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The phrase "no child left behind" has become a familiar expression in American education circles and in popular culture. The sentiment implied by these four words is noble. However, the effects of the top-down implementation of the high-stakes testing provisions of the law have been anything but salutary for public school children, teachers, and administrators. This claim is supported by data describing many of the ways in which well-intentioned but desperate educators, from the statehouse to the schoolhouse, have been driven to game the system in ironic defense of the children, teachers, and administrators least equipped to defend themselves. It is argued herein that, instead of reauthorizing the stronger accountability tenet of NCLB, it might do very well to let it fade away. (Contains 1 figure.)

The rapid growth of analytics is bringing more attention to quantitative core curriculum requirements in undergraduate business programs. Statistical knowledge and skills are unequivocally recognized as essential cornerstone of business analytics. Furthermore, educational research has shown that academic performance in statistics classes is related to the attitudes that students bring to the course. This article assesses the reliability and validity of the "Survey of Attitudes toward Statistics" ("SATS") in measuring noncognitive dimensions of attitudes among undergraduate business students. Sample data from U.S. and Chinese introductory business statistics classes were collected and analyzed to learn more about this aspect of student engagement across business schools located in countries with substantially different levels of success in international mathematics achievement testing, as well as differing cultural and educational practices. Results show that the six-factor model structure of the SATS provides a good fit in both populations, with students entering business statistics holding only slightly positive attitudes toward the subject. Significant distinctions between four of the six attitude components were identified. Implications of measuring and improving these attitudes are discussed. Business statistics instructors are encouraged to use the survey as a standardized instrument to measure effects of interventions and make evidence-based pedagogical decisions.

We report here on a comparative study of middle school students' attitudes towards science involving three countries: England, Singapore and the U.S.A. Complete attitudinal data sets from TIMSS (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study) 2011 were used, thus giving a very large sample size (N = 20,246), compared to other studies in the journal literature. The Rasch model was used to analyse the data, and the findings have shed some useful light on not only how the Western and Asian students responded on a comparative basis in the various scales related to attitudes but also on the validity, reliability, and unidimensionality of the attitudes instrument used in TIMSS 2011. There may be a need for TIMSS test developers to consider doing away with negatively phrased items in the attitudes instrument and phrasing these positively as the Rasch framework shows that response bias is associated with these statements.

Introduction: School readiness predicts both school and life success, so measuring it effectively is extremely important. Current school readiness tests focus on pre-academic skills; however, mastery motivation (MM: persistent, focus on trying to do a task) and executive functions (EF: planful self-control) are also crucial. Method: The purpose of the paper is to give an overview of a new, computer-based assessment of MM and EF. Results: We have developed a game-like, computer-based assessment for 3 to 8 year-old children, of MM, EF, and recognition of numbers and letters. The new measures are appropriate for both Hungarian and American cultures. They were engaging for children of this age, and preliminary evidence suggests that they are reliable and valid. Conclusion: The new tasks can be part of assessments of school readiness, and would be useful for school practice as well as researchers. The tasks ascertain the extent to which observed deficits in pre-academic domains are due to MM or EF difficulties. The results will contribute to the development of individualized intervention.

This study examined the psychometric properties of a social-networking site (SNS) activities scale (SNSAS) using Rasch Analysis. Items were also examined with Rasch Principal Components Analysis (PCA) and Differential Item Functioning (DIF) across groups of university students (i.e., males and females from the United States [US] and Europe; N = 840). Results from this study found psychometric support for the SNSAS to measure endorsement of activities in which university students engage. European males and females were more likely to endorse actively using SNSs compared to their more passive US counterparts. The SNSAS is a reliable and valid tool in a growing research area where few exist. University administrators worldwide can benefit from understanding the patterns of SNS behavior that may impact students' socialization, relationship formation, and academic outcomes.

In the United States, tests are held to high standards of quality. In developing countries such as Malawi, psychometricians must deal with these same high standards as well as several additional pressures such as widespread cheating, test administration difficulties due to challenging landscapes and poor resources, difficulties in reliably scoring performance assessments, and extreme scrutiny from political parties and the popular press. The purposes of this paper are to (a) familiarize the measurement community in the US about Malawi's assessment programs, (b) discuss some of the unique challenges inherent in such a program, (c) compare testing conditions and test administration formats between Malawi and the US, and (d) provide suggestions for improving large-scale testing in countries such as the US and Malawi. By learning how a small country instituted and supports its current testing programs, a broader perspective on resolving current measurement problems throughout the world will emerge. (Contains 4 tables and 3 notes.)

