Argues that informal reading inventories fail on several points to provide accurate and reliable scores on the subskills of reading. Asserts that the inventories cannot properly be used to assess children's specific strengths and weaknesses. (FL)

Describes a practical approach that teachers can use to check for test-item validity in test construction. The Kuder-Richardson Reliability Formula is used. Detailed instructions describe the procedure for evaluating items for difficulty and using statistical methods to determine test validity. (AM)

A review of alternative methodologies and a conceptual framework for the study of reliability of criterion-referenced tests are presented. The possibility of aptitude-x-assessment interactions is considered and implications are discussed. (Author)

New data on retest reliabilities for three parental questionnaires, designed to measure children's temperaments at six months and at one and two years of age, were obtained with independent samples. The results showed a general level of retest reliability which was comparable to that of most temperament studies. (Author/RH)

Determined additional data on the reliability and validity of brief versions of the Depression Adjective Checklist by reanalyzing the data for Forms E, F, and G. Suggests the brevity and relatively high intercorrelation among the lists are assets when repeated measures are needed or many variables are measured. (Author/JAC)

Suggests that the popular and simple readability formulas may not be accurate enough to predict the instructional materials best suited to the reading abilities of secondary school students. (FL)

Three measures often used with handicapped children (the Berry-Talbott Comprehension of Grammar, the Grammatic Closure subtest of the Illinois Test of Psycholinguistic Abilities, and the Grammatic Completion subtest of the Test of Language Development) are discussed in terms of test reliability, scoring procedures, format, and types of scores.…

The WISC-R was investigated by using measures of profile (multivariate) reliability to determine its most reliable dimensions and the precision and similarity of the multivariate structure across age groups. The structure of the WISC-R subscales was stable across age groups. Two strategies for the interpretation of WISC-R profiles are offered.…

Underlying constructs of the Nowicki-Strickland Locus of Control Scale for Children (NSLOCSC) were identified through factor analysis and cross-validated with two similar samples of high school students. The two resultant dimensions appeared to measure Social Control (six items) and Self Control (two items). (Author/GK)

Describes study comparing merits of exact answer, acceptable answer, clozentropy and multiple choice methods for scoring tests. Results show differences among reliability, mean item facility, discrimination and usability, but not validity. (BK)

The Internal Structure of the New Study Processes Questionnaire (Biggs, 1979) was investigated with samples of Australian and Filipino university students. The internal consistency reliabilities, item and subscale factor analysis, were quite favorable for the Australian sample; however, results indicated that the instrument may not be suitable for…

The article describes the preschool screening test, "Developmental Indicators for the Assessment of Learning" (DIAL), and reviews research findings on the test from 1973 through 1978. It is concluded that the DIAL is maintaining relatively high levels of criterion-related validity (both concurrent and predictive) when compared to other…

The object of the study was to investigate the effect of differences in format on the precision of teacher ratings and thus on the reliability and validity of two teacher rating scales of children's hyperactive behavior. Attributes assessed were motor restlssness, inattentiveness, impulsivity, and aggressiveness/emotional stability. (Author/DB)

Results showed that the error rate in the summary code for the revised edition of the self-directed search (SDS) was significantly lower than the error rate for the original SDS. High-point-code error rates between the two forms were similar. (Author)

Inmates score significantly lower on the second edition (BETA II) than on the first edition (BETA I), regardless of the order of administration. BETA I score distributions were unaffected by the order of administration. BETA II score distributions depended on whether BETA II was administered first or second. (Author)