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The Lifespan Sibling Relationship Scale (LSRS) is the most comprehensive self-report questionnaire available to evaluate the quality of sibling relationships based on feelings, behaviors, and opinions across child and adult periods of development. To the best of our knowledge, the psychometric properties of the LSRS have not been assessed or reported in an English-speaking population since this assessment tool was introduced 20 years ago. The current study examined the internal reliability and construct validity of the LSRS with a sample of 370 young adults living in the United States. Results indicated that the original six-factor model of the LSRS is plausible with minor modifications to measure the sibling relationship quality and with its close correlation between factors and scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Several measures have been developed to examine acute psychedelic effects (e.g. mystical-type and challenging experiences), but no measure assesses acute psychologically insightful experiences that may occur during psychedelic experiences. Aim: The purpose of this study was to develop and examine the psychometric properties of the Psychological Insight Questionnaire. Method: A cross-sectional survey study among psilocybin and LSD users. Respondents (n =1661; M age=22.9, standard deviation=8.5; Caucasian/White=83%; non-Hispanic=91%; men=72%; United States resident=66%) completed an Internet-based survey. Results: The Psychological Insight Questionnaire consists of 23 items with two subscales: (a) Avoidance and Maladaptive Patterns Insights and (b) Goals and Adaptive Patterns Insights. Construct validity of the Psychological Insight Questionnaire was supported by strong correlations of the Psychological Insight Questionnaire (and Avoidance and Maladaptive Patterns Insights and Goals and Adaptive Patterns Insights subscales) scores with the insight subscale of the Session Impacts Scale, and weak-to-moderate correlations with the Mystical Experiences and Challenging Experiences Questionnaires. Furthermore, Psychological Insight Questionnaire (and Avoidance and Maladaptive Patterns Insights and Goals and Adaptive Patterns Insights subscales) scores were moderately-to-strongly correlated with retrospectively reported increases in psychological flexibility, and well-being/life satisfaction that were attributed to a memorable psychedelic experience. Lastly, incremental validity was established showing that the Psychological Insight Questionnaire (and Avoidance and Maladaptive Patterns Insights subscale) scores predict unique variance in changes in psychological flexibility, and Psychological Insight Questionnaire (and Avoidance and Maladaptive Patterns Insights and Goals and Adaptive Patterns Insights subscales) scores predict changes in well-being and life satisfaction, beyond measures of acute mystical-type and challenging effects. Conclusions: The Psychological Insight Questionnaire has the potential to extend the understanding of the acute and enduring effects of psychedelics. Further longitudinal research is necessary to determine the long-term predictive validity of the Psychological Insight Questionnaire and to examine the role of psychological insight in predicting therapeutic outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: An occupational repertoire is the array of occupations that an individual has the perceived capacity to perform at a specific point in time. The Occupational Repertoire Development Measure – Parent is a new tool that uses parent report to identify the occupations children can and do perform and their interests in and opportunities for doing them. This study aimed to test the face validity, comprehensiveness, and internal consistency of the Occupational Repertoire Development Measure – Parent as a tool to measure the occupational repertoire of children aged between 2 and 12 years. Method: Twenty-nine occupational therapists completed an online questionnaire about the Occupational Repertoire Development Measure – Parent, and 27 parents completed it and then provided feedback via a structured interview. Descriptive statistics, content analysis, and the content validity index guided data analysis. Results: Participants view the Occupational Repertoire Development Measure – Parent as practical, simple, and supportive of occupation-centred practice to optimize children's development of a meaningful repertoire. Overall, self-care occupations were rated highly relevant. Lower-scoring occupations were those perceived as performed only by older children, nonessential for children with disabilities, or culturally unimportant. Conclusion: Results indicate value in the further development of the Occupational Repertoire Development Measure – Parent and validate that it asks relevant questions to understand a child's performance, engagement, and opportunities, leading to optimal repertoire development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To assess and compare the face (FV) and content validity (CV) of three ex vivo animal models for simulation training in pediatric laryngotracheal reconstruction (LTR). Methods: Feasibility of performing LTR was assessed on the head and neck of three different animals (lamb/suckling-pig/rabbit) and laryngeal dimensions and qualitative observations were recorded. A 19-item five-point Likert scale questionnaire was completed for each model to assess FV and CV. Data was prospectively collected and analyzed using descriptive and nonparametric statistics. Results: All three models were suitable for LTR simulation with laryngeal dimensions corresponding to 0-2 years (rabbit), 5-10 (pig) and >10 years (lamb model). Five trainees and five expert pediatric otolaryngologists performed LTR on each model. The overall median FV score was 5 for the lamb model (IQR 4-5), 3 for the rabbit (IQR 2-3), and 4 for the pig (IQR 4-4). The overall median CV score was 