Purpose: How to build and enhance the strategic learning capability (SLC) of an organization becomes crucial to both research and practice. This study was designed with the purpose to conceptualize SLC by translating and interpreting the related literature to develop empirical dimensions that could be tested and used in a survey instrument. Design/methodology/approach: An instrument was developed to identify empirical dimensions of SLC. The reliability and validity of the instrument were tested. Findings: The resulting survey instrument included 59 items, and 49 remained after empirical test. Based on responses on a five-point performance scale, SLC items were identified and prioritized, and seven dimensions were discovered: external focus, strategic dialogue, strategic engagement, customer-centric strategy, disciplined imagination, experiential learning and reflective responsiveness. Originality/value: The findings of this study extend the knowledge base of multi-disciplines, including strategy management, organizational learning and strategic human resource development (HRD). This study highlights the conceptualization of SLC and importance of the SLC framework in the field of HRD.

Researchers, administrators, and policy makers need valid and reliable information about teaching practices. The Postsecondary Instructional Practices Survey (PIPS) is designed to measure the instructional practices of postsecondary instructors from any discipline. The PIPS has 24 instructional practice statements and nine demographic questions. Users calculate PIPS scores by an intuitive proportion-based scoring convention. Factor analyses from 72 departments at four institutions (N = 891) support a 2- or 5-factor solution for the PIPS; both models include all 24 instructional practice items and have good model fit statistics. Factors in the 2-factor model include (a) instructor-centered practices, nine items; and (b) student-centered practices, 13 items. Factors in the 5-factor model include (a) student--student interactions, six items; (b) content delivery, four items; (c) formative assessment, five items; (d) student-content engagement, five items; and (e) summative assessment, four items. In this article, we describe our development and validation processes, provide scoring conventions and outputs for results, and describe wider applications of the instrument.

Tests of measurement invariance were conducted across culture and gender on the Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale-Second Edition (RCMAS-2) Short Form in a sample of 1,003 Singapore and U.S. adolescents. The results of multi-group confirmatory factor analyses across culture and gender supported at least partial measurement invariance. ANOVA results indicated significant cultural and gender effects, with U.S. adolescents reporting higher levels of anxiety than Singapore adolescents, but with a negligible effect size, and females reporting higher levels of anxiety than males on the RCMAS-2 Short Form. Implications of the findings of the study are discussed.

Students' attitudes and approaches to physics problem solving can impact how well they learn physics and how successful they are in solving physics problems. Prior research in the U.S. using a validated Attitude and Approaches to Problem Solving (AAPS) survey suggests that there are major differences between students in introductory physics and astronomy courses and physics experts in terms of their attitudes and approaches to physics problem solving. Here we discuss the validation, administration, and analysis of data for the Turkish version of the AAPS survey for high school and university students in Turkey. After the validation and administration of the Turkish version of the survey, the analysis of the data was conducted by grouping the data by grade level, school type, and gender. While there are no statistically significant differences between the averages of various groups on the survey, overall, the university students in Turkey were more expertlike than vocational high school students. On an item by item basis, there are statistically differences between the averages of the groups on many items. For example, on average, the university students demonstrated less expertlike attitudes about the role of equations and formulas in problem solving, in solving difficult problems, and in knowing when the solution is not correct, whereas they displayed more expertlike attitudes and approaches on items related to metacognition in physics problem solving. A principal component analysis on the data yields item clusters into which the student responses on various survey items can be grouped. A comparison of the responses of the Turkish and American university students enrolled in algebra-based introductory physics courses shows that on more than half of the items, the responses of these two groups were statistically significantly different, with the U.S. students on average responding to the items in a more expertlike manner.

In recent years, large-scale international assessments have been increasingly used to evaluate and compare the quality of education across regions and countries. However, measurement variance between different versions of these assessments often posts threats to the validity of such cross-cultural comparisons. In this study, we investigated the cross-language, cross-cultural validity of the Programme for International Student Assessment 2006 Science assessment via three differential item functioning (DIF) analyses between the USA and Canada, Chinese Hong Kong and mainland China, and between the USA and mainland China. Furthermore, we explored three plausible causes of DIF via content analysis, namely language, curriculum and cultural differences. Our results revealed that differential curriculum coverage was the most serious cause of DIF among the three factors we investigated in this study, and differential content familiarity also contributed to DIF here. We discussed the implications of the findings for future international assessment development, and for how to best define 'scientific literacy' for students around the world.

