The authors discuss the major points of Jackson's reply to their criticisms of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), and reassert their claim that, if the SAT is judged on the basis of its predictive validity, it should be dropped as a college admission requirement. (SK)

Reviews several scales used to evaluate competency of psychotherapists. Discusses concerns about interrater reliability and predictive validity of scales. Considers competency a state-like variable, with therapists demonstrating higher competence when they skillfully treat patients across range of difficulty levels. Contends that development of…

Early screening programs to determine learning problems in preschool children are evaluated. A review of early identification literature indicates considerable difficulty in describing screening results and determining when a screening program accurately identifies those students believed to be "at risk." The authors propose several…

Problems in validating ability tests for handicapped students and research approaches to predictive validity are discussed. Validity for handicapped persons tested under regular conditions; for applicants to special programs, and for tests taken under special administrative conditions are considered. Item analysis and the construction of new…

This paper analyzes research findings about the role of values and beliefs in aptitude testing. Indications are found that the ongoing controversy over the lack of ethnic, racial, and sex fairness in aptitude testing is rooted in the tests themselves. Test designers, it is argued, are influenced by their socioeconomic position (they are usually…

The practice and interpretation of intelligence testing of educable retarded and learning disabled children is examined in this report. The current and future state of intelligence testing is discussed in terms of its predictive, diagnostic, and remedial functions. The first section places a consideration of individual testing formats within a…

Describes how exclusive reliance on traditional achievement measures as indices of intellectual potential, and the ensuing competition among nursing schools for the most academically able students, has created a caste system that has left the task of educating the "less able" to Black collegiate institutions. (Author/GC)

Responding to allegations about the effect of coaching on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and its predictive validity ("Harvard Educational Review," May 1980), Jackson evaluates Slack and Porter's arguments and addresses the issues of the utility of SAT scores as admissions criteria and the alleged misrepresentation of negative…

Focuses on problems with using intelligence testing with Native American clients. Presents several anecdotes from vocational counselor training program with Cree and Ojibwa students, including two Native elders, to demonstrate the validity problems and certain problems with the administration of intelligence tests in general. Recommends that such…

Discusses application of the Health Belief Model to the prevention of bulimia, describing each model component. The article considers the individual's beliefs about bulimia and bulimic-like behaviors as a means of predicting the likelihood of behavior change to prevent clinically diagnosable bulimia. (SM)

A school, like a nation, is a complex system existing in discursive rather than physical geographical space (other than as a set of buildings). The meaning of "school" is therefore dependent on actors' perceptions, and these are dependent on factors apparently beyond the school. Research evidence relating to such perceptions comes not as data or…

Using tests that are neither reliable nor valid, school districts are currently categorizing large numbers of children as unready for entrance into kindergarten and first grade. Parents are being asked to wait a year before sending their children to public school classes or to place them in a pre-kindergarten class. Other children complete…

Summarizes trends in competency testing for teachers in the United States. Points out the strong public support for this testing and the problems with predicting teaching success from test results. Concludes that teacher competency testing in Canada, currently less prevalent than in the United States, will increase dramatically. (JHZ)

A school administrator in 1928 expressed a favorable opinion of standardized intelligence and achievement tests, based on research findings correlating test scores with student achievement. Quotations from his article reveal how little the controversy over tests has changed in the intervening years. (TE)

A three-year study compared entry-level and junior-level clinically oriented reading and writing skills of 231 medical students. Entry-level skills were found to be the best predictors of clinical skills. Inclusion of communication skills training in admission criteria and/or medical curriculum are recommended. (Author/MSE)