This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 13 titles deal with a variety of topics, including the following: (1) the preparation of eighth grade students for criterion referenced reading testing and its effect on standardized reading scores; (2) alternative cloze test…

The role of different types of testing instruments in second language programs is discussed. Knowledge-based tests, including discrete-point and integrative tests are contrasted with direct tests, including the Foreign Service Institute Scale and the Australian Second Language Proficiency Ratings (ASLPR). The ASLPR is described in detail in terms…

A profile method was used to analyze the patterns of four English proficiency tests (Comprehensive English Language Test for Speakers of English as a Second Language: Structure, CELT: Listening, Reading for Understanding Test, and The New Cloze Test) regarding two examinee characteristics: their language proficiency levels and native language. One…

Twenty-four high schools in 18 Georgia school systems were selected to participate in a project to check the potential validity, reliability, usefulness, and costs of several direct and indirect measures of writing: holistic, analytic, primary trait, writing mechanics (error counts), and indirect measures (objective multiple choice items). Another…

This report is the Proceedings of the third conference of its type. Included are 23 of the 25 papers presented at the conference, discussion of these papers by invited discussants, and symposium papers by a group of leaders in adaptive testing and latent trait test theory research and applications. The papers are organized into the following…

A longitudinal study was conducted to evaluate the U.S. Employment Service's Specific Aptitude Test Battery (SATB) for plumber/pipe fitter from three aspects: technical adequacy of the research; fairness to minorities; and usefulness in the selection of individuals for training as plumber/pipe fitter apprentices. The validation sample consisted of…

Three levels of screening procedures were used to identify the incidence and nature of learning disabilities. The first level involved the application by classroom teachers of the Classroom Screening Instrument (CSI), especially developed for the study, and of other measures; the second level involved psychoeducational differential diagnosis by…

This report presents an overview of research related to the development of the "Wisconsin Tests of Testimony and Reasoning Assessment," a battery of seven tests for assessing student development in the mastery of relevant concepts and skills of verbal argument for grades 10-12. Provided are (1) a discussion of the rationale for and…

A description is given of "The Wisconsin Test of Adult Basic Education (WITABE)" which was developed specifically to measure the achievement of the individuals enrolled in the Rural Family Development (RGD) program at the University Extension, University of Wisconsin. The test is divided into three main parts or subtests: subtests 1 and…

Examines the performance of ethnic minority students on Rubin's CCAI, with a view toward discovering potential cultural biases embedded in the instrument. Concludes that such biases appear to exist. (MS)

The purpose of instruction, whether face-to-face or online, is to facilitate student achievement of intended learning objectives. Traditionally, the major function of classroom assessment in undergraduate and graduate university courses has been to measure the individual student's learning in order to provide feedback to the student and to…

This project at the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine (Fort Worth) evaluated the use of an artificial-intelligence-derived measure, "Knowledge-Based Inference Tool" (KBIT), as the basis for assessing medical students' diagnostic capabilities and designing instruction to improve diagnostic skills. The instrument was designed to…

Faculty opinions of an evaluation program for medical school clinical tutors were obtained through a survey of 24 undergraduate clinical tutors. Although students had been using the evaluation instrument to rate teachers for five years, faculty expressed many reservations about its reliability and validity. (SLD)

A college faculty member who has graded Advanced Placement exam essays on U.S. government and politics, taken mostly by high school juniors and seniors, suggests that high school teachers and college faculty who assess the essays are not the best qualified persons to do so and that despite efforts to ensure consistency, the resulting scores are…

A faculty consultant to the Educational Testing Service for advanced placement (AP) test reading in U.S. government and politics responds to an article criticizing essay evaluation methods and criteria, finding in it a fundamental misunderstanding of the AP reading process and explaining why the essays are subject to less scrutiny for style,…