This paper describes the development and investigation of a new approach to determining the existence of bias in multiple-choice test scores. Previous work in this area has concentrated almost exclusively on bias attributable to specific test items or to differences in test score distributions across racial or ethnic groups. In contrast, the…

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is a Jungian-oriented self-report inventory which classifies people into dichotomous categories along four scales: extraversion-introversion, sensation-intuition, thinking-feeling, and judgment-perception. Introduced in 1942, the scoring and items have changed after several items analyses. Form F contains 51 phrase…

A review of objectives for the current five-year plan (1977-1982) and an annual report outlining progress made during 1979 are presented for each sub-committee of the Developmental Mathematics Curriculum Committee (DMCC) of the American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges (AMATYC). The sub-committee for hand-held calculators outlines a…

This manual is designed to accompany reports prepared by the Pennsylvania Department of Education for the 505 school districts in that state, summarizing results of the Educational Quality Assessment. The normative sample is described as being stratified on two dimensions: district enrollment and wealth. Administrative procedures are summarized.…

Four new versions of an acoustic structuring test were developed, administered, and analyzed in order to produce better tests and to contribute to better understanding of the abilities measured by these tests. The tests consist of tape recordings of patterns of musical notes played on an electric organ or an acoustic guitar. Item analyses and…

This project investigated patterns of parental authority among Berkeley preschool children and the processes by which these parents contributed to the development of children's social responsibility and individuality. Subjects were 140 families from city-sponsored, private cooperative, and university-operated nursery schools. Eight constructs were…

A linear regression model was used to select items from a pool of 700 arithmetic word problems to be used in a computer-assisted mathematics curriculum for elementary school students. The experimental procedure first involved a stepwise linear regression analysis of a student's performance over a set of 25 problems. The probability correct for…

The existence of criterion-referenced (CR) measurement is questioned in this paper. Despite beliefs that differences exist between two alternative forms of measurement, CR and Norm Referenced (NR), an analysis of philosophical and psychological descriptions of measurement, as well as a growing number of empirical studies, reveal that the common…

The assessment of the development of preschool and primary grade children has assumed greater importance in recent years with the emphasis on compensatory education programs. While the assessment of cognitive development has received the primary thrust of research efforts thus far, most child experts would agree that the child's affective…

This bulletin attempts to explain the use and limitations of regularly the process of selecting educational areas which should receive additional interpret adequately their meaning to parents and students. A companion publication "Understanding Testing Purposes and Interpretations for Pupil Development," also prepared by HEW, was issued in 1960. A…

The reliability and the predictive and concurrent validity of the MATAP were investigated with the implicit goal of improving the prediction of course grades in the College of Fine and Applied Arts. It was found that reliability and validity coefficients were low, and it was suggested that the scoring system was a source of error variance. (MS)

Gumpgookies, an objective-projective test of school achievement motivation for children 3 1/2 to 8 year, was reduced from 100 to 75 items following extensive factor analyses. This revised test attempted to dissipate the effects of response sets of the subjects and was prepared in three versions--an individual form, a group form for non-readers,…

The development and validation of a test of English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) proficiency are described. The measure is a multiple-choice test based on translation of a literary text from English to Arabic and vice versa. Intended for rapid student placement, it is seen as overcoming most of the defects inherent in traditional translation tests.…

Writers of mathematics test items, especially those who write for standardized tests, are often advised to arrange the answer options in logical order, usually ascending or descending numerical order. In this study, 32 mathematics items were selected for inclusion in four experimental pretest units, each consisting of 16 items. Two versions…

Sources of item bias located in characteristics of the test item were studied in a reasoning test developed in South Africa. Subjects were 1,056 White, 1,063 Indian, and 1,093 Black students from standard 7 in Afrikaans and English schools. Format and content of the 85-item Reasoning Test were manipulated to obtain information about bias or…