To guide the unbiased process of visual inference, a four-step model is presented for the assessment of reliability, intervention effect, meaningfulness, and generalizability. A Visual Inference Checklist (VIC) systematizes this assessment process. (Author)

Children from various cultural backgrounds were assessed for hyperkinesis using a behavioral rating scale in order to determine whether perceived socioeconomic status and ethnic identification of assessees would influence judgement. Lower socioeconomic and ethnic minority children were rated as being more hyperkinetic than middle class and…

Details the development of a new objective self-report instrument--the Internalizing Symptoms Scale for Children (ISSC)--for assessing the broad domain of internalizing symptomatology in children. Discusses results of a factor analysis and describes potential uses of the ISSC. Implications for future assessment in child psychopathology are…

Surveys school psychologists to investigate their training and current assessment practices for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in the schools. The respondents reported receiving adequate training in the assessment of ADHD. Results confirmed a substantial caseload of ADHD referrals. In the assessment of ADHD, the results indicated…

Examined diagnostic validity of Part Two of the American Association on Mental Deficiency Adaptive Behavior Scales-School Edition (ABS-SE) for the classification of behavior disorder in elementary school students (N=66). Results indicated overall rate of correct classification was 71.21 percent; using factor scores, the level of correct…

Discusses the Dallas Public Schools' procedures for assessing the potential for violence among children who express intent to harm others. The Dallas Violence Risk Assessment (DVRA) was developed to evaluate students who have made threats of violence, and to assist school staff in determining appropriate intervention strategies. Describes the…

Replicates a previous study by Cole, et al. (1997b), which demonstrated that the type of stimulus used to elicit a written response had a marked impact for items measuring organization, unity, and coherence. The replicated study sample, consisting of 29 middle school students, produced comparable results to the Cole, et al. study. (Author/GCP)

Functional analysis methods were used to monitor medication used to reduce vocal and physical tics of a child with Tourettes Syndrome. Post-medication results demonstrated a reduced level of tics by the participant. Although preliminary, the findings suggest that functional analysis methods can be used to monitor the effects of medication in…

Arguments between response to intervention (RTI) with curriculum-based measurement (CBM) and traditional, individual psychoeducational assessments encourage a false dichotomy between alternatives that are not mutually exclusive, but complementary. This article discusses strengths and weaknesses of both approaches, touches on current legislative…

Discusses School Adjustment Scale, constructed to provide an objective approach requiring only the most elementary act of judgment between a teacher's recall of observations of child's behavior and selection of an appropriate response to describe that behavior. Scale available from author at S. Illinois University, Carbondale. (Author/PC)

New procedures for assessing the behavior of children in an environmental context are available to the school psychologist. The procedures, which are sometimes called psychosituational or informal assessments, examine the influence of the external environment as setting the occasion for emotional and behavioral problems. (Author)

Investigated two variance estimation procedures on a normed test treated as a criterion-referenced test. The first estimation procedure estimated the standard deviation systematically higher, whereas the second procedure's estimation was systematically lower than the actual standard deviation. (Author/RC)

Reviewed six recently developed adaptive behavior scales for technical adequacy and other issues to consider when selecting measure of adaptive behavior. Suggests ways to aid examiners in selecting appropriate measure of adaptive behavior for particular student, accurately interpreting results, recognizing strengths and limitations of measures,…

Elementary teachers (N=209) completed questionnaires assessing attitudes toward preassessment procedures. Results indicated that teachers with over six years of teaching experience had significantly more negative attitudes toward preassessment than did teachers with under two years of experience. Teachers who had made referrals to preassessment…

The Tell-Me-a-Story (TEMAS) is analyzed, reviewed, and critiqued with regard to theoretical underpinnings and rationale for development, administration, scoring, psychometric properties, and research to date. TEMAS has evidence of reliability and validity, and may achieve more accurate assessment of Black and Hispanic children. Limitations of the…