The 8th Grade Test (1984) of the Illinois Inventory of Educational Progress includes 22 reading items, 39 geometry items, 41 science items, a 27-item student questionnaire regarding science opinions, and 46 mathematics items. The test booklet only is included here. (PN)

To test the assumption that questions measuring literal comprehension and those measuring inferential comprehension are equally valid indices for both oral and silent reading tests at all skill levels, questions from the Analytic Reading Inventory were classified as either literal or inferential. Subjects, 94 children in grades two to five, read…

The premise of this document is that trade instructors and incumbent workers can work together as a writing team to develop test items for vocational education. The development process used by the Vocational-Technical Education Consortium of States (V-TECS) is described as follows: (1) identify and validate a task list; (2) conduct task analysis;…

Information concerning the federal regulations governing the basic citizenship skills requirement for immigrant legalization, as amended, is presented. Materials include: (1) a sample memorandum to educational service providers relaying information concerning the requirement; (2) revised requirements and guidelines for courses of study recognized…

The study compares three methods for establishing cut-off scores that effect a compromise between absolute cut-offs based on item difficulty and relative cut-offs based on expected passing rates. Each method coordinates these two types of information differently. The Beuk method obtains judges' estimates of an absolute cut-off and an expected…

Two techniques for detecting differential item functioning (DIF) of test items are compared: (1) item response theory (IRT), using the three-parameter model; and (2) Mantel-Haenszel chi square techniques (MHCS). The steps necessary for identifying differentially functioning items are identified for both approaches. Using data from the 1988…

A study investigated the degree to which scores on content-based tests were influenced by non-content factors such as difficulty with reading, lack of confidence in responding independently to a test, and inexperience with modes of responding to multiple-choice questions. A test compiled from science, math, and social studies material in a primary…

The methods used by E. L. Thorndike, L. L. Thurstone, and G. Rasch to address issues related to item-invariant measurement and the scoring of individual performance are compared. The analyses highlight the close connection among the three methods, and suggest that progress in measurement theory reflects the movement from essentially ad hoc methods…

The issue of parallel forms is of paramount importance for producers of standardized tests. With increasing emphasis being placed on standardized test results it is necessary that each student achieve the same standard score regardless of the form he or she was administered. In the case of the American College Testing (ACT) Assessment Program,…

In most judgmental methods for setting performance standards, content experts evaluate test items based on a conceptualization of a borderline examinee or a group of examinees. An alternative method is proposed by which judges evaluate items based on the degree of criticality regardless of content area. This classification of items serves to link…

In item response theory (IRT), preequating depends upon item parameter estimate invariance. Three separate simulations, all using the unidimensional three-parameter logistic item response model, were conducted to study the impact of the following variables on preequating: (1) mean differences in ability; (2) multidimensionality in the data; and…

Designed to give guidance to those involved in the curriculum development process within the Shipyard Training Modernization Program (STMP), this guide provides an understanding of the fundamental practices followed in the curriculum development process. It also demonstrates incorrect and correct approaches to the development of the curriculum…

The purpose of this study was to determine whether item difficulty is significantly affected by language difficulty and response set convergence. Language difficulty was varied by increasing sentence (stem) length, increasing syntactic complexity, and substituting uncommon words for more familiar terms in the item stem. Item wording ranged from…

The Ohio Vocational Achievement Tests are specially designed instruments for use by teachers, supervisors, and administrators to evaluate and diagnose vocational achievement for improving instruction in secondary vocational programs at the 11th and 12th grade levels. This guide explains the Ohio Vocational Achievement Tests and how they are used.…

A type of item used frequently in standardized testing involves the recognition of a sentence. Examples of such items are the sentence completion items, used in both the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), and the sentence correction items used in the Test of Standard Written English. Tests that contain such…