The validity and dependability of functional competency tests for adults are examined as they relate to the information needs of instructional decision makers. Test data from the Adult Performance Level (APL) Program (funded by the U.S. Office of Education at the University of Texas at Austin) is used to illustrate key points. In the discussion of…

It is usually assumed that the procedures followed in developing criterion-referenced (CR) educational achievement tests ensure their content validity. This assumption is reasonable for the class of "domain-specified" CR tests, in which the item domain is completely specified by item generation rules. However, most CR tests are of the…

Resulting from a special study institute sponsored by the Bureau of Education for the Handicapped, the workshop coordinator's kit (third in a series of inservice teacher training materials) focuses on designing criterion measures. Outlined are instructions to the coordinator, materials needed, and discussion questions. Also provided is the script…

Science process skills considered important in making decisions and solving problems include: observing, classifying, measuring, using numbers, using space/time relationships, communicating, predicting, inferring, manipulating variables, making operational definitions, forming hypotheses, interpreting data, and experimenting. This 60-item test,…

A project was conducted to develop a criterion-referenced student testing program for secondary home economics (consumer education) in South Carolina. Procedures used to develop the test included the following: (1) the content elements of the consumer education curriculum were identified; (2) each content element was classified into the type and…

This paper presents the interim results of a set of studies undertaken to develop a much needed methodology for establishing content validity in domain-referenced achievement tests. The study results are presented in the context of the larger issue of the improvement of test design. School teachers, administrators and graduate students were…

A study was conducted to compare two methodologies for establishing hierarchical relationships--the Dayton and Macready model and the White and Clark procedure--using criterion referenced test data. Several phonics and structural analysis skills were selected from a reading skills battery. The opinions of reading "experts" were solicited in order…

Comparisons of corresponding values of phi and kappa coefficients were made for 270 instances of data generated by a Monte Carlo technique to simulate a test-retest situation. Data were generated for distributions with the same mean but three different levels of standard deviation, standard error of measurement and cutting score. Ten samples of…

An extensive list of criterion-referenced metric test items are published in this booklet for use by educators in levels K-8. Multiple-choice tests are referenced to the goals and behavioral objectives published in "Metrics in the K-8 Curriculum." Each test item is labeled according to grade level, broad goal, and behavioral objective. Questions…

One aim of criterion-referenced testing is to classify an examinee without reference to a norm group; therefore, any statements about the dependability of such classification ought to be group-independent also. A population-independent index is proposed in terms of the probability of incorrect classification near the cutoff true score. The…

The procedures used in developing test forms P and Q of the "Wisconsin Tests of Reading Skill Development: Comprehension" are described in this report. The criterion-referenced tests assess the 40 skills and objectives of the "Wisconsin Design for Reading Skill Development: Comprehension" commercial edition. The report contains…

Applied performance tests (APTs) are defined as tests designed to measure performance, in an actual or simulated setting, of tasks significant to a student's life outside the school or significant to adult life. A number of examples are presented to illustrate which skills may be classified as applied performance (such as file a tax return or…

Reviews of approximately 60 assessment instruments useful with young exceptional children are provided. Tests were selected on the basis of their popularity in eary childhood education literature and their frequency of use by educators in Wisconsin and Minnesota. Reviews are intended to provide descriptive information regarding the content,…

The bibliographies cited give numerous references in each of nine areas: criterion-referenced tests, educational accountability, evaluation criteria, evaluation methods, evaluation techniques, functional literacy/illiteracy, performance criteria, performance specifications, and program effectiveness. References were compiled from an exhaustive…