5 for the lamb (IQR 5-5), 2 for the rabbit (IQR 2-3), and 4 for the pig model (IQR 4-4). Comparison of the models demonstrated the lamb to be favored as the most realistic and practical model for simulation training in pediatric LTR, with both the lamb and the porcine model attaining validation thresholds. Conclusion: Our study is the first comparative validation assessment of animal models for use in pediatric LTR simulation and it supports the use of ex vivo lamb and porcine models for use in LTR surgical skills training. The lamb model was the favored simulation model while the rabbit was considered inferior for simulation training in pediatric LTR. Level of Evidence: 3b [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Successful long-term left ventricular assist device (LVAD) therapy necessitates a high degree of self-care. We aimed to develop an instrument that measures self-care behaviors in adult patients living with an LVAD. Methods: We used the method to develop patient-reported outcomes recommended by the US Food and Drug Administration. Prior to developing the instrument, a literature review was conducted to generate items using the middle-range theory of self-care of chronic illness as a guiding framework. A 2-round Delphi method, involving 17 clinicians with expertise in heart failure and assist devices from the Netherlands, Israel, United States, Canada, and Japan, was used to generate and select items. In the first Delphi survey, the levels of importance, relevance, and clarity of items in the instrument were evaluated. The second Delphi survey was performed to gain consensus on the final selection of items. We also examined face validity. Results: A preliminary 37-item version of the Self-Care Behavior Scale was produced. The first panel judged 33 items as important and relevant, taking out 4 items due to vague wording and duplication and adding in 4 items. In the final 33-item version, 19 items address self-care maintenance behaviors, 10 items address self-care monitoring behaviors, and 4 items address self-care management behaviors. Patients (N = 25) did not have any difficulties understanding items and report any missing items. Conclusion: The 33-item Self-Care Behavior Scale for patients with heart failure having an LVAD has been developed and is ready for further psychometric testing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Context: For more than a century, standardized achievement tests have been a feature of American education. Throughout that time, critics of standardized tests have argued that their use has detrimental effects on students, schools, and curriculum. Despite these critiques, the number and uses of standardized tests have increased steadily. Though a great deal of research has focused on the technical design of tests, the history of individual tests, and general critiques of testing, there is little research that helps explain the continued use of standardized tests in American education despite near constant criticism. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study: This article develops a framework for understanding a basic paradox in the history of standardized testing in American education: the durability of standardized testing in the face of persistent criticism. Seeking to address this paradox, the article asks why tests have persisted and proliferated even though students dislike taking tests, educators believe that tests distort the learning process, and experts challenge the validity of test results. Research Design: This article involves a historical analysis of structural and cultural aspects of American education that help explain the particular uses and durability of testing. Conclusions/Recommendations: First, we identify three master critiques of standardized tests: distortion, waste, and misclassification. We find that, despite these persistent critiques, four important contextual features of the American education system help explain the continuous hold that standardized tests have had on American education: that the American education system is decentralized, avowedly meritocratic, publicly funded, and central to aspirations of upward mobility. These contextual factors, along with the historically contingent development of testing expertise, testing culture, and development of testing infrastructure, provide a framework for understanding the persistence of testing. Together, these factors create a dynamic system in which critiques of tests lead not to the elimination of testing, but to its further elaboration and evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antidepressant drugs represent the mainstay of treatment for depression; however, nonadherence is a major problem. Attitudes are predictors of long-term adherence and drive medication use. The Attitudes Toward Medication–Depression (ATM-D) Inventory was developed and tested with 131 patients in primary care settings who reported a diagnosis of depression. Content validity was assessed by experts with a 94.4% agreement on item relevancy. Exploratory factor analysis showed three factors (course of medication treatment, identity, and control) that accounted for 57% of the total variance in the final 17-item scale. The instrument demonstrated good internal consistency reliability (α = .76-.84) and test–retest reliability (α = .74-.83). Results support the construct validity and reliability of the instrument and revealed unique insights into patients’ cognitive representations of their antidepressants. This study supported that patients have cognitive representations related to depression and antidepressants that go beyond simple concerns about the effects of the medication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A questionnaire was administered to a national sample of 293 people receiving the American Association of Suicidology’s Surviving Suicide to learn (a) who self-identifies as bereaved by suicide (survivors), (b) their coping strategies, and (c) what they prefer to be called. Findings suggest that (a) there are many different relationships in which people are bereaved, (b) survivors use many coping strategies, and (c) they use numerous terms to describe themselves. Implications include outreach to survivors should go beyond the immediate family, the suicide support group should not be the sole suggestion for services, and many prefer the term suicide survivor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the issues of validity in the evaluation of English learners (ELs) in the U.S. It highlights the strategies for the interpretation of their test scores, research in their accommodation and promotion. It also notes the challenge of measuring English language acquisition as well as science and math proficiency.