The Social Skills Improvement System (SSIS; Gresham & Elliott, 2008) is a multiple stage, broadband system for assessing and intervening with children in preschool through 12th grade originally normed in the USA. Two of the assessment components of this system were analysed: (a) the Performance Screening Guides (PSGs); and (b) the Rating Scales (RSs). Australian teachers in Ipswich (N?=?15) and South Brisbane (N?=?30) rated their elementary school students with the SSIS. This study's objective was to compare the psychometric properties of an Australian sample of students to the US-based normative sample to determine the transferability of the measure among English speaking populations. Internal consistency reliability was good for both samples across both measures. Correlations between PSGs and RSs domains were similar within the two countries. Conditional probability analyses indicated the PSGs work as the first stage of a multiple gating procedure. Overall, the psychometric data, based on a sample of Australian students, demonstrated similar results to the large US-based normative sample, suggesting that the reliability of scores and the validity of ensuing inferences for the SSIS measures are generalizable for child assessment purposes.

The OECD and its U.S. administrator, McGraw-Hill Education CTB, have recently concluded the first cycle of the OECD-Test for Schools in the U.S. This test is being marketed to local schools and is designed to compare 15-year-olds from individual participating schools against peers nationally and internationally using the OECD's PISA test as its foundation. This article discusses what PISA can and can't tell the United States about its education system and describes important aspects of the PISA design that educators should consider before participating in the school-based version of this international assessment.

Advances in technology have increased the likelihood that engineers will have to work in a global, culturally diverse setting. Many schools of engineering are currently revising their curricula to help students to develop cultural competence. However, our ability to measure cultural dispositions can be a challenge. The purpose of this project was to develop and test an instrument that measures the various aspects of cultural disposition. The results of the validation process verified that the hypothesised model adequately represented the data. The refined instrument produced a four-factor model for the overall construct. The validation process for the instrument verified the existence of specific subcomponents that form the overall cultural disposition construct. There also seems to be a hierarchical relationship within the subcomponents of cultural disposition. Additional research is needed to explore which aspects of cultural disposition affect an individual's ability to work effectively in a culturally diverse engineering team.

The "Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence-Fourth Edition" (WPPSI-IV; Wechsler, 2012a, 2012b) is a comprehensive clinical tool, intended for assessing cognitive functioning among children aged 2 years 6 months through 7 years 7 months. Published by Pearson, the WPPSI-IV is an individually administered tool, to be used by trained examiners (i.e., those trained in Level C assessment). In addition, the test developers strongly recommend that test results are interpreted by professionals who have had appropriate training and experience with clinical assessment. In addition to providing a comprehensive assessment of general cognitive functioning, the developers suggest that the WPPSI-IV could also be included in assessments to identify intellectual giftedness, delays, or disability. Furthermore, the availability of different composite scores allows for strength and deficit-based analysis of examinees' cognitive functioning, particularly with respect to distinct cognitive domains (e.g., verbal vs. nonverbal abilities). According to the test developers, the WPPSI-IV was revised to update professionals on the theoretical foundations of intellectual assessment, increase developmental appropriateness and user-friendliness of the scale, and improve psychometric properties and clinical utility of the scale. Particularly, a specific focus was to improve measurement of Working Memory and Processing Speed indices (Wechsler, 2012b). Furthermore, the addition of the working memory composite, separating visual spatial and fluid reasoning composites, and improving upon the measures of verbal comprehension and processing speed reflect increased integration and consideration of Cattell-Horn-Caroll (CHC) factors in designing the WPPSI-IV. The test authors present a comprehensive analysis of the reliability and validity measures of the WPPSI-IV and provide tables with appropriate statistics to validate their findings. The reliability and validity measures discussed are based on U.S. norms. Consistent with the other Wechsler Scales, the WPPSI-IV provides a FSIQ and additional scores which allows for a more strength versus deficit evaluation of examinees' cognitive functioning. The test's strong psychometric properties, developmental appropriateness, and clinical utility are expected to make it a gold standard measure for intelligence assessment of younger children.

