The goal in personalized assessment is to best fit the needs of each individual test taker, given the assessment purposes. Design-In-Real-Time (DIRTy) assessment reflects the progressive evolution in testing from a single test, to an adaptive test, to an adaptive assessment "system." In this paper, we lay the foundation for DIRTy…

The goal in personalized assessment is to best fit the needs of each individual test taker, given the assessment purposes. Design-in-Real-Time (DIRTy) assessment reflects the progressive evolution in testing from a single test, to an adaptive test, to an adaptive assessment "system." In this article, we lay the foundation for DIRTy…

College instructors in the United States usually make their own decisions about how to design course exams. Even though summative course exams are well known to be important to student success, we know little about the decision making of instructors when designing course exams. To probe how instructors design exams for introductory biology, we…

"Classroom Assessment in Action" clarifies the multi-faceted roles of measurement and assessment and their applications in a classroom setting. Comprehensive in scope, Shermis and Di Vesta explain basic measurement concepts and show students how to interpret the results of standardized tests. From these basic concepts, the authors then…

Describes types of tests, types of student responses required, ways to interpret tests, and the major test developers. (WD)

These language testing guidelines--grouped according to the five categories of the oral language interview: grammar, comprehension, pronunciation, vocabulary, and language utilization (communicative competence)--are presented for the language proficiency examiner. Brief guidelines for assessment are given for each of five levels of proficiency,…

Standards for evaluating criterion-referenced tests are presented. Twenty-one standards, grouped in three categories, are discussed. Category one is defined as measurement properties and is comprised of conceptual validity, including description of the domain, test item agreement with objectives, and item representativeness of the objectives; and…

Explores the history of testing, motivations for testing, testing procedures, and the inevitable limitations of testing. Argues that writing program faculty and administrators must clarify and profess their values, decide what they want students to know and what sort of thinkers they should be, and develop tests reflecting those needs. (SR)

Discusses foreign language testing methods, particularly of receptive skills, and how the choice of method for any particular government agency is subject to the constraints imposed by the following factors: (1) method of correction, (2) ease of production and number of exam versions required, (3) content of the test, and (4) administration of the…

Appropriate evaluation can greatly enhance the teaching process, and this resource packet is designed to help make testing more efficient. Tests and test items are featured in these listings, and information on test construction is provided. The various sources which are highlighted include: (1) professional organizations; (2) journals and…

This article presents the perspective that the quality of teacher-made, small classroom tests has not improved, and may have declined in recent years. This decline may be due to the fact that teachers have come to believe that the kinds of objective items used in national standardized tests are the only item types appropriate for classroom use.…

Suggests that the current tests for writers form a paradigm for how other liberal studies faculties can shape assessment programs that reflect the important tenets of their disciplines, because these tests have grown from sound academic principles, rather than from the expediencies of budget offices, campus testing services, or legislative…

Performance assessment is reviewed as an emerging form of alternative assessment, focusing on how it has been defined in the research literature, the criteria for evaluating its authenticity, the measurement of process and product, and the link between assessment and instruction. Three important dimensions that must be considered in describing…

Proposes that objective-referenced tests replace norm-referenced tests as a vehicle for program evaluation. Describes a methodology, based on latent trait theory, for joining norm-referenced and objective-referenced testing in a customized testing program. (TE)

Intended as a guide in the development of a sound evaluation program utilizing both instructor-produced and standardized tests, this booklet presents a practical, understandable rationale for the development and use of both kinds of testing in the educational setting. Section I discusses the functions of measurement, offering a rationale for…