Twenty people with suspected intellectual disability took the Reynolds Intellectual Assessment Scales (RIAS; C. R. Reynolds & R. W. Kamphaus, 1998) and the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale--3rd Edition (WAIS-III; D. Wechsler, 1997) to see if the 2 IQ tests produced comparable results. A t test showed that the RIAS Composite Intelligence Index…

Background: Evaluating the impact of nutrition interventions on developmental outcomes in developing countries can be challenging since most assessment tests have been produced in and for developed country settings. Such tests may not be valid measures of children's abilities when used in a new context. Aims: We present several principles for the…

Purpose: To describe a cognitive neuroscience model of memory that can be used to guide assessment and promote consistent terminology among members of the rehabilitation team, and to relate the model to frequently used assessment measures. Method: Description of a model of memory, description of how frequently used memory measures relate to the…

Computerized adaptive testing is subject to security problems, as the item bank content remains operative over long periods and administration time is flexible for examinees. Spreading the content of a part of the item bank could lead to an overestimation of the examinees' trait level. The most common way of reducing this risk is to impose a…

Written language is a complex set of skills that facilitate communication and that are developed in a predictable sequence. It is therefore possible to analyze current skills, identify deficits, plan interventions, and determine the effectiveness of the intervention. To effectively accomplish these tasks, educators need to choose appropriate…

The conventional approach for testing the equality of two normal mean vectors is to test first the equality of covariance matrices, and if the equality assumption is tenable, then use the two-sample Hotelling T[superscript 2] test. Otherwise one can use one of the approximate tests for the multivariate Behrens-Fisher problem. In this article, we…

This report describes the purposes of benchmark assessments and provides recommendations for selecting and using benchmark assessments--addressing validity, alignment, reliability, fairness and bias and accessibility, instructional sensitivity, utility, and reporting issues. We also present recommendations on building capacity to support schools'…

While formal, standardized assessment instruments provide valuable and necessary information about students' various abilities and skills, the use of informal and qualitative assessment approaches has the benefit of leading directly to instruction based squarely on an individual student's needs, strengths, and existing skills. This article…

A seven step strategy is presented for selecting a "good" test in an educational setting. The steps are as follows: (1) make the following preliminary decisions: (a) decide why you need to test, (b) decide what you intend to do with the results, (c) decide what practical decisions will be made based on the testing results, and (d) decide who will…

Considers both validity and reliability simultaneously in selecting the best short forms (SFs) of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised (WAIS-R). Results indicate that incorporating reliability as a criterion has a dramatic impact on the obtained best SFs. (LLL)

This article provides a comprehensive review of research regarding five types of validity for each of four major tests used to measure emotional intelligence (EI). It culls and synthesizes information scattered among a host of articles in academic journals, technical reports, chapters, and books, as well as unpublished papers and manuscripts. It…

Four examples of general language performance measures for preschoolers are described to suggest a rationale for test selection. Advantages and limitations are noted for the Houston Test for Language Development, Preschool Language Scale, the Hannah-Gardner Preschool Language Screening Test, and the Test of Early Language Development. (CL)

This study considers the problem of deciding when a selection test is invalid for members of a minority group. There is both a strong empirical and theoretical basis for rejecting the choice of zero correlation between test and criterion as an appropriate null hypothesis. (Author)

Discusses several statistical and substantive criteria that can be used to choose between parametric and nonparametric tests. Presents a non-parametric test capable of testing a number of statistical hypotheses using existing computer packages. Provides recommendations encouraging researchers to routinely use nonparametric tests in their data…

Many schools are moving to develop benchmark tests to monitor their students' progress toward state standards throughout the academic year. Benchmark tests can provide the ongoing information that schools need to guide instructional programs and to address student learning problems. The authors discuss six criteria that educators can use to…