The "Profile of Mood States 2nd Edition" (POMS 2) was published in 2012 by Multi-Health Systems (MHS) to assess transient feelings and mood among individuals aged 13 years and above. Evolving from the original POMS (McNair, Lorr, & Droppleman, 1971, 1992), the POMS 2 was designed for youth (13-17 years old) and adults (18 years old and above) to measure their affective traits, moods, and emotions. The POMS 2 contains four self-report versions: the "Profile of Mood States 2nd Edition-Adult" (POMS 2-A), the "Profile of Mood States 2nd Edition-Youth" (POMS 2-Y), the "Profile of Mood States 2nd Edition-Adult Short" (POMS 2-A Short), and the "Profile of Mood States 2nd Edition-Youth Short" (POMS 2-Y Short). The POMS 2 is applicable and useful to multiple settings. For clinical practitioners, the POMS 2 instruments can monitor change in mood disturbance during or following intervention. In medical settings, the POMS 2 helps to assess the impact of diagnosis and treatment of physical disease on psychological functioning. In the athletic domain, the test can be used to study the relationship between mood and exercise or physical activity. Reliability and validity evidence has been provided in this article from several analyses.

Research and scholarship into educational effectiveness research (EER) is comprehensively reviewed from the UK, The Netherlands, the US, Cyprus, Belgium, Sweden, France, Germany, New Zealand, Australia, and other societies, dating from the field's origins in the 1970s. Issues include its history, methodological and theoretical advances, scientific properties of school effects, processes at school and classroom level behind these effects, the somewhat limited translation of findings into policy and practice across the world, and future directions for research and practice in EER and for all of the discipline more generally. Future research needs are argued to be a further concentration upon teaching/teachers, more longitudinal studies, more work on possible context specificity, exploration of the cross-level transactions between schools and their teachers/classrooms, the adoption of "efficiency" as well as "effectiveness" as outcome measures, and a renewed focus upon the education of the disadvantaged, the original focus of our discipline when it began.

This study assesses the Japanese translation of the Force and Motion Conceptual Evaluation (FMCE). Researchers are often interested in comparing the conceptual ideas of students with different cultural backgrounds. The FMCE has been useful in identifying the concepts of English-speaking students from different backgrounds. To identify effectively the conceptual ideas of Japanese students and to compare them to those of their English-speaking counterparts, more work is required. Because of differences between the Japanese and English languages, and between the Japanese and American educational systems, it is important to assess the Japanese translation of the FMCE, a conceptual evaluation originally developed in English for American students. To assess its appropriateness, we examined the performance of a large sample of students on the translated version of the FMCE and then compared the results to those of English-speaking students. The data comprise the pretest results of 1095 students, most of whom were first-year students at a midlevel engineering school between 2003 and 2012. Basic statistics and the classical test theory indices of the translated FMCE indicate that its reliability and discrimination are appropriate to assess Japanese students' concepts about force and motion. In general, the preconcepts of Japanese students assessed with the Japanese translation of the FMCE are quite similar to those of American students assessed with the FMCE, thereby supporting the validity of the translated version. However, our findings do show (1) that only a small percentage of Japanese students grasped Newtonian concepts and (2) that the percentage of Japanese students who used two different concept models together to answer some questions seems to be higher than that of American students.

This study investigated the cultural validity of the almost perfect scale-revised (APS-R) with 300 Turkish and 300 American and international college students. First, the validity of the original APS-R was conducted on American students and international students. Hence, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) offered two-factor scale to be consistent with previous studies: High standards and discrepancy. Afterwards, the scale was translated from English to Turkish. For the Turkish sample, an EFA offered an evidence for three-factor scale: High standards, dissatisfaction, and discrepancy. The high standards is the only subscale similar to the original scale. Finally, the results were interpreted through concept of culture. (Contains 4 tables and 1 footnote.)

