To meet the needs of visually-impaired candidates, Educational Testing Service (ETS) has traditionally provided tests in three special formats: large-print, Braille, and cassette. Certain ETS programs permit the use of the candidate's reader or the use of amanuensis, that is, someone who records answers for the candidate. The primary goal of…

The feasibility of using item response theory (IRT) as a psychometric model for the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) Aptitude Test was addressed by assessing the reasonableness of the assumptions of item response theory for GRE item types and examinee populations. Items from four forms and four administrations of the GRE Aptitude Test were…

A formal analysis is presented of the effects of item deletion on equating/scaling functions and reported score distributions. The phrase "item deletion" refers to the process of changing the original key of a flawed item to either all options correct, including omits, or to no options correct, i.e., not scoring the flawed item. There…

Two 50-item multiple-choice forms of a grammar test were developed differing only in humor being included in 20 items of one form. One hundred twenty-six (126) eighth graders received the test plus alternate forms of a questionnaire. Humor inclusion did not affect grammar scores on matched humorous/nonhumorous items nor on common post-treatment…

Biology 30 is a 12th-grade science course for students in Alberta, Canada. This document is the final test for the course. Intended for administration during January 1989, it contains 70 multiple-choice questions and seven written-response questions. Two-and-one-half hours are allowed for completing the test. No answer key is included since…

Biology 30 is a 12th-grade science course for students in Alberta, Canada. This document is an alternate form for the final test for the course. Intended for administration during January 1989, it contains 70 multiple-choice questions and seven written-response questions. Two and one-half hours are allowed for completing the test. No answer key is…

Chemistry 30 is a 12th-grade science course for students in Alberta, Canada. This document is the final test for the course. Intended for administration during January 1989, it contains 56 multiple-choice questions and three written-response questions. Two and one-half hours are allowed for completing the test. No answer key is included since…

Results of empirical research relating computer programming instruction and understanding of the concept of mathematical variables is unclear. While some studies have found a positive relationship, others have reported nonsignificant results. The purpose of this study was to investigate high school students' (n=36) understanding of the concept of…

Knowledge of the nature of human population growth is necessary to understand the world as well as to manage population-related problems in health, education, and environmental protection. The Second International Science Study asked U.S. students to select the graph that best portrayed the nature of population increases in the past 1,000 years.…

This report describes the sequence of activities that took place as the Examination Division of the New Jersey Department of Civil Service introduced a word processing system for a test item bank and for production of camera-ready test copy. The equipment selection, installation and orientation procedures are discussed. Keyboard and CRT terminals,…

A study examined the nature of the questions contained in two major standardized reading comprehension tests in terms of their centrality to the text. It was hypothesized that the use of a discrimination index for item selection would tend to favor relatively trivial questions. Half the reading selections from the Stanford Diagnostic Reading Test…

A study was undertaken to develop guidelines for the interpretation of the parameters of three multidimensional item response theory models and to determine the relationship between the parameters and traditional concepts of item difficulty and discrimination. The three models considered were multidimensional extensions of the one-, two-, and…

A common problem arises in scale transformation when independent estimates of item parameters from two separate data sets must be expressed in the same metric. These item parameter estimates will be different because the metric or scale defined by each independent calibration of the items is different. The problem is frequently confronted in…

The results of a survey questionnaire of all teaching faculty at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID) were presented. The researchers were concerned with teacher-constructed classroom tests and the problems encountered in developing, administering, and grading them. The survey topics included: instructors' current test development…

The multilevel characteristics of test item data are considered as a method for examining the characteristics of standardized norm-referenced tests. A theoretical rationale for examining multilevel characteristics is presented. It can be used as an aid to understand why program and instructional effects on measures constructed from…