essay written at home was used to help place incoming freshmen in appropriate writing classes. (JL)

A sample of 38 ninth-grade students was tested with a randomized response questionnaire designed to ask respondents sensitive questions with the assurance that responses would remain anonymous. Results of the investigation indicate that this technique can be used effectively with ninth-grade students and with large groups of individuals to obtain…

Evaluated 11 of the most popular tests used by school psychologists in Illinois as to their technical adequacy along three dimensions: norms, reliability, and validity. Results suggested that the most popular tests used by school psychologists are not typically technically adequate devices. (Author)

Examines circumstances leading to elimination of the Professional and Administrative Career Examination (PACE), which was agreed to in the Luevano et al. v. Campbell consent decree. The validation project, the psychometric properties, and the impact on applicant flow of the PACE are summarized. Possible ramifications are discussed. (Author)

Explores the controversy surrounding truth-in-testing legislation. Presents the arguments in support of it and responses from concerned educators and opponents of legislation. At the heart of the debate is whether legislation of college admissions tests is necessary and beneficial to the education process and, ultimately, to the student.…

The test battery and the norms groups are briefly described. Questions are raised about the reliability and validity data in the manual. The Test of Learning Ability and the Educational Planning Questionnaire are indicated to be useful additions to the battery. (CTM)

Examines the current models (genetic-deficit and cultural-deprivation) which explain IQ and achievement differences between members of the dominant and nondominant cultures. Concludes that both paradigms place blame on children and their families, and divert attention from the need to equalize wealth and power. (DA)

A comparative evaluation was made of the ability of four Academic Tests of the American College Test (ACT) Assessment Program and Descriptive Tests of Language Skills (DTLS) to predict course grades and freshman grade-point average for students enrolled in a basic skills program at a large university. (Author/GK)

Discusses the most widely used individual intelligence tests: Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC) and Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale (Form L-M). Covers what the tests measure; psychometric or technical properties of the tests; and how test results are used. (JOW)

Describes the development and evaluation of a multidimensional measure of beliefs by an interdisciplinary research team and based on a framework of goals and objectives for nutrition education in grades K-12. (CS)

Medical and dental students were administered two short confidence-scored tests on cellular and molecular biology. Increases in test reliability and predictive validity were found when test scores were adjusted for realism, but were not statistically significant. (Author/MH)

Richard F. Thompson and Michael G. Southwell separately discuss William J. McCleary's article on reliability and validity problems in composition research (see EJ 210 755); Chris Madigan questions the data on composing processes of freshman writers reported by Sharon Pianko (see EJ 204 419); and C. T. Patrick Diamond examines the issue of the…

The use of modified essay questions (MEQs), developed at the University of Newcastle to assess clinical problem-solving, is reported. Reliability estimates as high as 0.91 were reported. The validity of assessment by MEQ was based on one model of medical problem-solving and another of cognitive skill taxonomies. (Author/MLW)