A 24-month study of 96 patients in a community-based oral health promotion project found the Geriatric Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI), a self-report measure of oral health, to be sensitive to provision of dental care. Some further development of measures is needed. Potential applications of this and similar self-report measures in dental…

Current admission criteria for graduate and professional programs are discussed, their validity in predicting graduate student success is examined, and a potentially more effective model for predicting the success of various student groups (women, minorities, older students) is outlined. Innovative admission criteria and procedures are also…

Examined psychometric properties of Parenting Stress Index. Subjects were 191 low-income, urban African American mothers. Found acceptable subscale internal consistency and stability over six months. Concurrent validity revealed high convergence across measures among mothers reporting consistent stress. Subjects reported elevated stress levels in…

Recommends confronting the problem of validity in intercultural research by adopting research approaches that focus on the problem (for example, ethnopsychoanalysis, intercultural psychology). Briefly reviews the current debate on intercultural-comparative research. Concludes with examples and a discussion of the recent developments in comparative…

Questionnaires that were developed to measure factors in the academic persistence of minority college students were administered to 454 Mexican American students at two large southwestern universities. Both the Cultural Congruity Scale and the University Environment Scale were significant predictors of academic persistence of Mexican American…

This study examined the psychometric properties of a multidimensional measure of prosocial behaviors, the Prosocial Tendencies Measure-Revised (PTM-R), with early and middle adolescents. Results showed adequate reliability and evidence of validity for the PTM-R. Discussion focused on individual differences in prosocial behaviors among early and…

Evaluated social competence and problem behaviors of 370 Chinese preschoolers. Found anxiety-withdrawal, anger-aggression, and social competence factors related to age and gender differences. Found high reliability and validity for the Social Competence and Behavior Evaluation (SCBE-30) scale in this Chinese sample. (DLH)

Maintains that even a cursory reading of "The Bell Curve" reveals a skewed methodology that deliberately ignores relevant data. Includes statistical tables illustrating the relationship between environmental factors and test scores. Contends that the basic purpose of "The Bell Curve" is to justify economic racism. (MJP)

This study demonstrates that the validity and usefulness of mathematics achievement tests can be improved by defining psychologically meaningful subscores that yield differential relations with student, teacher, and school variables. The eighth- and tenth-grade mathematics tests from the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88) were…

The factorial validity of the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) and the equivalence of factorial measurements and structure across groups were studied for 163 intermediate-grade teachers, 162 secondary school teachers, and 218 university teachers in Canada. Reasons why the MBI may not be appropriate for university educators are discussed. (SLD)

Using portfolios in assessing literacy is explored, considering student portfolios and the teacher's class portfolio. Portfolio assessment is a valuable complement to externally mandated tests, but technical issues must be addressed if the portfolio movement is to survive. Portfolios must be linked to the broader task of instructional improvement.…

The predictive validity of the mathematics subtest of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT-M) was investigated for 1,996 mathematically gifted (top 1 percent) seventh and eighth graders through academic achievements assessed over 10 years. The SAT-M appears to have predictive validity for differentiating highly able seventh and eighth graders. (SLD)

This article explores the measurement problems associated with granting accommodations for mental disabilities, uses existing case law to construct a legal framework for considering such accommodations, and discusses the advantages and disadvantages of alternative strategies for handling testing accommodation requests. (Author/SLD)

Increasing emphasis on assessment and concern about assessment techniques have stirred interest in alternative assessment forms, for which evidence is needed about consequences, transfer of performance on specific assessment tests, and assessment fairness. Criteria concerning consequences, fairness, transfer-generalizability, cognitive complexity,…

This study for the Kentucky Department of Education identified and validated teacher competencies for teachers of students with emotional and behavioral disorders. The competencies address assessment, consultation, social skills development, behavior management, instructional programing/curriculum, personal/professional aspects, cognition,…