This demonstration booklet describes the 2005 assessments. The first three sections explain the purposes and content of the NAEP reading, mathematics, and science assessments and provide sample test questions at each grade level. The fourth section includes the directions and the background questions that all students will be asked to answer. The…

An alternative biweight estimator based on Tukey's is examined in which (1) test disturbances are not assumed to be the same for all subjects, (2) each response is utilized proportional to its value, and (3) the biweight and maximum likelihood estimate agree when no disturbances are present. Smaller mean-squared errors are shown. (Author/CM)

Test items were developed to assess a child's understanding of certain mathematical concepts. The taxonomy and criteria for developing superitems are described in some detail. The developed items were tried out with students and data are given on test results. (MNS)

Four methods of item bias detection--transformed item difficulty, item discrimination expressed as Clemans' lambda, chi-square, and the three-parameter item characteristic curve--were studied to determine the degree of correspondence among them in identifying biased and unbiased items in reading and mathematics subtests of the 1978 SRA Achievement…

Discusses development of the American Association of Physics Teachers and National Science Teachers Association (AAPT/NSTA) high school physics examination. Includes sample examination questions and distribution of topics: mechanics (30 percent), waves/optics/sound (20 percent), heat/kinetic theory (10 percent), electricity/magnetism (25 percent),…

Reasonable and practical solutions to two major problems confronting the developer of any test of educational achievement (what to measure and how to measure it) are proposed, defended, and defined. (Author/PN)

First year medical students answered parallel multiple-choice questions at different taxonomic levels as part of their diagnostic examinations. The results show that when content is held constant, students perform as well on interpretation and problem-solving questions as on recall questions. (Author/BW)

Examined one instrument devised to classify respondents for research purposes into high and low marital or dyadic adjustment groups. Data indicated that, while the overall scale performs the task reliably, the majority of its 32 items are unnecessary. Factor analysis revealed that there was one underlying "adjustment" dimension. (Author)

Effects of item arrangement, test anxiety, and sex on a mathematics test taken by motivated, upper-division undergraduates and beginning graduate students were investigated. Results showed that males outperformed females when items were arranged from easy to hard. (Author/GK)

Critiques the Jackson Vocational Interest Survey. Found the randomized technique of matching statements into forced-choice item pairs is a major flaw in the instrument. Explores conceptual issues arising when item clustering is used with forced-choice statement matching. Introduces contingency validity in item construction. (R)

Cliff's Index "c" derived from an item dominance matrix is utilized in a clustering approach, termed extracting Reliable Guttman Orders (ERGO), to isolate Guttman-type item hierarchies. A comparison of factor analysis to the ERGO is made on social distance data involving multiple ethnic groups. (Author/BW)

Describes the steps taken by City College School of Nursing (New York) in the development of nursing student placement tests. These steps include determining test items, use of multiple-choice questions, test revision, clinical performance tests, estimating test reliability, establishing standards, and using the tests. (CT)

In a Monte Carlo simulation, a methodology was developed to investigate the existence of radex properties among objective test items. In an experiment with items covering four categories of Bloom's cognitive domain taxonomy, the items did not have the factorial properties of a radex with four levels of complexity. (Author/BW)

In 1974 a program was developed in New South Wales (Australia) to remedy the loss of interest in French language instruction in the high schools. The magazine "Passe-Partout," oriented to teenage interests, was used for reading material in one portion of the program and as part of the comprehensive examination. (MSE)

A study to develop a short form of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) for the intellectually gifted showed the Vocabulary and Block Design comprise the best two-subtest short form. The Similarities, Vocabulary, Block Design, and Object Assembly tetrad could be most useful in time and reliability. (Author)