Background/Context: The evolution of validity understandings from mid-century to now has emphasized that test validity depends on test purpose--adding consequence considerations to issues of interpretation and evidentiary warrants. Purpose: To consider the tensions created by multiple purposes for assessment and sketch briefly how we got to where we are; furthermore, to address two critically important purposes: the accountability purpose versus the learning purpose for assessment. Research Design: This is an analytic, closing commentary to this special section. Conclusions: When a test is used as an educational reform, the theory of action behind the reform should be made explicit and that theory or series of claims and assumptions is what should be examined in the validity evaluation. As to the prospect of improving the teaching profession by the use of value-added methods, I believe that this is an overly ambitious use of a potentially useful statistical tool. As these systems are being implemented, we can and should conduct validity studies designed to detect plausible shortcomings and side effects as well as intended outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Context: Recent U.S. policy has brought a shift in assessment use, from measurement tools to policy levers. In particular, testing has become a core part of teacher evaluation policies in many states, with test results becoming akin to a job evaluation. Purpose: To explore the notion of consequential validity m assessment use and examine the implications of using an assessment more as a policy tool than a measurement tool. Research Design: This is an essay concerning how assessment measures are used in educational policy contexts. Conclusions: Meaning is created by use, and the intense push for test-based accountability policies m the U.S. has fundamentally changed the nature of test use. The core meaning of tests and testing has accordingly been qualitatively changed. Attention to consequential validity counsels against use of tests to drive policy unless, and until, the results that process itself have been validated for their furtherance of recognized goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Context: Education policymakers across the country face an urgent problem: we know there is wide disparity in teacher effectiveness, but we lack meaningful tools to identify and reward the most effective teachers or to ensure that the least effective improve or leave the classroom. Purpose: This article considers the value of the national move toward value-added measures and our current fascination with objective measurements -- a fascination that stems from our collective distrust of our teachers and ourselves, and our reluctance to make judgments about the substantive narratives we teach students. Research Design- This is an analytical and reflective piece that draws upon the author's experience serving as New York State Commissioner of Education and dean of a teacher education institution in New York City. Conclusions: Value-added measures of teachers' impact on student learning are an imperfect but important tool; however, by often refusing to take responsibility for what is worth teaching, we risk cutting off important opportunities for democratic education and ultimately impoverishing students' own ability to make meaningful judgments about their world, regardless of their test scores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Context: Validity issues are often discussed in technical terms, but the context changes when measures enter broad public debate, and a wider range of interests come into play. Purpose: This article, part of a special section of TCR, considers the political dimensions of validity questions as raised by a keynote address and panel discussion originally held at Teachers College in March 2012. Research Design: This is an analytical and reflective piece, based on the author's participation in the panel and drawing on his experience and writing on the broad issue of politics and research. Conclusions: Technical expertise in the construction and interpretation of measurements is important in the new world of high-stakes and "evidence-based" education policy, but the political realities, when measures go public, make the exclusive reliance on such expertise problematic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Context: Testing accommodations have been widely utilized as a way of increasing the validity of content assessments for English language learner (ELL) students. However, concerns have also arisen regarding the appropriateness of accommodation use, including the accessibility and fairness of accommodations. While many states have developed ELL-specific accommodation policies and guidelines, little research has been available on how the accommodation policies are carried out in practice. