Applications of item response theory to practical testing problems including equating, differential item functioning, and computerized adaptive testing, require that item parameter estimates be placed onto a common metric. In this study, three methods for developing a common metric under item response theory are compared: (1) linking separate…

One of the item types in the Listening Comprehension section of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) test is the dialogue. Because the dialogue item pool needs to have an appropriate balance of items at a range of difficulty levels, test developers have examined items at various difficulty levels in an attempt to identify their…

This study investigates whether or not the factor structure of reading comprehension is invariant across large, nationally representative samples of 14-year-old students from four different countries. The data from French-speaking Belgium, Hungary, Italy, and the United States were collected as part of the Reading Literacy Study of 1990-91,…

Advanced Placement Calculus examinations were administered to nearly 7,000 students in order to determine the impact of calculator use. Both experimental examinations had two sections. Section I items were designed so that a calculator was not needed, but approximately half of the students were permitted to use calculators. Section II items…

The purpose of this study was to compare the scores of students who were allowed unlimited retakes of a multiple-choice test with the scores of students who were limited to only four retakes (five trials) of the same test. The tests were each made up of 20 randomly drawn questions from a large pool of questions about research methods. Three…

This digest introduces three issues to consider when evaluating test items for bias: fairness, bias, and stereotyping. In any bias investigation, the first step is to identify the subgroups of interest. Bias reviews and studies generally focus on differential performance for sex, ethnic, cultural, and religious groups. In preparing an item bias…

An important principle in constructing rating scales is to develop items that reflect various degrees of the "pro" (positive) and "contra" (negative) aspects of the trait being measured. Where both positive and negative items are pooled, they can be arranged in order along the trait continuum, but for classical and item…

To generalize test results beyond the particular test administration, an examinee's ability estimate must be independent of the particular items attempted, and the item difficulty calibrations must be independent of the particular sample of people attempting the items. This stability is a key concept of the Rasch model, a latent trait model of…

Possible population differences in speed versus level of Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) reading comprehension scores were explored. The study used operational measures computed post hoc from item-level data in GRE files for a pre-October 1977 version of the verbal test in which 40 GRE reading comprehension (RC) items were included as a…

When self-administered surveys or questionnaires are administered, there is often a question of whether respondents have attended to the items in a thoughtful manner. This paper examines the results of three different surveys to investigate the occurrence of nonattending behaviors such as missing items, patterns that indicate lack of…

One of the main limitations of the current generation of computer-based tests is its dependency on the multiple-choice item. This research was aimed at extending computer-based testing by bringing limited forms of performance assessment to it in the domain of mathematics. This endeavor involves not only building task types that better reflect…

The use of constructed response items in large scale standardized testing has been hampered by the costs and difficulties associated with obtaining reliable scores. The advent of expert systems may signal the eventual removal of this impediment. This study investigated the accuracy with which expert systems could score a new, non-multiple choice…

The use of scientific calculators on standardized mathematics tests is becoming more common, and how their use affects the standardized testing process continues to be a topic of study. This study extends previous work by examining test item characteristics and equity issues, asking whether items designed to be "calculator neutral"…

A study was conducted to develop a test that is able to capture knowledge of an intuitive nature, such as that acquired through discovery learning. The proposed test format is called the "what-if test." Test items in this format consist of the presentation of a situation. A change in the situation is introduced, and learners have to…

The booklet is part of a grade 10-12 social studies series produced for bilingual education. The series consists of six major thematic modules, with four to five booklets in each. The interdisciplinary modules are based on major ideas and designed to help students understand some major human problems and make sound, responsive decisions to improve…