Describes the development of a criterion referenced minimum-competency test in reading which was normed by community job holders and based on the ability to answer questions about items taken from a newspaper. (MKM)

Reviews the criterion referenced test VICTA and concludes that it should be used with caution because of, among other things, the limited sample of questions per critical thinking skill, and the lack of a well integrated instructional program based on the test. (JC)

Spanish speaking first graders were administered the Artes de Lenguage (ADL)--a Spanish, criterion-referenced, language arts test. Reliability analyses indicated the adequacy of three of the four subscales (Phonetic Analysis, Vocabulary Development, Comprehension Skills, and General Skills). A principal factors analysis of the intercorrelation…

A procedure is suggested for test development and construct validation based on a theory about the criterion performance. The method is illustrated by describing a study concerned with the selection of medical school students, where the criterion is a measure of clinical problem-solving ability. (Author/LMO)

The presently viewed role and utility of measures of instructional sensitivity are summarized. A case is made that the rationale for the assessment of instructional sensitivity can be applied to all achievement tests and should not be restricted to criterion-referenced mastery tests. (Author/BW)

This study assesses the validity of the Ginn Reading Management System, (GRMS) criterion-referenced and mastery level tests to predict student reading performance. GRMS is an effective predictor of reading performance at grade one level; it is not so effective at grade two and even less effective at grade three. (Author/PN)

A new method was developed to assist in the selection of a test length by utilizing computer simulation procedures and item response theory. A demonstration of the method presents results which address the influences of item pool heterogeneity matched to the objectives of interest and the method of item selection. (Author/PN)

The adoption of a criterion-referenced assessment system and the resulting disadvantages of this form of evaluation for the college general education program are discussed, including problems in identifying assessment validation procedures. (RAO)

Notes problems in using reading tests intended for children when testing adults; attempts to clarify some of these problems by making explicit the assumptions implicit in the practice of using children's reading tests with adults. (GT)

This study compared the reliability and validity indexes of randomly parallel tests administered under inclusion, exclusion, and correction for guessing directions, using 54 graduate students. It also compared the criterion-referenced grading decisions based on the different scoring methods. (TJH)

Two studies are reported that examined translation from second language to first language as a testing procedure. Results suggest that the widespread rejection of translation as a language testing procedure by teachers and testers is probably not warranted on psychometric grounds, but that it should be used with extreme care. (10 references)…

Examined the validity of field tests of elementary students' upper body muscular strength and endurance. Field tests were found to be moderately valid measures of weight-relative muscular strength but not of absolute strength and muscular endurance. (SM)

Developing good criterion measures of professional performance is difficult. If criterion-related validity evidence for certification requirements could not be generalized beyond the specific context in which it was obtained, gathering that evidence would probably not be worth the effort. This paper examines two possible approaches to the…

A battery of physical ability tests was validated using a predictive, criterion-related strategy. The battery was given to 1,003 female soldiers and 980 male soldiers before they had begun Army Basic Training. Criterion measures which represented physical competency in Basic Training (physical proficiency tests, sick call, profiles, and separation…