Standardized tests often produce results that are inaccurate, inconsistent, and biased against minority, female, and low-income students. Such tests shift control and authority into the hands of the unregulated testing industry and can undermine school achievement by narrowing the curriculum, frustrating teachers, and driving students out of…

Results of an investigation of the construct validity of measurements of social and academic competencies of 175 3rd graders, 193 7th graders, and 159 11th graders made by the students themselves, teachers, parents, and peers suggest that researchers should consider making greater use of parent ratings for elementary school students. (SLD)

In a previous study, a conceptual model of wisdom was created (Brown, 2004a) to better understand integrated learning outcomes. The purpose of this study is to develop a scale to measure this wisdom construct. This article discusses salient aspects of the extant professional literature regarding the measurement of wisdom and details the efforts to…

Work Keys (occupational tests developed by American College Testing) could support an employer's human resource function in a number of ways: (1) communicating to educators the skill requirements for an employer's particular jobs on a national basis; (2) providing students with a realistic preview of skills needed for jobs and an assessment of…

The development and validation of an instrument designated as the Classroom and School Community Inventory (CSCI) are described. Scores on both the classroom form and the school form of the CSCI possess strong content validity, construct validity, internal consistencies, and 2-week test-retest reliability. Using a sample of 341 traditional and…

This study is part of continuing research into the meaning of future National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) science scales. In this study, the test framework, as examined by NAEP's consensus process, and attributes of the items, identified by science experts, cognitive scientists, and measurement specialists, are examined. Preliminary…

This study was undertaken to further document content validity and to provide evidence of construct validity of the National Teacher Examinations (NTE) Core Battery, using an alternative strategy. This strategy involved identifying the important job functions and professional knowledge areas of teachers. A multi-method approach was used to…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the factor structure of a Factors Influencing Pursuit of Higher Education (FIPHE) Questionnaire which addresses factors influencing a person's decision to pursue higher education. Researchers used a literature-based, rational factors approach to develop the questionnaire; the three-part study included a…

The failure to consider factors that make a key contribution to violence and its prevention may create serious problems of construct validity for school violence surveys. Further, few studies have assessed the relative importance of variables contributing to perceptions of safety by examining correlations between survey items and overall feelings…

This journal, written in primarily in Chinese, contains the following papers: "Introducing Web-Based Technology Enhanced Language Learning (TELL) Courses and Resources for In-Service EFL Teachers" (Hao-Jan Chen); "A Survey of Primary School English Education in Miao-li County" (Yu-Fang Chang); "Interactions between…

This document contains eight papers from an action research program to foster good practice in adult literacy provision and policy. "Introduction" (J. Joy Cumming, Christina E. van Kraayenoord) presents an overview of the action research project and individual reports. "Assessment: Making a Difference in Adult Literacy and Numeracy…

This report describes 12 studies dealing with the knowledge monitoring component of metacognition. It is assumed that knowledge monitoring is basic to other metacognitive activities, such as evaluating learning, selecting appropriate strategies, or planning, because distinguishing between what students know and do not know ought to be a…

This research monograph on the social and emotional development of gifted students' is divided into four parts. Part 1 of the report focuses on analysis of the literature. Parts 2-4 present results of seven qualitative and quantitative studies of adolescent development. In Part 2, Studies 1 and 2 expand Lazarus and Folkman's cognitive appraisal…