This study examined the cross-cultural validity of the sex bias contention with respect to standardized aptitude testing, used for academic prediction purposes in Israel. Analyses were based on the grade point average and scores of 1778 Jewish and 1017 Arab students who were administered standardized college entrance test batteries. (Author/LMO)

Discusses the complicating effects of ambivalence on the validity of science attitude measurement scales. Cites studies indicating that the positive and negative effects about a particular psychological object are not necessarily bipolar. Suggests the use of factor analysis to check dimensionality in instruments. (TW)

A multiple matching test--a 24-item Hebrew vocabulary test--was examined, in which distractors from several items are pooled into one list at the test's end. Construction of such tests was feasible. Reliability, validity, and reduction of random guessing were satisfactory when applied to data from 717 applicants to Israeli universities. (SLD)

The study assessed the criterion, construct, and concurrent validity of four informal reading comprehension measures (question answering tests, recall measures, oral passage reading tests, and cloze techniques) with 70 mildly and moderately retarded middle and junior high school boys. Results indicated that correct oral reading rate score…

Offers background on issues related to the testing of disabled students. Reports on a survey about testing accommodation for disabled students provided by California community colleges. Recommends additional ways in which testing practices can be modified to meet the needs of disabled students. (DMM)

The "Inventario de Comportamiento Escolar" is a teacher rating inventory for the assessment of Puerto Rican children, particularly those with a behavior pattern indicative of attention deficit disorder, learning disabilities, or academic underachievement. (JHZ)

A 26-item acculturation measure administered to a sample of 1,245 adult Mexican Americans demonstrated high internal reliability for the total sample and for specific sex, educational, and language groups. Among first generation Mexican Americans, those who were younger and male acculturated more rapidly than those who were older and female. (JHZ)

A study of possible test bias in the Arabic and Hebrew versions of a standardized scholastic aptitude test used in Israel found a slight overprediction of performance for Arabs, but the findings appear to be more consistent with psychometric than cultural bias. (Author/MSE)

Nine indices of response pattern appropriateness were compared, based on item response theory, with respect to their relation to the total test score and their effectiveness in detecting unusual response patterns. The ability to differentiate between three groups was compared: cooperative examinees, uncooperative examinees, and randomly generated…

A shortened Study Attitudes and Methods Survey (SAMS) was administered to 181 community college students. Four original factors remained in the new version: academic interest--love of learning; study anxiety; manipulation; and alienation toward authority. Academic drive--conformity and study methods were dropped, while facilitative study behaviors…

A large pediatric residency program conducted an extensive analysis of the reliability and validity of the rating forms used to evaluate the pediatric residents enrolled in the program. Data indicate that although the reliability of individual ratings is very low, several factors achieved acceptable levels of reliability when aggregated.…

Examines The GAR, which is intended as a group assessment of reading ability for elementary and secondary school students in the areas of reading level, comprehension, study skills, and reading interests. Concludes that the test has many shortcomings. (FL)

School psychologists have experienced difficulties in assessing students' behavior disorders, because of lack of training and problems associated with the traditional medical model of abnormal behavior. An alternative assessment model is described in terms of its five principles: problem solving; functional analysis; multiple operationalism;…

Two large samples of high school teachers were rated for teaching effectiveness by the teachers and by their students, using the IDEA Form H. Factor analyses yielded highly similar underlying dimensions. Convergent validity coefficients were significant for all factors, supporting the validity of student ratings. (Author/GDC)

Suggested a model of decision making as a potential tool for assisting people in the process of career planning and tested the model on university students (N=40) and ninth-grade students (N=44). Concluded that the model had high predictive power regarding the actual choices made. (LLL)