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study: The present study investigated two states' accommodation policies, specifically for the states' respective large-scale Grade 8 math assessments, and conducted a case study to examine teachers' understanding of the policies and uses. The study aimed to identify issues to consider for an appropriate use of accommodations and provide useful information for policymakers to improve their accommodation policies. Research Design: The study utilized a qualitative method employing teacher surveys and interviews. The survey and interview instruments were developed based on previous literature and experts' feedback. The interview transcripts were coded by two researchers using a systematic coding scheme. Descriptive statistics of the responses were computed to observe trends across and within districts and schools. The results were also compared between states or between ELL and math teachers when applicable. Conclusions/Recommendations: Despite the limitation of the small sample in this study, the findings of the study offer practical implications for policymakers and educators in the use of accommodations for ELL students. The study found considerable variation reported by teachers with regard to the perception of accommodation decision makers, selection criteria, and the types of accommodations allowed in each state's math assessment. This variation raised serious concerns regarding the adequacy of the accommodation uses and the comparability of accommodated test results across schools. In this paper, we discussed a number of possible reasons for teachers' reported difficulty in keeping up with state policies: (a) lack of clear guidelines in making accommodation decisions and implementing accommodations in a standardized way, (b) lack of or limited opportunities in receiving information and communicating about accommodations among decision makers and teachers, and (c) limited resources and logistical difficulties. To support an appropriate use of accommodations for teachers, we recommend that states make efforts to provide comprehensive, operationalized guidelines for ELL accommodations, monitor the use of the guidelines, and hold regular professional meetings for ELL and content teachers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For many students entering community colleges, the first stop on campus is to an assessment center. More than half of these students will be placed into developmental education as a result of their scores on reading, writing, and mathematics entry assessments, yet there is little evidence that this improves student outcomes. We examine alternative perspectives on the role of assessment and how it is best implemented, review the validity of the most common assessments, and discuss emerging directions in assessment policy and practice. We conclude with implications for policy and research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the reliability, validity, and predictive utility of kindergarten screening for risk for math difficulty (MD). Three screening measures, administered in September and May of kindergarten to 196 students, assessed number sense and computational fluency. Conceptual and procedural outcomes were measured at end of first grade, with MD operationalized as below the 16th percentile. The authors compared single- versus multiple-skill screeners, fall versus spring kindergarten screening, and conceptual versus procedural outcomes. Reliability and validity coefficients were adequate. Logistic regression and receiver operating characteristics analyses indicated that the single- and multiple-skill screeners produced good and similar classification accuracy at the fall and spring screening occasions in forecasting conceptual outcome. To forecast procedural outcome, the screeners produced similar but less accurate fits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 23 states, members of the high school class of 2008 were required to pass a state high school exit examination (HSEE) to earn regular high school diplomas. Proponents of these policies claim that they improve student academic achievement, although critics argue that they reduce the quality of instruction without raising academic achievement. Using nationally representative data collected to facilitate the analysis of temporal achievement trends, the effects of minimum competency and more difficult state HSEEs on student achievement in mathematics and reading between 1971 and 2004 are evaluated. The potential disparate impacts of state HSEEs on the achievement of students by race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and prior academic achievement are examined in this study. No evidence is found for any effects of state HSEEs on achievement in either reading or mathematics at the mean or at the 10th, 20th, 80th, or 90th percentiles of the achievement distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors identify six conditions for success for the work of high-level national panels and identify breaches in these conditions in the recent Foundations for Success: The Final Report of the National Mathematics Advisory Panel (2008). They question the trustworthiness, validity, and intellectual integrity of its findings and advice to the nation because of (a) an inappropriate composition of Panel expertise and biased selection of literature (Condition 1); (b) failure to appropriately and consistently apply methodological standards (Condition 2); and (c) inconsistencies between the task group and subcommittee reports and the final report (Condition 6). In asking what difference these breaches make, the authors recount recent events suggesting that these breaches have already contributed to degrading the national discussion of curriculum standards for K-12 mathematics education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the authors compare the validity of three nonverbal tests for the purpose of identifying academically gifted English-language learners (ELLs). Participants were 1,198 elementary children (approximately 40% ELLs). All were administered the Raven Standard Progressive Matrices (Raven), the Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test (NNAT), and Form 6 of