In September 1977 a reading and language arts test, based upon 40 objectives slated for student accomplishment by the end of grade four, was administered to all Delaware fourth graders. This test, the Objective-Referenced Measure in Communications, was intended to provide entry level diagnostic information to classroom teachers and to inform…

The Kentucky Educational Assessment Program is an ongoing effort to gather information regarding progress toward attainment of the educational goals for Kentucky citizens. Major emphasis is on the determination of the actual level of pupil performance in relation to desired performance. In the eleventh grade, relevant information was gathered in…

Chicano and Amerindian vocabulary scale responses from the Stanford-Binet (LM) and Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children were item-analyzed for 1,009 subjects. The response patterns differed both by ethnic group and test, as well as by age. The most common, and recurring, pattern found was "level-of-difficulty" gradient…

Data available from the Fall and Spring administration of the Stanford Achievement Test: Intermediate I: Form X and the Otis-Lennon Mental Ability Test for all Title I pupils in the State of New Hampshire plus a random sample for the entire state, made possible the item-by-item comparison of Fall and Spring performance on the same groups of…

This manual outlines the rationale for using the Criterion Referenced Test (CRT) approach and suggests specific guidelines for test developers to use in constructing test items. Methods for assessing the adequacy of a CRT are also provided. (Author/RC)

The Cultural Attitude Scales represent a modular approach to the measurement of cultural attitudes and knowledge with respect to the Puerto Rican, Anglo-American, and Black-American cultures. They are applicable to programs which propose to enhance ethnic identity or cross-cultural understanding among any one or more of these three ethnic groups.…

The Mink Scale is designed to differentiate between potential dropout and non-dropout students at the junior high school level. Items of the scale represent social, psychological, and educational factors established in previous dropout studies. A pilot study in five Appalachian counties compared scale responses for 189 (dropouts) former students…

In a 3-year longitudinal study, approximately 300 kindergarten children were selected for testing in the kindergarten and first and second grades to determine predictor variables of future success in reading and arithmetic. Results of the research tended to indicate that age and intelligence test scores were not good predictors of first and second…

This investigation describes (a) use of an item analysis technique applied to pretest results of Tests of Basic Experiences (Moss, 1971) with children 3-5 years old enrolled in a day care center; and (b) development of a new statistical technique for evaluating change ratings between pre- and posttests. A technique of obtaining mean change ratings…

This paper examines the development and evaluation of criterion-referenced measures, and elaborates on the distinction between them and norm-referenced measures. The concept of sensitivity is introduced as an appropriate method for evaluating such measures, and a sensitivity index is proposed. The traditional model for the response of a subject to…

Describes an analysis of test items used to measure the science process skills of 11-year-olds in Great Britain. Concludes that the level of cognitive demand was a reliable predictor of the difficulty of an item. (TW)

Describes responses of fifth to eighth grade students to different types of test items requiring estimation. Reports that performance differed by item format, types of numbers and operations in the items, and grade level of students. (Author/YP)

Effectiveness in presenting information of a modified box plot and a multivariate STAR graph was compared with that of tables for a sample audience for evaluation results (133 school superintendents, 123 journalists, 100 school board members, 100 principals, 100 teachers). Individual item analysis offers guidance for designing multivariate…

This article addresses an important problem that faces educators in assessing students' competence levels in learned tasks. Data from 165 students from Massachusetts and Minnesota in the United States are used to examine the validity of five assessment modes (multiple choice test, scenario, portfolio, self-assessment and supervisor rating) in…

In this study, the author tested the reliability, concurrent validity, and predictive validity of three hemispheric cognitive style instruments: (a) the Preference Test (PT; R. Zenhausern, 1978), (b) the Polarity Questionnaire (PQ; B. E. Morton, 2002), and (c) the Wagner Preference Inventory II (WAPI II; R. F. Wagner & K. A. Wells, 1985).…