Cross-validation in relation to choosing the best tests and selecting the best items in tests is discussed. Cross-validation demonstrated whether a decision derived from one set of data is truly effective when this decision is applied to another independent, but relevant, sample of people. Cross-validation is particularly important after…

To compare the means, reliability coefficients, and concurrent validity coefficients for four tests, two with and two without optional items; and to determine if pupils could select items that would improve their scores, 210 seventh grade pupils were first administered the seventh grade spelling subtest of the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills. They were…

Ten item discrimination indices, across a variety of item analysis situations, were compared, based on the validities of tests constructed by using each of the indices to select 40 items from a 100-item pool. Item score data were generated by a computer program and included a simulation of guessing. (Author/CTM)

THE FEASIBILITY OF USING AN ITEM-ANALYSIS APPROACH FOR THE EVALUATION OF AN INNOVATIVE NINTH-GRADE CURRICULUM WAS EXPLORED. A POOL OF TEST ITEMS WAS DEVELOPED, FOR EACH OF THE THREE UNITS TO BE EVALUATED, BY EXAMINING ENGLISH TEXTBOOKS AND TEACHER'S GUIDES, AND BY WRITING ITEMS THAT REPRESENTED THE MAJOR OUTCOMES EXPECTED OF EACH OF THE…

As a preliminary step in customizing the Stanford Achievement Test, a study was made to compare the test items at each level with the curriculum objectives of a Florida school district, classifying them as either matching, above or below grade level, or unmatching. Results are shown in table form. (TE)

A procedure for in-depth analysis of a limited number of tests being considered for selection by a school, district, project, or state personnel is described. This procedure involves listing the objectives that it would be desirable to measure determining the relative importance of each of these objectives, having "judges" match test items to…

The advantages of using psychometric thoery to design short forms of intelligence tests are demonstrated by comparing such usage to a systematic random procedure that has previously been used. The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children Revised (WISC-R) Short Form is presented as an example. (JKS)

AN INVESTIGATION WAS MADE TO DETERMINE TO WHAT EXTENT TWO METHODS OF ITEM ANALYSIS - NORM REFERENCED AND CRITERION REFERENCED - YIELD THE SAME RELATIVE EVALUATION OF TEST ITEMS. ITEMS WHICH DISCRIMINATED WELL BETWEEN STUDENTS SCORING HIGH AND LOW ON POST-TESTS WERE STUDIED TO SEE IF THEY ALSO DISCRIMINATED WELL BETWEEN PRETRAINING AND…

The authors argue that personnel who select standardized achievement tests have been led to believe that the major achievement test batteries differ very little in terms of the topics they test; but that the content covered by these major tests is different, and that such differences have consequences for instructional content. To test this…

The National Teacher Examination (NTE) validation and cut score determination procedures for use in teacher certification in Arkansas are discussed. The NTE area examinations to be validated were selected by the Arkansas Department of Education, which compared the state's certification requirements with the NTE's rationale, content, and scope…

An experiment investigated the extent to which the results of out-of-level testing may be biased because the child given an out of level test may have had a significantly different curriculum than the children given in-level tests. Item analysis data suggested this was unlikely. (CTM)

A set of 65 evaluation questions was compiled from published instruments. A total of 200 undergraduate students rated both their best and worst teacher from the previous term. Each of the set of 65 items was rated twice for the best teacher and twice for the worst teacher, with order randomized. Factor analysis of ratings of the Best Teachers, the…

The materials presented were developed for use in a series of conferences on testing and instruction sponsored by the National Institute of Education, with the United States Office of Education, the UCLA Center for the Study of Evaluation, and a network of research and development agencies. They are intended for use by school practitioners and…

Standardized tests of writing ability have individual and shared limitations and deficiencies that should be acknowledged by test designers and users. Most institutions use the portions of standardized tests that test ability to proofread and edit, but they do not use the optional essay sections that actually require students to write. To assure…