the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT). Results show that the U.S. national norms for the Raven substantially overestimate the number of high-scoring children; that because of errors in norming, the NNAT overestimates the number of both high-scoring and low-scoring children; that primary-level ELL children score especially poorly on the NNAT; that the standard error of measurement was twice as large for the NNAT as for the Raven or the CogAT; that ELL children scored .5 to .67 standard deviations lower than non-ELL children on the three nonverbal tests; and that none of the nonverbal tests predict achievement for ELL students very well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasingly, teacher educators recommend authentic, performance-related measures for evaluating teacher candidates. Nevertheless, more states are requiring teachers to pass high-stakes, minimum competency exams. This study examined the relation between teacher candidate scores on authentic measures and their scores on certification exams required by the state of Texas. Participants included 155 teacher candidates. Predictor variables that served as authentic measures of teaching effectiveness included scores on the Professional Attributes Questionnaire (PAQ), designed to measure teaching dispositions, and scores on Teaching Performance Portfolios, designed to measure teaching knowledge and skills. Scores on the Professional Roles and Responsibilities (PPR) and the Generalist Elementary Comprehensive (GEC) exams served as the measures for the high-stakes, minimum-competency tests. Findings indicate a significant relationship between the PAQ and both the PPR and tire GEC exams. No significant relationship was found between tire Teaching Performance Portfolios and either one of the state-mandated tests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on the authors' study of measures used to gauge gifted teenagers social coping methods, which used the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) as a comparison to measure the construct validity of the Social Coping Questionnaire (SCQ). The SCQ measures determines use of denying giftedness, focusing on popularity/conformity, engaging in high levels of activity, and peer acceptance. The authors asked gifted adolescents entering a U.S. residential academy to complete both measures. Results indicate high frequencies of intuitive and intuitive/perceiving personalities on the MBTI, gender differences on both measures, and use of social interaction coping skills, rather than a focus on conformity and popularity, on the SCQ. The authors concluded that SCQ results are valid.

The article proposes dynamic assessment as an alternative to responsiveness to intervention (RTI) in U.S. schools. The authors note that, because RTI uses instruction as the "test" for identifying students' academic level or performance, the validity of the instruction is equally as important as that of any test instrument, and they describe discrepancies and consensus in the format and implementation of RTI across the country. They advocate for use of a dynamic assessment (DA), or assessment of learning potential, as a more efficient means of predicting and monitoring academic performance. In support of this, they describe their two studies focusing on first-grade students' reading instruction and progress, as measured through dynamic assessment, and commend on their findings.

This study extends previous work on survey validity and reliability by examining how different groups of respondents vary in their answers to survey questions about the policy system. The study uses state-representative data from a five-state study of standard-based reform in mathematics to test how predictive teacher, principal, and district administrator survey responses are of each other when respondents are asked the exact same questions about their policy environment. The analyses and discussion call attention to the importance of considering the source of information—who is responding to the survey—when relying on survey data to describe the implementation and effects of education policy. Results show that responses of teachers, principals, and district administrators tend to be similar on questions about power and barriers to implementation but are unrelated or inversely related on questions about specificity, authority, and the consequences of policy. Implications for survey design and analysis are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces a data-based approach as an alternative way to help teachers formulate decisions about the validity of test accommodations for students with LD. Three rationales for the approach are provided: (a) an inadequate research base to guide decision-making; (b) the heterogeneity of the LD population; and (c) problems with teachers' use of subjective judgment. Well-controlled studies on test accommodations are too scarce to draw firm conclusions about effects for the group of students labeled learning disabled (LD). Moreover, in light of the heterogeneity of learning disabilities, the individual, rather than the LD label, may be the more appropriate unit for deciding which test accommodations preserve the validity of test scores for students with LD. In this paper, we provide a rationale for a data-based approach to help teachers formulate decisions about the validity of test accommodations for individual students with LD. Then we describe an objective assessment process teachers may use in determining valid test accommodations. We conclude with recommendations for practitioners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Argues that the cultures of accountability and validity in high-stake educational testing in the United States are at odds with each other. Distinction between the concepts of accountability and validity; Evidence of contradictions; Discussion on the fallacies of tests used to hold students and teachers accountable.

