This study tested the hypothesis that the common approach to test construction in which recognition questions (RQs), such as multiple-choice items, are followed by constructed response questions (CRQs) encourages students to use the informationally rich RQs to gain marks on the CRQs, thus introducing Local Item Dependence (LID) and inflating the…

This paper discusses the design and pedagogy underpinning the use of online quiz items in which students are presented with a range of questions designed to enhance understanding of complex linguistic constructions. It explores the design of different types of quiz questions from the perspective of pedagogy and cognitive demand. The particular…

This paper reviews and evaluates methods for conducting job analysis. The paper begins with a discussion of the purpose of licensure and certification and the dimensions of job analysis. The following four dimensions along which job analysis methods vary are discussed: types of job descriptors; sources of information; data collection methods; and…

New Hampshire has adopted a standards-based statewide assessment, the New Hampshire Educational Improvement and Assessment Program (NHEIAP), which is designed to measure students' learning against proficiency standards at grades 3, 6, and 10. Because of the difficulty teachers had in interpreting the NHEIAP results, a custom-designed software…

This paper presents an overview of the design features that were developed for the Content Analysis Project. The purpose of the project was to examine the congruence between a state's test in eighth-grade mathematics and that used by the National Assessment of Educational Progress. The results of this analysis were then to be used to determine…

This document is a collection of three parts: two extended papers and one shorter commentary on the International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS). These originally appeared in "Literacy Across the Curriculum" in response to an invitation for comment to several prominent international researchers. The first of these entitled "The…

Lists polymer chemistry topics and depth of topics to be covered in general chemistry courses. Also lists topics using polymers as tools for delivering necessary concepts, discussing 11 topic areas. List of readings, information on textbook evaluation, and illustrative examination questions are included. (JN)

A critical review of the Expressive One-Word Picture Vocabulary Test (Gardner) is offered. The reviewer feels that the instrument cannot be recommended in its present form. Further research concerning the manual, and theoretical issues, (particularly test-retest stability) is strongly recommended. (Author/PN)

Handicapped and nonhandicapped students were administered the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency to determine regular or specially designed physical education placement. Two of the three functions on the test were significant, indicating usefulness in placement. Fewer than half the test items for each function contributed discriminatory…

Subjects were immediately tested on a reading passage, and received feedback after 30 minutes or one day, or no feedback. After a week, subjects identified their original responses to three types of test items. One-day delay of feedback gave better results than the 30-minute delay. (GDC)

This article discusses an experiment carried out with university English as foreign language students to test the validity of multiple choice examinations for reading comprehension. (CFM)

The results of a series of simulation studies designed to investigate the influence of guessing and item pool characteristics on the bias, accuracy, and information properties of the trait estimates derived from Owen's Bayesian sequential testing strategy are reported. (RC)

Using item response theory to investigate differential item functioning (DIF), students' expected course grades were examined and found to function similarly across sex and race. These grades were incorporated into the matching criterion, enhancing the validity of subgroup comparisons for the third-grade mathematics test taken by 1,050 students.…

The agreement of diagnostic classifications from two parallel subtests assessing a mathematics skill with three levels of scoring was studied with 431 Arab Israeli 10th graders. Results indicate that, even when parallel form reliability is high, less agreement is apparent when performance is evaluated at the micro level. (SLD)

Different methodologies for linking tests across languages are reviewed and evaluated, focusing on monolingual item response theory, bilingual group designs, and matched monolingual group designs. These methods, although not without weaknesses, are superior for promoting score comparability than methods that rely on translation or expert judgment…