Building on previous studies that formulated measures for assessing self-efficacy beliefs regarding the management of anger/irritation and despondency/sadness, we developed 3 new scales to assess perceived self-efficacy in managing fear, shame/embarrassment, and guilt. In Study 1, the internal and construct validity of the 5 aforementioned measures were assessed in a sample of 403 Italian young adults. Study 2 was designed to examine the comparability of the aforementioned measures across Italy and the United States and involved the previous sample and a sample of 380 U.S college students. The best fitting model overall, across the sexes and across countries, had the following characteristics: (a) the 5 types of self-efficacy loaded separately on first-order factors; (b) self-efficacy in managing anger/irritation and despondency/sadness loaded on one second-order factor, and self-efficacy in managing shame/embarrassment, and guilt loaded on another; (c) self-efficacy in managing fear and the 2 second-order factors loaded on a common higher order factor. The various modes of emotional self-efficacy correlated in conceptually coherent ways to measures of emotional stability, irritability, depression, shyness, fearful affect, and need for reparation. (Contains 3 tables, 1 figure and 1 footnote.)

The objective of this study was to adapt and gather validity evidence for a Brazilian sample version of the Hope Index and to verify if cultural differences would produce different results than those found in the United States. In this study, we present a set of analyses that together comprise a comprehensive validity argument for the use of a test in a new language or culture. Participants were 844 undergraduate Brazilian students (mean age 21.3 years). A content validity study suggested that new items could be added to the scale. Factor analyses extracted two factors replicating the original instrument structure. The internal consistency was adequate with and without the added items. The results illustrate how different validation procedures can be used to support the use of an adapted version of a test, suggesting that in Brazil, researchers may choose the original adapted version (16 items) or the more "emic" version (21 items) depending on the objectives of their study. The indication that the Hope Index is valid in a Brazilian sample strengthens the idea that this construct may be universal. The results also stress the importance of conducting content validity studies as part of a cross-cultural adaptation of a test. (Contains 1 table and 1 note.)

International large-scale assessments of achievement often have a large degree of differential item functioning (DIF) between countries, which can threaten score equivalence and reduce the validity of inferences based on comparisons of group performances. It is important to understand potential sources of DIF to improve the validity of future assessments; however, previous attempts to identify sources of DIF have had variable results. This study had two purposes. The first was to apply a confirmatory approach (Poly-SIBTEST) to investigate sources of DIF typically found in international large-scale assessments: adaptation effects and cognitive loadings of items. We conducted three pairwise DIF analyses on Spanish and English versions of the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study 2001 Reader booklet. Results confirmed that item cognitive loadings were a source of differential functioning favoring both England and the United States when compared against Colombia; however, adaptation effects did not consistently favor one group or the other. The second purpose of this study was to highlight strengths and limitations of Poly-SIBTEST for conducting substantive analyses of differential functioning sources and also to offer suggestions for future directions on this type of methodological research. (Contains 4 tables and 1 figure.)

To study the concept of national IQ profile, we compared U.S. and Finnish WAIS, WAIS-R, and WAIS III nonverbal and working memory subtest norms. The U.S. standardization samples had consistently higher scores on the Coding and Digit span subtests, while the Finnish samples had higher scores on the Block design subtest. No stable cross-national differences were found on the other nonverbal tests. It is hypothesized that linguistic, educational, and cultural factors underlie national IQ profiles. Some of these factors may be stable, leading to constant cross-national differences. The study of national IQ profiles may contribute to the validity of testing in smaller countries, where the adaptation of foreign, most often U.S., tests rarely includes national standardization. Furthermore, the results of the study implicate that the concept of national IQ is problematic. (Contains 2 tables.)

Criterion-referenced measures, such as those used in the assessment of crime and violence, prioritize predictive accuracy (discrimination) at the expense of construct validity. In this article, we compared the discrimination and incremental validity of three commonly used criterion-referenced measures for sex offenders (Rapid Risk Assessment for Sex Offence Recidivism [RRASOR], Static-99R, and Static-2002R). In a meta-analysis of 20 samples (n = 7,491), Static-99R and Static-2002R provided similar discrimination but outperformed the RRASOR in the prediction of sexual, violent, and any recidivism. Remarkably, despite large correlations between them (rs ranging from 0.70 to 0.92), these risk scales consistently added incremental validity to one another. The direction of the incremental effects, however, was not consistently positive. When controlling for the other measures, high scores on the RRASOR were associated with lower risk for violent and any recidivism. We also examined different methods of combining risk scales and found that the averaging approach produced better discrimination than choosing the highest score and produced better calibration than either choosing the lowest or highest risk score. The findings reinforce the importance of understanding the psychological content of criterion-referenced measures, even when the sole purpose is to predict a particular outcome and provide some direction concerning the best methods for combining risk scales. (Contains 1 note, 12 tables and 1 figure.)

