Test-takers' interpretations of validity as related to test constructs and test use have been widely debated in large-scale language assessment. This study contributes further evidence to this debate by examining 59 test-takers' perspectives in writing large-scale English language tests. Participants wrote about their test-taking experiences in…

Most professors use examinations as an important assessment tool to aid in determining the level of student subject matter comprehension. We also use the feedback from examinations as an indicator of the appropriateness and effectiveness of the teaching methodologies we are utilizing in the classroom. This paper is a follow-up to a 2006-2007 study…

Typically, teachers use tests to evaluate students' knowledge acquisition. In a novel experimental study, we examined whether low-stakes testing ("quizzing") can be used to foster students' learning of course content in 8th grade science classes. Students received multiple-choice quizzes (with feedback); in the quizzes, some target…

Purpose: The purpose of this replication study was to determine the degree to which teachers and administrators in selected low-achieving Title I elementary schools: 1. Report that they teach the following test-taking skills to prepare their students to take the CST: establishing an appropriate student attitude toward testing, familiarity with the…

The "2009 GED[R] Testing Program Statistical Report" is the 52nd annual report in the program's 68-year history of providing a second opportunity for adults without a high school credential to earn their jurisdiction's GED credential. The report provides candidate demographic and GED Test performance statistics as well as historical…

In operational testing programs using item response theory (IRT), item parameter invariance is threatened when an item appears in a different location on the live test than it did when it was field tested. This study utilizes data from a large state's assessments to model change in Rasch item difficulty (RID) as a function of item position change,…

Although the United States has had a language requirement for citizenship (through the naturalization process) since the first decade of the 20th century, very little research and discussion has taken place in academic circles about this requirement, which has been enforced for the past two decades through a test and testing practice to which…

This article describes and analyses the development of a new test of aviation English by the Finnish Civil Aviation Authority (FCAA), as well as the overall situation in Finland as regards the testing of aviation English. The article describes the FCAA development project and evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of the new test and the whole…

This technical report provides an overview of the New York State Alternate Assessment (NYSAA), including a description of the purpose of the NYSAA, the processes utilized to develop and implement the NYSAA program, and Stakeholder involvement in those processes. The purpose of this report is to document the technical aspects of the 2013-14 NYSAA.…

This article reviews research on differential item functioning (DIF) in language testing conducted primarily between 1990 and 2005 with an eye toward providing methodological guidelines for developing, conducting, and disseminating research in this area. The article contains a synthesis of 27 studies with respect to five essential sets of…

Lissitz and Samuelsen (2007) propose a new framework for validity theory and terminology, emphasizing a shift in theory and practice toward issues of test content rather than constructs. The author of this article argues that several of Lissitz and Samuelsen's critiques of validity theory focus on previously considered, but subsequently discarded,…

In this article, the author reviews the Reynolds Intellectual Assessment Scales (RIAS), an individually administered test of intelligence appropriate for ages 3 through 94 years with a conormed, supplemental measure of memory. The RIAS should be administered by examiners who have formal training in assessment. In this regard, the RIAS is a…

Students with disabilities and special needs have faced challenges in accessing educational content, and in taking traditional pen-and-paper tests. How might technology improve the process, while making statewide tests truly accessible to all students? NimbleTools is the first computer-based test delivery system that incorporates principles of…

What are the purposes of exams? Would teachers give exams if they were not grading students? Exams provide information that should inform the instructional program, let the students know their strengths as well as areas for growth, and tell teachers what information their students know and what they still need to know. When determining how…

Provides helpful guidelines for creating exams and grading. Three main questions are addressed: (1) If it is known what content is important, then why not tell the students?; (2) Should students compete against each other or compete against course content?; and (3) What is the best way to handle cheating? (SAH)