The Racial Attitudes and Perceptions Survey (RAPS) was developed to obtain information from black and white military personnel, including reports of the frequencies of specific discriminatory behaviors and the tension levels associated with each race. The instrument was evaluated in terms of its construct validity and its reliability. Attitudes…

This speech deals with the assumptions and approaches underlying educational assessment and suggests alternatives to standardized testing. It is proposed that the assumption that test items can be standardized is at the base of assessment problems; while there are standard mental functions which children develop, there are no standard items that…

The reliability and validity of the Student Opinion Survey of Teaching (SOST) were assessed, and normative data were provided for judging its value in the evaluation of faculty teaching. Data were collected from 2,229 students enrolled in 93 classes taught by 53 instructors in 12 academic disciplines at the University of Windsor, Ontario. Internal…

A chronicle of the problems faced in an attempt to collect data on sociology curriculum trends in California's community college system is presented. The project was initiated in an effort to determine if other colleges in the system were experiencing the same difficulties with curriculum and enrollment in sociology courses being encountered by…

Six approaches to assessing test item bias were examined: transformed item difficulty, point biserial correlations, chi-square, factor analysis, one parameter item characteristic curve, and three parameter item characteristic curve. Data sets for analysis were generated by a Monte Carlo technique based on the three parameter model; thus, four…

Longitudinal data on the auditory forward and backward digit span (FDS and BDS) subtests of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC) were obtained at five age levels (between 6 and 13), in samples of white and black children. Factor analysis and analysis of variance of the data were conducted to test 5 hypotheses, related to Jensen's…

The validity and reliability of essay scores were examined by comparing the mean scores assigned to good and poor quality essay responses of different lengths written by high school sophomores. In-service and pre-service social studies teachers graded essay responses to a test question requiring knowledge of the Constitutional provisions for…

Two tests, one with six cursive shapes and the other with six colored angular shapes to be arranged artistically, were examined to determine whether the degree of non-verbal artistic aspects of creativity is greater in products of individuals or in products of groups. Each test was give both individually and in small groups to 499 students (grades…

An experiment using game-theory to teach a unit on "fallacies" in logic was conducted at Oakton Community College. One experimental and two control group lecture-style classes were taught by three teachers using the same text and final test. The experimental class, after an introductory segment presented in lecture style, were involved in a…

Studies of teacher rating form (TRF) generalizability have focused primarily on two classes of variables: student characteristics and teacher characteristics. Since the goal of most TRF researchers is to show that TRF scores correlate with teacher-produced student achievement, a suitable generalizability study would investigate the relationship…

Seven liberal arts colleges participated in exploratory studies designed to determine the predictive value vis-a-vis freshman grades of scores from a 208-item, self-report inventory, the Personal Values Inventory (PVI). The PVI was developed to yield scores relatively independent of traditional measures of scholastic aptitude but at the same time…

This paper reports the results of an evaluative statistical analysis of the instrument employed for student evaluation of faculty at Oakton Community College (Illinois). The analysis was performed because the locally devised instrument had never been subjected to systematic study of reliability or validity, and because a review of pertinent…

In order to improve on their selection, promotion, and identification decisions regarding high level management personnel, many large corporations, some small ones, and several governmental agencies have resorted to the assessment center approach. Briefly, the assessment center is an intensive multiple-techniques evaluation process. Candidates for…

Research which resulted in the development of the United States Employment Service Specific Aptitude Test Battery for use in selecting inexperienced or untrained individuals for training as Maintenance Repairer is described. Occupational norms were established in terms of minimum qualifying scores for each significant aptitude measure, which when…

Purpose of the Zip Test is to locate the instructional level at which a child can effectively use a mathematics book and a reader and to indicate his ability to conceptualize verbally in English. Designed to determine quickly and with reasonable accuracy the grade placement of a migrant child in reading and math and to assess his English language…