With growing concerns over higher education accountability and diminishing resources, student retention rates and the reasons why students remain at a post-secondary institution continue to persist. Since the 1960s, researchers have examined cognitive and non-cognitive factors that impact whether or not students stay at a particular post-secondary institution until graduation. The purpose of this study was to develop the Freshman Orientation Survey for the College of Education and Health Professions to improve student retention. Using the constructs, which were presented in peer-reviewed literature along with a peer-review process within the College, a survey instrument was developed to examine pre-college enrollment characteristics for a College within a four-year state university in the Southeastern United States. The instrument was piloted with alumni from the College, and the psychometric properties of the instrument were determined. The survey was found to be an internally consistent measure, and it was found to have convergent validity and discriminate validity. (Contains 21 tables.)

This study assessed scores from the Counselor Burnout Inventory for factorial validity, convergent and discriminant validity, internal consistency reliability, and measurement invariance across U.S. and Korean counselors. Although evidence existed for factorial validity across both groups, mixed results emerged for the other forms of validity and reliability. Measurement invariance analyses revealed that three of the five factors possessed measurement invariance across cultures, thus allowing for statistically appropriate group comparisons. Of those invariant factors, mean differences indicated that Korean counselors reported higher scores on the Devaluing Clients and Deterioration in Personal Life factors than U.S. counselors. Both cultures experienced similar mean scores on Exhaustion. (Contains 5 tables.)

The present investigation employs item response theory (IRT) to develop an abbreviated Medical Fear Survey (MFS). Application of IRT analyses in Study 1 (n = 931) to the original 50-item MFS resulted in a 25-item shortened version. Examination of the location parameters also resulted in a reduction of the Likert-type scaling of the MFS by removing the last response category ("Terror"). The five subscales of the original MFS were highly correlated with those of the MFS-short version. The short version also displayed comparable convergent and discriminant validity with the original MFS in relation to measures of fear, disgust, and anxiety. Confirmatory factor analysis in Study 2 revealed that the five-factor structure of the MFS-short form fit the data well in U.S. (n = 283) and Dutch (n = 258) samples. The short form also had comparable convergent and discriminant validity with the original MFS in relation to domains of disgust in both samples. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis in Study 3 demonstrated that the subscales of the short version were comparable with the original MFS in classifying participants high (n = 40) and low (n = 40) in blood/injection phobia. Last, structural equation modeling in Study 4 (n = 113) revealed that the MFS-short form demonstrated excellent convergent/discriminant validity with strong associations with injection fear and no association with spider fear. These findings suggest that the MFS-short form has considerable strengths, including decreased assessment time, while retaining sound psychometric properties. (Contains 3 figures, 7 tables and 4 notes.)

The experience of a calling may be seen as the ultimate form of subjective career success that has many positive consequences for individuals and organizations. We are here concerned with the conceptualization of a new multidimensional measure of calling, the MCM. In the first two studies we employed a qualitative approach and came up with five core categories of the experience of a calling. Three of them could be empirically distinguished in our later quantitative studies, i.e., Identification & Person-Environment-Fit (IP), Transcendent Guiding Force (TGF), and Sense and Meaning & Value-Driven-Behavior (SMVB). We tested the reliability and validity of the MCM in two different countries (Germany and USA). Our data show that whereas TGF is most closely related to a direct calling measure, IP is more strongly related to job satisfaction. Both IP and TGF seem to have a buffering function against burnout. SMVB is endorsed most in the USA, whereas IP is endorsed most in Germany. We conclude that a multidimensional conceptualization seems appropriate in studying the experience of a calling and its consequences. (Contains 5 tables.)

