The use of the standard deviation of item ratings as a criterion of scale anchor selection is criticized. An alternative criterion based on item intercorrelation procedures is suggested and tested. Results indicate that the alternative criterion does not lead to the negative outcomes of the standard deviation criterion. (Author/JKS)

Various experiments demonstrated that the difficulty level of several performance-type intelligence test tasks is determined directly by stimulus and task variables that vary the information to be processed. The implications of these findings for intelligence and the problems of an experimental approach to the measurement of intelligence are…

Through reference to the "Edmonton Grade 111 Achievement Study: 1956-1977 Comparisons" this research attempts to dispel the uncertainty associated with current curricular validity of old tests. Examines five standardized tests used in the Edmonton Study, which were first given in 1956 and designed to measure basic skills. (Author/RK)

The answer-until-correct (AUC) procedure requires that examinees respond to a multi-choice item until they answer it correctly. Using a modified version of Horst's model for examinee behavior, this paper compares the effect of guessing on item reliability for the AUC procedure and the zero-one scoring procedure. (Author/CTM)

The Bem Sex Role Inventory item selection strategy was reexamined, using Bem's anchored rating scale and instructions. The results replicated Bem's for 18 masculine and 19 feminine items and suggest that the failure to replicate reported by Edwards and Ashworth (TM 503 531) resulted from differences in the anchored rating scale and instructions.…

An attempt was made to replicate the selection of items for the Bem Sex Role Inventory (BSRI). The BSRI item-selection criterion was met by only two items. For a considerable number of other items, differences between mean desirability ratings were in a direction opposite to that predicted. (Author/CTM)

To test the hypothesis that item-selection artifacts may distort data from the overt-rehearsal procedure in single-trial free recall, a controlled procedure was used where to-be-rehearsed items were presented to the subject rather than selected by him. No differences were found between the two procedures. (SW)

Discusses a survey to investigate discrepancies between high school social studies teachers' knowledge of and attitudes toward test item-types such as true-false, multiple-choice, and essay. Findings indicate that teacher perceptions of the relationship between item-type and cognitive skill assessed are incongruent with the perceptions of authors…

Item-test correlations are compared to item test-retest correlations as measures for selecting items in test construction. The author concludes that the item test-retest method is superior for item analysis which aims at getting shorter tests while maintaining test stability. (Author/JKS)

Discusses the decisions made in the development of a functional literacy test used in Philadelphia. (MKM)

Discusses relationships between approaches to Advanced (A) level English literature and types of questions on course examinations. (AA)

A critical review is presented of research conducted during the past 20 years on multiple-choice tests of achievement and aptitude. The design and use of multiple-choice tests is emphasized, but information concerning the socioeducational implications of relying on such tests is also included. (Author/CB)

The testlet, a bundle of test items, alleviates some problems associated with computerized adaptive testing: context effects, lack of robustness, and item difficulty ordering. While testlets may be linear or hierarchical, the most useful ones are four-level hierarchical units, containing 15 items and partitioning examinees into 16 classes. (GDC)

This article suggests that mechanical application of Golden Rule-like procedures is inappropriate. The fundamental idea embodied in them, namely, that of taking issues of equity into account in test construction, may reasonably be done without doing violence to test validity. (JAZ)

This is a reprint of a 1986 letter by the former president of the National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME) to New York and California legislators. The author outlines why NCME is opposed to legislative initiatives to extend Golden Rule procedures to tests in those states. (JAZ)