In this paper, we address the following questions: What misconceptions do high school students exhibit in their first encounter with significance test problems through a repeated sampling approach? Which theory or framework could explain the presence and features of such patterns? With brief prior instruction on the use of Fathom software to…

Most Second Language (L2) Teacher Training Assessment and Testing courses focus on testing. Through the development of a Master of Arts (MA) in a computer assisted language learning module (based on a constructivist and "practise what you preach" approach, entailing that the teachers experience firsthand the assessment types they were…

These guidelines offer information necessary to define, organize, and implement a screening program for preschool children that identifies suspected physical, behavioral, and educational problems that may interfere with children's ability to achieve success in school. An Early Screening Program (ESP) utilizes testing devices to aid problem…

The paper examines seven pressing issues in the educational assessment of children with learning and behavior disorders. Research and court cases are cited in the discussion of the following issues (sample subtopics in parentheses): focus of assessment (for clarification, identification, and classification purposes); types of abilities evaluated…

A number of organizational, personal and methodological characteristics have been identified through the literature which inhibit or can be used to facilitate the use of evaluation and testing information. Inhibitors of information usage include organizational characteristics such as loosely coupled and decentralized systems, personal…

Differences in 164 fifth grade students' reading comprehension scores were obtained with four different tasks typically used to measure comprehension (multiple choice, recall, cloze, and maze), using four different reading passages that were equated according to readability formulas. Data analyses revealed significant effects for passage, task,…

A model is presented in which a test score is influenced by three factors: (1) the test itself, including the nature of the item tryout samples, the nature of the standardization group, the item scaling model and methods, the manner of item subset generation, logical strategies in test building, the format of questions, the test appearance, item…

Four essential dimensions of a performance test are detailed: directness of test method, type of criterion, standardization of conditions, and objectivity of scoring. For simplicity these factors are described as if each were dichotomous, when in actuality each is a continuum; a test method may be more or less direct, conditions more or less…

One of the overriding problems of any psychometric study is that aspects of behavior that are nonquantifiable or difficult to quantify are not considered. The other side of this coin is that those aspects of behavior that are easiest to quantify tend to be what are examined. In evaluating bilingual education programs, problems are found in the…

Practical advice on frequently asked questions dealing with research and evaluation methodology is presented as rules of thumb, with citations to the author's sources. A statement in the literature is considered a rule of thumb if it meets one of the following criteria: (1) it is specifically called a rule of thumb; (2) it contains numbers in…

An account of the Ramapo College (New Jersey) experience in the design and development of a barrier-free campus includes discussion of the academic and service problems that arise in meeting the needs of handicapped students in college. Special attention is given to: campus bathrooms, campus housing (ramps, locks, bathrooms, roommate selection,…

The theory and purpose underlying R. Feuerstein's Learning Potential Assessment Device (LPAD) is reviewed, and implications for deaf education considered. It is argued that LPAD use will enhance: (1) assessment of deaf children from non-standard American backgrounds; (2) incorporation of assessment results into educational programming; and (3) the…

Teachers and test professionals must work together for responsible measurement in English to take place. Traditionally, they have refused to do so, a situation that has led to serious problems in at least three areas: research in the teaching of writing, classroom practice in teaching revision of writing, and some testing practices by such…

That teachers should be held accountable for conducting the best possible instructional processes, not for guaranteeing learning, is the view of the National Education Association (NEA). Because of the inadequate nature of tests of student achievement, the diverse nature of student populations, and the various conditions affecting learning, the…

College undergraduates (n=38) were administered identical multiple choice tests with randomly presented answer-sheets numbered either vertically or horizontally. Of the originally-scheduled four tests during the semester, tests one and three were retested with entirely different test questions, also multiple choice, resulting in scores from tests,…