Background: The Behavior Problems Inventory-01 (BPI-01) is an informant-based behaviour rating instrument that was designed to assess maladaptive behaviours in individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID). Its items fall into one of three sub-scales: "Self-injurious Behavior" (14 items), "Stereotyped Behavior" (24 items), and "Aggressive/Destructive Behavior" (11 items). Each item is rated on a frequency scale (0 = never to 4 = hourly), and a severity scale (0 = no problem to 3 = severe problem). The BPI-01 has been successfully used in several studies and has shown acceptable to very good psychometric properties. One concern raised by some investigators was the large number of items on the BPI-01, which has reduced its user friendliness for certain applications. Furthermore, researchers and clinicians were often uncertain how to interpret their BPI-01 data without norms or a frame of reference. Methods: The Behavior Problems Inventory-Short Form (BPI-S) was empirically developed, based on an aggregated archival data set of BPI-01 data from individuals with ID from nine locations in the USA, Wales, England, the Netherlands, and Romania (n = 1122). The BPI-S uses the same rating system and the same three sub-scales as the BPI-01, but has fewer items: "Self-injurious Behavior" (8 items), "Stereotyped Behavior" (12 items), and "Aggressive/Destructive Behavior" (10 items). Rating anchors for the severity scales of the "Self-injurious Behavior" and the "Aggressive/Destructive Behavior" sub-scales were added in an effort to enhance the objectivity of the ratings. Results: The sensitivity of the BPI-S compared with the BPI-01 was high (0.92 to 0.99), and so were the correlations between the analogous BPI-01 and the BPI-S sub-scales (0.96 to 0.99). Means and standard deviations were generated for both BPI versions in a Sex-by-age matrix, and in a Sex-by-ID Level matrix. Combined sex ranges are also provided by age and level of ID. Conclusion: In summary, the BPI-S is a very useful alternative to the BPI-01, especially for research and evaluation purposes involving groups of individuals.

This article presents a review of the Children's Organizational Skills Scales (COSS) which were designed to assess how children organize their time, materials, and actions to accomplish important tasks at home and school. The scale quantifies children's skills in organization, time management, and planning (OTMP). The COSS is a multi-informant assessment based on responses from parents, teachers, and self-report. The COSS has several strengths. The COSS uses parallel forms to obtain perspectives from parent, teacher, and child, while also offering comparisons of parent and teacher responses. The test uses accessible reading levels to alleviate language effects. The COSS is easy to administer, score, and interpret. The manual is also straightforward and supported by graphs and examples so that administrator errors are minimized. The administration time is relatively short and the user has the flexibility of administering the test in groups or on an individual basis. Results from the COSS can also be scored by computer which provides a timely method in processing results. However, the COSS is not infallible. Individuals should use caution in forming conclusions based on the standardization sample. Overall, the COSS definitely fills a gap in the area of identifying children's organizational skills. The COSS has a user-friendly manual and report forms. The test can be administered in a reasonably short amount of time, and the results can be used in conjunction with observations by both researchers and practitioners to identify the level of deficiency, design individualized interventions, and monitor progress in specific skill deficits.

This article reports about the development and validation of a measurement instrument assessing elementary school students' achievement emotions (Achievement Emotions Questionnaire-Elementary School, AEQ-ES). Specifically, the instrument assesses students' enjoyment, anxiety, and boredom pertaining to three types of academic settings (i.e., attending class, doing homework, and taking tests and exams). Scale construction was based on Pekrun's (2006) control-value theory of achievement emotions. The instrument was tested using samples from German and American elementary school classrooms. The results of Study 1 (German sample) corroborate the reliability and structural validity of the new emotion measure. Moreover, they show that students' achievement emotions were linked with their control and value appraisals as well as their academic performance, thus supporting the external validity of the measure as well as propositions of Pekrun's (2006) control-value theory of achievement emotions. Study 2 (American sample) corroborated the cross-cultural equivalence of the measure and the generalizability of findings across the German and American samples. Implications for research on achievement emotions and educational practice are discussed. (Contains 1 figure and 8 tables.)

The English Language Proficiency Assessment (ELPA) is used in the state of Michigan in the United States to fulfill government-mandated No Child Left Behind (NCLB) requirements. The test is used to promote and monitor achievement in English language learning in schools that receive federal NCLB funding. The goal of the project discussed here was to evaluate the perceived effectiveness of the ELPA and to see if those perceptions could meaningfully contribute to a broad concept of the test's validity. This was done by asking teachers and test administrators their views on the ELPA directly after its administration. Two hundred and sixty-seven administrators took a survey with closed and open-ended questions that aimed to tap into the consequential dimensions of test validity. An exploratory factor analysis identified five factors relating to the participants' perceptions of the ELPA. Analysis of variance results revealed that educators at schools with lower concentrations of English language learners reported significantly more problems in administering the ELPA. Three themes (the test's appropriateness, impacts, and administration) emerged from an analysis of qualitative data. This article discusses these results not only as a means of better understanding the ELPA, but also to contribute to larger-scale discussions about consequential validity and standardized tests of English language proficiency. It recommends that broadly defined validity data be used to improve large-scale assessment programs such as those mandated by NCLB. (Contains 5 figures, 5 tables, and 5 footnotes.)