In an article published in Toxicology and Industrial Health, Volume 14, Number 6, pp. 829–842, Legator et al. present results of a symptom survey they conducted in the city of Midlothian, Texas. The Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission (TNRCC) offers a commentary regarding the use of a symptom survey to evaluate the health status of the residents of Midlothian, and concerns regarding the limitations of the survey. The TNRCC was provided a unique opportunity to review the data collected during the survey and to participate in the oral deposition of Dr. Marvin Legator, the principal investigator, who discussed the results during a deposition related to an administrative hearing regarding permitting one of the three operating cement companies in Midlothian. The TNRCC is able to offer a perspective of this symptom survey that may not be apparent to the casual reader or peer reviewer. There are numerous issues that the TNRCC has identified in their review of the authors' symptom survey; however, we limit our commentary to issues that are the most salient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines a study conducted by the Multnomah County Education Service District which examines the relationship of reliability with the number of options. Use of a two-option test and then systematically adding options, using incremental option paradigm; Advantages of using the three-option item.

The factor structure of the Kirton (1976) Adaption-Innovation inventory was examined by use of confirmatory factor analysis. A three-factor structure was found, characterized by distinct, yet positively associated, facets, thereby challenging the oft-assumed unidimensional conceptualization of adaption-innovation. The measures were found to achieve satisfactory levels of reliability for the separate facets and to exhibit strong evidence for convergent and discriminant validity. This was demonstrated for the full 32-item inventory, as well as 20-item and 13-item abridgments. Subjects were postgraduate students from the United Kingdom (N= 149), Australia (N= 142), and the United States (N= 131). The three-factor solution was found to generalize across all three samples in the sense of yielding identical factor loadings, error variances, and correlations among facets. Differences in the means of factors were found across samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses several aspects of the competency test for teachers in the U.S. The main purpose of administering a test is to demonstrate knowledge and understanding in specific subjects and to measure the knowledge and skill in order to get a degree or to be admitted in a certain curriculum. However, the validity of tests lies in the predictive power of the ability to estimate in whatever it is used to measure. Predictive validity associates to the accuracy of determining who will succeed or fail in professional practices based upon data gathered from some form of evaluation.

The experiments in pretesting described in this article have been selected to indicate the range of problems to which the technique has been applied in the preparation of one questionnaire. To those who plan to construct questionnaires, also emphasize the importance of applying the method of pretesting to the problems of increasing the reliability and validity of responses to questionnaires. Pretesting is essentially a trial and error procedure wherein the successful trials are repeated and the errors are avoided when the final questionnaire is sent to the final group. Through the wider use of pretesting, it may even be possible to appease the critics who have so frequently and justly condemned questionnaires of the past. More than six months were spent in the construction of this questionnaire, every page being revised at least five times before it reached final form. Additional experiments have been conducted in the preparation of a later questionnaire sent to all social case workers in Minnesota for the purpose of revising the curriculum in social work at the University of Minnesota. This second questionnaire will yield a higher proportion of returns than the first questionnaire described in this article, judging from the fact that two thirds of the social workers have already replied to this 50-page questionnaire which is still yielding returns.

Examines a study conducted in Governors State University which determines the validity of the Descriptive Test of Mathematics Skills (DTMS) placement model for elementary education majors who are required to pass an upper-division mathematics concepts and structures course. Procedures and findings; Recommendation to reduce the number of DTMS test administered.