Examines confusions that result from the use of the words "standardization,""reliability,""objectivity," and "validity" in connection with testing. (IRT)

These two related papers provide information on teacher attitudes toward black dialect use in the classroom and the measurement of such attitudes. The first paper reports on data from 176 administrators, counselors, teachers, and student teachers, revealing significant relationships between a teacher's definition of black dialect, attitudes toward…

The secondary level English proficiency (SLEP) test is a group administered 150 item multiple-test of English language proficiency that includes two subscores and eight different item types. It is designed to assess a foreign student's readiness for English medium instruction at the secondary level. This paper reports on two studies which were…

A large-scale and a small-scale simulation of the reallocation of students into and out of an originally-selected treatment group were performed. It was postulated that both the scores on a selection test and teacher ratings are measures of student needs in the Title I Evaluation and Reporting System (TIERS). In the norm-referenced model, three…

A study was conducted to explore the reliability and validity of three prominent procedures used in informal reading inventories (IRIs): (1) choosing a 95% word recognition accuracy standard for determining student instructional level, (2) arbitrarily selecting a passage to represent the difficulty level of a basal reader, and (3) employing…

Two approaches to criterion-referenced test construction are compared. Classical test theory is based on the practice of random sampling from a well-defined domain of test items; latent trait theory suggests that the difficulty of the items should be matched to the achievement level of the student. In addition to these two methods of test…

An aptitude test requiring 10-minutes' administration time was administered to high school students learning Forkner, Century 21, and Gregg shorthand for the purpose of determining test validity for different shorthand systems. Validity data were obtained from approximately 2000 students. Aptitude test reliability ranged from KR20=0.88 to 0.90.…

This paper discusses variables influencing written composition quality and how they can best be controlled to improve the reliability of assessment of writing ability. The study aimed to concentrate on the effects of different imposed time limits on student performance in written composition at grade 10 level using methods of generalizability…

This fifty item multiple choice test was developed by Portland Public Schools, Maine, to assess middle school students' understanding of the concepts presented in the "Responsibility" unit of the "Law in a Free Society" materials published by the California Bar Association. These materials deal with eight concepts for…

An area of current concern is that of the advantages and disadvantages of measuring writing proficiency directly via writing samples, and indirectly via objective tests. Much research has been completed documenting the correlation between direct and indirect measures. However, there had not yet been a systematic and detailed conceptual analysis…

This paper reports upon the evaluation and implementation of a 30-item Likert-type rating scale for teachers to use in assessing children's behaviors within preschool classrooms. The Preschool Observation Scale (POS) was developed to evaluate programs of the Mt. Druitt Early Childhood Project, North Ryde, Australia. Items were constructed on the…

The Carroll County (Georgia) Competency-Based Teacher Certification Project developed a measure of teacher effectiveness, the 341-item Georgia Assessment of Teacher Effectiveness, based upon five previously published classroom observation systems. Three concerns were drawn from the development of this instrument: (1) the reduction of observational…