The complexity of defining accurate passing scores with a minimum classification error when evaluating criterion-referenced, multiple-choice tests has been a major problem for classroom teachers. Therefore, a practical procedure in which the instructor determines the plausibility of each item option for the minimally acceptable examinee is…

Multiple-choice items were used to measure knowledge of drug abuse among four distinct groups of college students in the Los Angeles area. No difference in knowledge was found about five aspects of drug abuse measured by subscales of the instrument. These findings suggest that knowledge about drugs is remarkably uniform, although the students…

The question of whether test factor structure is indicative of the test item hierarchy was examined. Data from 1,000 subjects on two sets of five bivalued Law School Admission Test items, which were analyzed with latent trait methods of Bock and Lieberman and of Christoffersson in Psychometrika, were analyzed with an ordering-theoretic method to…

Much of the intrinsic wealth of planning and instructional information available from achievement testing programs goes untapped in typical reporting procedures. Large-scale programs reporting only pupil scores and the results of aggregating those scores stop far short of the purposes intended and fail to realize the potential of such information.…

In order to screen out items which may be biased against some ethnic group prior to the final selection of items in test construction, a statistical technique for assessing item bias was developed. Based on a theoretical formulation of R. B. Darlington, the method compares the performance of individuals who belong to different ethnic groups, but…

In latent trait models the standard procedure for handling the problem caused by guessing on multiple choice tests is to estimate a parameter which is intended to measure the "guessingness" inherent in an item. Birnbaum's three parameter model, which handles guessing in this manner, ignores individual differences in guessing tendency. This paper…

This study identifies some of the change variables related to the institutionalization of the organizational component of the multiunit elementary school (MUS-E) and begins to identify some of the elements of change implicitly involved in the successful institutionalization of educational change in general. The study is based on data from five…

A series of computer programs and routines designed to assist researchers in the analysis of language usage was developed by the Southwest Regional Laboratory (SWRL). This document is one of a series that describes design specifications for the individual modules which comprise the Language Analysis Package (LAP). The Content Module functions as a…

The Armed Services vocational aptitude battery (ASVAB) was developed by a joint-service technical group, using items from the services' previously operational tests. The ASVAB was designed as a potential replacement for the Armed Forces Qualification Test and the separate classification batteries used by each of the services. Thus, the…

Most responses to educational and psychological test items may be represented in binary form. However, such dichotomously scored items present special problems when an analysis of correlational interrelationships among the items is attempted. Two general methods of analyzing binary data are proposed by Horst to partial out the effects of…

A 2-year investigation was initiated to determine the reliability and validity of the New York State competency tests used in selecting candidates for teacher preparation in the trade and industrial programs. The three most widely used tests--auto mechanics, cosmetology, and machine shop--were selected for investigation and further revision.…

To describe and to develop instruments to measure attitudes toward amputees, the blind, and those with cosmetic conditions, three groups of subjects responded to one of three large pools of items tapping attitudes toward the three disability conditions. Three new groups of about 500 subjects of diverse demographic characteristics were given one of…

This survey of the standardized testing program summarizes the data accumulated from the most recent administration of selected instruments in October 1973. It compares these findings with information from previous years and points to a few trends and possible conclusions. Assessment of mental abilities--1973-74 is presented for grade 1, and…

This paper reports progress in the development of a new Psychosocial Maturity Inventory. The subscales assess Self-reliance, Work Orientation, and Identity--theoretically, aspects of Individual Adequacy; Communication Skills, Knowledge of Major Roles, and Enlightened Trust--conceptualized as aspects of Interpersonal Adequacy; and Social…

The nature and purpose of criterion-referenced testing is discussed in light of test design procedures. It is seen that the uses to which test results are put are the chief determiners of the appropriate measurement model. A distinction is made between cut-off scores, criterion scores, and mastery scores. The value of certain test construction…