This study investigated the relationship between instructional use of handheld graphing calculators and student achievement in Algebra 1. Three end-of-course test forms were administered (without calculators) using matrix sampling to 458 high-school students in two suburban school districts in Oregon and Kansas. Test questions on two forms were…

This study examined the cross-lingual equating process adopted by a large scale testing system in which target language (TL) forms are equated to the source language (SL) forms using a set of translated items. The focus was on evaluating the degree of error inherent in the routine cross-lingual equating of the Verbal Reasoning subtest of the…

It has been found repeatedly that when test takers are allowed to choose a subset of constructed response (CR) items to answer on a test, they tend to choose differently and often perform lower on more popularly chosen items. This study investigated the psychological factors that influence test takers choices. Using an experience that incorporated…

Different item response theory (IRT) models may be employed for item calibration. Change of testing vendors, for example, may result in the adoption of a different model than that previously used with a testing program. To provide scale continuity and preserve cut score integrity, item parameter estimates from the new model must be linked to the…

A model for constrained computerized adaptive testing is proposed in which the information in the test at the ability estimate is maximized subject to a large variety of possible constraints on the contents of the test. At each item-selection step, a full test is first assembled to have maximum information at the current ability estimate fixing…

The comparison of item response theory models for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) was extended to an equating context as simulation trials were used to "equate the test to itself." Equating sample data were generated from administration of identical item sets. Equatings that used procedures based on each model (simple…

A simulation study of methods of assessing differential item functioning (DIF) in computer-adaptive tests (CATs) was conducted by Zwick, Thayer, and Wingersky (in press, 1993). Results showed that modified versions of the Mantel-Haenszel and standardization methods work well with CAT data. DIF methods were also investigated for nonadaptive…

In 1999, Rhode Island students in grades 3, 7, and 10 took a performance assessment in writing as part of the Rhode Island State Assessment Program. These two documents, a guide for educators and a guide for parents, describe the test and its scoring. The test is called a performance assessment because it requires the students to demonstrate their…

This guide is designed to give the student helpful information about Arizona's Instrument To Measure the Standards (AIMS) for high school. The guide provides examples of the type of questions students see on AIMS and explains how items are scored. It does not teach what the student needs to know to do well on AIMS, but it will help the student…

This publication contains released test items for grade 4 reading from the 2001 Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL). It is designed to assist teachers and administrators in the analysis of specific test items in order to identify patterns, trends, weaknesses, and strengths of student performance on the Essential Academic Learning…

This publication contains released test items for grade 10 reading from the 2001 Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL). It is designed to assist teachers and administrators in the analysis of specific test items in order to identify patterns, trends, weaknesses, and strengths of student performance on the Essential Academic Learning…

This document was designed and developed to supplement the "Mississippi Language Arts Framework 2000" and the Subject Area Testing Program (SATP) Teachers' Guide. This Intervention Guide is designed to help the teacher assess the progress of classes and individual students by assessment strand as reported in the SATP Class and SATP…

Math Sense consists of five books that develop from basic to more advanced math skills. This document contains a placement test used with Math Sense to help students and their teachers decide into which Math Sense book to begin working. The placement test is divided into six parts, each consisting of 10 to 22 problems, and is based on exit skill…

In computerized adaptive testing (CAT), new or experimental items are frequently administered alongside operational tests to gather the pretest data needed to replenish and replace item pools. The two basic strategies used to combine pretest and operational items are embedding and appending. Variable-length CATs are preferred because of the…

In the spring of 2000, public school eighth grade students will be assessed for the first time on the Colorado Model Content Standards for Science. This guide was developed to help educators prepare for the upcoming Colorado science assessment. The purpose of this book is to provide a window into eighth grade science assessment. This guide is…