Describes an attempt to construct an ESL dictation test that would: (1) be appropriate for a wide range of ability, (2) be easy and fast to score, (3) consist of set items that would form both a unidimensional and cumulative scale, and (4) yield scores that would be directly interpretable with respect to specified levels of English proficiency.…

Illustrates ways to link the motivating power and efficiency of the computer to the effectiveness and necessity of traditional teaching practice and criterion referenced testing in order to assess and teach spelling. (FL)

Research on the lack of correlation between standardized tests and school district goals has suggested that district goals might be better met by supplementing standardized tests with district-made criterion-referenced testing systems. This article reports on the development of such a system, the Academic Learning Progress Assessment System…

Outlines a six-step process which can be used by faculty teams to assess the validity of criterion-referenced tests. Steps include: comparing test items with course objectives, assessing the test in terms of the domains and levels of Bloom's Taxonomy, and examining the appropriateness of various types of test questions. (JP)

Seventh-grade science students (n=22) wrote prompted essays, compare-contrast essays, and traditional end-of-chapter criterion-referenced tests. Results indicated that essay tests may be highly sensitive to instructional content and prompt design, and the validity of essays as measures of content learning relates more to goals of instruction than…

This paper provides an overview of standardized tests and a summary of important psychometric and test construction properties that educators must consider when they make critical evaluations of standardized tests. Sections of the paper concern: (1) basic characteristics of standardized tests; (2) differences between norm-referenced and…

This report describes how an advisory committee of health occupations education instructors from Missouri schools where tests were given statistically analyzed test items for health services assistant for reliability and validity and then revised the test items. Seventy-five sets of test item booklets were printed. Four test booklets and a…

The Early Learning Accomplishment Profile (Early LAP) provides a systematic method for observing children's functioning in the birth to 36-month age range in order to assist teachers, clinicians, and parents in assessing individual skills development in six developmental domains: gross motor, fine motor, cognition, language, self-help, and social…

This resource paper is a guide for planning and developing instructionally relevant tests of student learning at the classroom, building, or district level. It is based on a model of instruction and testing which systematically uses assessment information to support and facilitate instructional improvement. Course goals and objectives are first…

The development and assessment of the Woodcock Reading Mastery Test (WRMT) is described in this paper. The first section, after a brief description of the test, outlines the development of the test, including its purpose, how it was tested and calibrated, its administration and scoring, use and interpretation of scores obtained, and statistical…

The migrant lifestyle, in which a student moves to a new school nearly three times per year, destroys the continuity of educational programs and contributes to abnormally high dropout rates. Educational testing can help improve educational continuity for migrant students by yielding valuable information about their levels of skills mastery so they…

Provides guidelines for teachers writing machine-scored examinations. Explains the use of item analysis (discrimination index) to single test items that should be improved or eliminated. Discusses validity and reliability of classroom achievement tests in contrast to norm-referenced examinations. (JHZ)

This first test and technical manual explains the development, purpose, use, validity, and reliability of the criterion-referenced final examination for the Chemistry of Hazardous Materials course of the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg (Maryland). Because of possible diversity in the testing knowledge and background of readers, the manual…

The three chapters of this handbook are designed to insure that any school can use teacher-made tests and performance assessments as components of a learning assessment plan. Focus is on criterion-referenced achievement tests developed in Illinois for assessing the cognitive and psychomotor domains of learning. The initial chapter is designed for…

This notebook contains the following conference presentations: "Identifying and Validating Task Lists by Business and Industry for Test/Test Item Development" (Charles Losh); "Conducting a Task Analysis for Competency-Based Test Item Development" (Brenda Hattaway); "Writing and Reviewing Test Items: Multiple Choice,…