The effect of reducing the number of score groups in the matching criterion of the Mantel-Haenszel procedure when screening for differential item functioning was investigated with a simulated data set. Results suggest that more than modest reductions cannot be recommended when ability distributions of reference and focal groups differ. (SLD)

Given a Masters partial credit item with n known step difficulties, conditions are stated for the existence of a set of (locally) independent Rasch binary items such that their raw score and the partial credit raw score have identical probability density functions. (Author/SLD)

A method of automatically selecting items for inclusion in a test with constraints on item content and statistical properties was applied to real data. Tests constructed manually from the same data and constraints were compared to tests constructed automatically. Results show areas in which automated assembly can improve test construction. (SLD)

Four management and four marketing professors classified multiple-choice questions in four widely adopted introductory textbooks according to the two levels of Bloom's taxonomy of educational objectives: knowledge and intellectual ability and skill. Inaccuracies may cause instructors to select questions that require less thinking than they intend.…

Explored the relative contributions to Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) score dependability of various numbers of persons, items, subtests, languages, and their various interactions. Sampled 15,000 test takers, 1000 each from 15 different language backgrounds. (Author/VWL)

The relations between Angoff ratings (minimum passing levels) and the actual "p" values for borderline examinees were studied with 115 examinees taking the Certified Financial Planner examination. Findings do not suggest that the Angoff judges' task is nearly impossible, but they do suggest the need to improve standard-setting…

How distractors in a test item function differentially is discussed. Also discussed are methods to identify distractor bias, including the Pearson chi square, likelihood-ratio chi square, and the Neyman weighted-least squares chi square tests. Problems from a physics test illustrate possible causes of distractor bias. (SLD)

Investigated item-by-item, holistic, and "trait" scoring with three mathematics performance-based tasks completed by 53 to 79 junior high and senior high school students per task. Results suggest that holistic scoring and item-by-item scoring methods provide similar information, but that trait score tapped into different aspects of…

Highlights the theoretical differences between the approaches of R. Likert (1932) and L. Thurstone (1928) to attitude measurement. Uses real and simulated data on attitudes toward abortion to illustrate that attitude researchers should pay more attention to the empirical-response characteristics of items on a Likert attitude questionnaire. (SLD)

Describes a goodness-of-fit statistic that considers the imprecision with which ability is estimated and involves constructing item fit tables based on each examinee's posterior distribution of ability, given the likelihood of the response pattern and an assumed marginal ability distribution. Also describes a Monte Carlo resampling procedure to…

The effect of removing nonfunctioning items from multiple-choice tests was studied by examining change in difficulty, discrimination, and dimensionality. Results provide additional support for the benefits of eliminating nonfunctioning options, such as enhanced score reliability, reduced testing time, potential for broader domain sampling, and…

Ratings of test item relevance were collected from 57 practitioners from a pretest of a medical certifying examination. Ratings were correlated with item difficulty, but the relationship between ratings and item discrimination was less clear. Application of generalizability theory shows that reasonable estimates of item, stem, and total test…

British students who had compulsory science in the National Curriculum from ages 11-16 (n=115) had significantly higher scores on a science test than those for whom secondary science had been optional (n=30). Almost all had very low scores on questions related to the circulatory system and sound and light, regardless of their science background.…

Studied children with word finding difficulties who were identified through a wider survey of educational provision for those with language and communication difficulties. (Author/VWL)

This article summarizes results from tests that have allowed examinee choice of test items. It paints a bleak psychometric picture for the use of examinee choice within fair tests. Choice is anathema to standardized testing unless the aspects that characterize the test are irrelevant to what is being tested. (SLD)