A review of English-as-a-Second-Language programs for Indochinese refugees concludes that the long-term well-being of Indochinese people in the United States depends on programs that contribute to community organization, political action, and a capacity to confront causes of poverty, rather than programs that channel refugees into minimum wage…

Undergraduate grade point average and American College Test subtest scores continue to correlate as well with the new National Teacher Examination (NTE) Core Battery as they did with the old NTE Common Examinations. Subjects were 94 teacher education graduates. Implications for teacher education programs are discussed. (IAH)

Studied American College Test (ACT) scores, sex, race, financial aid, and attrition/persistence as predictors of grades for college freshmen (N=208). Found for grade average predictions with attrition/persistence excluded, ACT or race was the first variable. Other stepwise predictors were generally not viable. (Author/ABL)

A study analyzed scores on placement tests and academic performance of over 1,800 first-year students at an urban public university. Results indicate that basic skills placement tests measured academic preparation more accurately than the American College Testing program and that standardized and local tests showed only moderate reliability,…

Investigates the empirical validity of the Monash-Melbourne computer adaptive test for French (French CAT). The article focuses on the accuracy of the French CAT as a tool for streaming incoming university students into three levels of a first-year (post-high school) French course. The test is demonstrated to be a good predictor of short-term…

Evaluates the validity of the test used to place students in the comprehension-based courses offered by the Second Language Institute of the University of Ottawa. The test is described in the context of the target student population and the comprehension-based courses. Different factors of evaluating the concurrent and predictive validity were…

A study of the usefulness of the Anticipated Student Adjustment to College Questionnaire found it to be reliable and predictably related to a variety of pre- and postmatriculation self-report student data and real-life student behaviors. Uses of the instrument in high school and college are considered. (Author/MSE)

Attempts to improve a set of patient assault vignettes for a simulation by developing and testing a control version of the vignettes and exploring additional question and alternative scoring procedures. Influences of victim gender and assault severity are examined for 58 neuropsychiatric hospital nurses and 12 mental health experts. (SLD)

Behavioral intentions of 100 families regarding out-of-home placement for their child or early adolescent with severe handicaps were tracked 4 times over 6 years with the Placement Tendency Index, to assess the dynamics of family behavioral change. The index had long-term modest predictive capacity but increased predictive utility over shorter…

Preliminary evidence supports the construct validity of two versions of the Simulation of Interactive Decision Making (group tests of interactive teaching competencies that simulate classroom decision making processes more realistically than traditional tests). Evidence of construct validity reflects differences among subjects with various amounts…

There is considerable opinion that standardized test scores do not predict academic performance as well for African American students as for white students. A study correlating Scholastic Assessment Test scores and grades for samples of black students in 15 colleges, 7 predominantly black and 8 predominantly white, found that tests' predictive…

Reviews findings on the predictive validity of psychometric tests of intelligence. Concludes that conventional tests of intelligence can be useful but only if they are interpreted very carefully, taking into account the factors that can affect them, and in conjunction with other measures. (Author)

Examines the definition of fluency in the literature, and proposes a qualitative and quantitative approach that may be used to produce a "thick" description of language use for use in rating scale construction. The article suggests that validity considerations must be addressed in the construction phase of developing scales. (69 references)…

The Cognitive Profiling System (CoPS 1) is a psychometric assessment/screening system presented in the form of computer games to children in their early school years in order to predict the probability of later learning difficulties of both a general and specific nature (Singleton, Horne, & Thomas, 1999). Although some evidence is available as…

Curriculum-based measures have been validated for use in evaluating reading, mathematics, and writing skills (Marston, 1989). Despite its common use by school psychologists (Wilson & Reschly, 1996), the relationship between the Woodcock Johnson-Revised and curriculum-based measures of writing has not been evaluated. This study investigated the…