Positive associations between measures of school or academic connectedness and behavioral and academic outcomes suggest that connectedness is an important protective factor for adolescents in the United States. However, little is known about the meaning or measurement of academic connectedness, outside the United States, and especially in South America where rapid economic and educational changes are underway. Using the Hemingway: Measure of Adolescent Connectedness measurement invariance analyses were conducted that compared Chilean and United States samples. Results revealed that although all scales reflected factorial validity in both cultures, the connectedness to school, teachers, and self-in-the-future factors were noninvariant across groups, whereas the factors of connectedness to peers and self-in-the-present were invariant across groups. Consequently, all of these subscales can be used in both contexts, but comparing United States and Chilean youth on three subscales may be ill advised. (Contains 1 figure and 4 tables.)

The purpose of this study was to test the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) for factorial invariance across Turkish and U.S. college student samples. The results indicated that (a) a two-factor model has an adequate fit for both samples, thus providing evidence of configural invariance, and (b) there is a metric invariance but "no" sufficient evidence of scalar invariance across the two groups of students. Testing for differential item functioning (DIF) was also conducted to further investigate the measurement variance of the BDI-II at the item level. Large DIF values were found for 12 items of the BDI-II. (Contains 2 tables.)

This study was designed to investigate the validity of four different aloud reading comprehension assessment measures: Maze, comprehension questions, Maze accurate response rate (MARR), and reading comprehension rate (RCR). The criterion measures used in this study were the Woodcock-Johnson III Tests of Achievement (WJ-III ACH) Broad Reading Cluster Score and words correct per minute (WCPM). Pearson Product Correlations and linear regression were used to investigate possible relationships between Maze comprehension level (accuracy), comprehension question level (accuracy), MARR, RCR, WCPM, and the Broad Reading Cluster Score of the WJ-III ACH. Participants were sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade students from a middle school located in the Southeastern United States. Significant correlations were found between each of the reading comprehension assessment variables (WCPM, MARR, RCR, Maze comprehension level, and comprehension question level) and the WJ-III ACH Broad Reading Cluster Score. MARR and RCR represented the strongest correlations when compared to the other variables. Results from a linear regression analysis indicated that RCR was the best predictor of the criterion variable (WJ-III). Implications for future research and applied practice are discussed. (Contains 2 tables.)

In this study, I investigated the reliability of the U.S. Naturalization Test's civics component by asking 414 individuals to take a mock U.S. citizenship test comprising civics test questions. Using an incomplete block design of six forms with 16 nonoverlapping items and four anchor items on each form (the anchors connected the six subsets of civics test items), I applied Rasch analysis to the data. The analysis estimated how difficult the items are, whether they are interchangeable, and how reliably they measure civics knowledge. In addition, I estimated how uniformly difficult the items are for noncitizens (N = 187) and citizens (N = 225) and how accurate the cutoff score is. Results demonstrated the items vary widely in difficulty and do not all reliably measure civics knowledge. Most items do not function differently for citizens and noncitizens. The cutoff is not as accurate as applied in the operational test. The data revealed that test scores contain construct-irrelevant variance that undermines the overall reliability and validity of the instrument. I discuss these results not only to better understand the civics test but also to recommend how United States Citizenship and Immigration Services could conduct a similar study with the goal of raising the reliability and validity of the test. (Contains 1 figure, 4 tables, and 10 footnotes.)

The Chinese have been using standardized testing for centuries. Ancient Greeks have tried it for centuries since 5th and 4th BC. There is no evidence that they have become successful in educating their children through an imperial or elitist system. The impact of standardizing the education on a nation is significant. This is not only true for not being able to cultivate creative and innovative youth and thus a society, but also has significant impact on the economy as well. China example may help justify and clarify the direction we are heading in educating our nation. This paper reflects on the impact of standardized testing on China and explains the need to redirect our efforts within our educational system.