What is validity? A simple question but apparently one with many answers, as Paul Newton highlights in his review of the history of validity. The current definition of validity, as entertained in the 1999 "Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing" is indeed a consensus, one between the classical notion of attributes, and measures…

The purpose of this ITEMS module is to provide an introduction to subscores. First, examples of subscores from an operational test are provided. Then, a review of methods that can be used to examine if subscores have adequate psychometric quality is provided. It is demonstrated, using results from operational and simulated data, that subscores…

The notion of validity in the social sciences is evolving and is influenced by philosophy of science, critiques of objectivity, and epistemological debates. Methodology for validation of the knowledge claims is diverse across different philosophies of science. In other words, definition and the way to establish of validity have evolved as…

This paper describes the process for creating and validating an assessment test that measures the effectiveness of instruction by probing how well that instruction causes students in a class to think like experts about specific areas of science. The design principles and process are laid out and it is shown how these align with professional…

This paper discusses issues in psychological testing and the design of courses in psychological assessment for students in clinical and counseling psychology. Prior to discussing the teaching of such courses, consideration is given to the role of assessment in an overall framework of clinical practice. Following this, topics such as the…

The performance of three equating methods--the presmoothed equipercentile method, the item response theory (IRT) true score method, and the IRT observed score method--were examined based on three equating criteria: the same distributions property, the first-order equity property, and the second-order equity property. The magnitude of the…

Provides an annotated bibliography of Web sites dealing with tests and measurements, emphasizing resources for psychological testing. Subject categories include comprehensive, research and reference, journals and newsletters, listservs, usenet groups, organizations/institutions, and test-specific resources. (LRW)

Describes a survey of libraries listed in several special collections directories to determine how educational and psychological tests were organized and managed. Discusses access through cataloging or classification; management practices such as staffing, hours of availability, security, and preservation methods; and a copy of the survey is…

The instruments used in the evaluation of Project C-BE (computer-based instruction) are presented and described in this report. A brief description of each instrument, its purpose, developmental history, references and reliability studies are provided. These instruments were administered to Project C-BE classes in an attempt to identify…