Differential item functioning on 6 forms of the Scholastic Aptitude Test was examined for 181,228 male and 198,668 female students focusing on the points tested, the test format, and subject matter in which items are embedded. Implications of the identifiable differences are discussed. (SLD)

At Illinois College of Optometry a peer-review committee evaluates the exams of both basic science and clinical courses to provide an objective means of evaluating a faculty member's teaching ability. Five aspects of the exam (content, construction, statistical analysis, adjusted questions, instructor's rationale) are evaluated to determine the…

Examines the process of developing an English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) cloze test by computer based on a language corpus. Two such tests developed and pilot-tested in Hong Kong were found to have test items that were not as good as they would have been if designed by a competent human, but better than expected. (Author/MSE)

Studied the effects of test consequences, response formats, gender, and ethnicity on the mathematics and science sections of the Michigan High School Proficiency Test. Results for more than 11,000 students show that students taking constructed response and multiple choice formats performed better under high stakes conditions. Discusses gender and…

Although multivariate generalizability theory was developed more than 30 years ago, little published research utilizing this framework exists and most of what does exist examines tests built from tables of specifications. In this context, it is assumed that the universe scores from levels of the fixed multivariate facet will be correlated, but the…

This study examined the magnitude of differences in standard scores, convergent validity, and concurrent validity when an individual's performance was gauged using the revised and the normative update (Woodcock, 1998) editions of the Woodcock Reading Mastery Test in which the actual test items remained identical but norms have been updated. From…

The impact of language characteristics in mathematics test items on student performance was evaluated for students with disabilities (SWD) and English language learners (ELL) as well as a large general student sample. Relationships were examined for test items and students at 4th, 7th, and 10th grades. The individual test item was the unit of…

Researchers studying monitoring accuracy currently use two different indexes to estimate accuracy: relative accuracy and absolute accuracy. The authors compared the distributional properties of two measures of monitoring accuracy using Monte Carlo procedures that fit within these categories. They manipulated the accuracy of judgments (i.e., chance…

The paper discusses the relationship between learning objectives and testing procedures in the Department of English at the University of Botswana, based on an examination of some course outlines and examination papers. Observations show that course designs are deficient in the articulation of learner outcomes. This deficiency is reflected in the…

Although state agencies are required by law to assess their consumers' satisfaction with vocational rehabilitation (VR), each state uses its own instrument to measure satisfaction. This not only makes comparisons across states impossible but also means that the quality of these instruments varies widely from state to state. As with other…

Background: Athletics programmes for secondary schools include a variety of skills, knowledge and cognitive abilities, which are currently assessed through written, practical, oral and/or video-based tests. Skills are traditionally taught in practice-based sessions, while the knowledge aspect is often reinforced in class-based sessions with…

There has been a wealth of investigation into the use of online multiple-choice questions as a means of summative assessment, however the research into the use of formative MCQs by the same mode of delivery still remains patchy. Similarly, research and implementation has been largely concentrated within the Sciences and Medicine rather than the…

The Bayley Scales of Infant Development II (BSID-II) and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Third Edition (WISC-III) are frequently used across cultures in standard assessment batteries for learners between 6 and 17 years of age, respectively. Responses of American Indian students on the BSID-II and WISC-III were examined for patterns of…

This article describes the development of an English spelling measure designed to assess the progress made by Spanish-English bilingual children from Grade 2 to Grade 5. Different stages of developing the measure are described, such as selecting the focus features, the prepilot and pilot phases, and the operational version. Two underlying…

The purpose of this study is to analyze items that exhibit gender-related Differential Item Functioning (DIF) in Mathematics in Jordan. Data was taken from the TIMSS 1999 of Jordan, which includes responses of 5, 299 eighth grade students. Mantel-Haenszel (MH) DIF procedure was applied to 124 multiple-choice items. The results showed that 37 items…