Notes that in 1985, California eighth-grade students took the first statewide history-social science test which emphasized critical thinking skills. Contends that these skills are teachable and should be a priority in social studies. Describes three approaches to critical thinking skills assessment and provides three examples. Concludes with…

This study evaluated 16 hypotheses concerning possible sources of bias in test items on the Graduate Record Examination General Test. Ten of the hypotheses showed interactions between group membership and the item version indicating a differential effect of the item manipulation on the performance of Black and White examinees. (Author/LMO)

To determine which produced the most accurate item parameter estimates, four methods of item response theory were evaluated: (1) heuristic estimates; (2) the ANCILLES program; (3) the LOGIST program; and (4) the ASCAL program. LOGIST and ASCAL produced estimates of superior and essentially equivalent accuracy. (SLD)

The contribution of passage variables, question types, and format variables to reading comprehension was assessed for 50 successful and 50 unsuccessful readers. A three-stage conditional regression assessed the predictability of 20 predictor features on item difficulty scores. The location of response information and stem length accounted for…

Intercorrelations among multiple true-false items were examined to determine to what extent each choice can be treated as independent. Results from 157 health science and 170 medical students indicated that correlations between options from the same stem were larger than those from different stems. Methods for computing reliability estimates were…

Notes that significantly different results frequently exist between tests that purport to measure the same skill when the same child is tested on both instruments. Considers discrepancies related to examinee, examiner, examinee-examiner interactions, environment, and psychometric characteristics of the tests employed. Cites 10 major psychometric…

The purpose of this study was to test a specific hypothesis with regard to how cloze retrieval takes place once semantic constraints are recognized. Results from human subjects and computer simulation suggested that increase in latency between the two- and three-semantic-constraint conditions was not artifactual. (JAZ)

Reviews some of the ways researchers estimate readability with a focus on multiple choice test items in science. Presents criteria to consider for minimizing readability problems in test items. Examines samples from the National Assessment of Educational Progress test bank for readability. (ML)

Qualitative evidence for the operation of partial knowledge is given by two findings. First, performance when second and subsequent choices are made is above the chance level. Second, it is positively related to first choice performance. A number of theories incorporating partial knowledge are compared quantitatively. (Author/LMO)

The purpose of this research was to recommend an item bias procedure when the number of minority examinees is too small to use preferred three-parameter item response theory (IRT) methods. The chi-square, Angoff delta-plot, and pseudo-IRT indices were compared with both real and simulated data. (Author/DWH)

This paper develops and illustrates a latent trait approach to constructing an item bank when responses are scored in several ordered categories. This approach is an extension of the methodology developed by Choppin, Wright and Stone, and Wright and Bell for the construction and maintenance of banks of dichotomously scored items. (Author/PN)

Biased test items were intentionally imbedded within a test and administered to large samples of Black and White college students. Three item bias detection methods (the three-parameter item characteristic curve procedure, the chi-square method, and the transformed item difficulty approach) were applied to the data. (Author/PN)

The PREPS (Program of Research and Evaluation for Public Schools) consortium in Mississippi is described. The article discusses the consortium's purpose, the role of university researchers, what kind of research is conducted, function of the PREPS staff, PREPS membership, the kinds of problems that PREPS addresses, and suggestions for developing…

Administered three item-difficulty sequence forms of an achievement test to 107 sixth-grade students. No relationship between item-difficulty sequence and test performance, reliability, or item difficulty and discrimination was discovered. (Author/JAC)

The effects of violating four item construction principles were examined to assess the validity of the principles and the importance of students' test wiseness. While flawed items were significantly less difficult than sound items, differences in item discrimination, test reliability, and concurrent validity were not observed. (Author/BW)