This study hypothesized that items in the one-question-per-passage format would be less easily answered when administered without their associated contexts than conventional reading comprehension items. A total of 256 seventh and eighth grade students were administered both Forms 3A and 3B of the Sequential Tests of Educational Progress (STEP 11).…

This study examined differences in predicting achievement by sex on the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS) from the verbal, quantitative, and nonverbal scores on the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT). The sample (n=10,000) consisted of all students in Grades 2, 5, and 8 who completed both tests in fall 1984. Examinations of means and standard…

This paper focuses on the questions which arise as test practitioners monitor score scales derived from latent trait theory. Large scale assessment programs are dynamic and constantly challenge the assumptions and limits of latent trait models. Even though testing programs evolve, test scores must remain reliable indicators of progress.…

This paper presents results of a study examining the relationship between the American Board of Surgery's In-Training Examination and its Qualifying Examination. 1982 Test scores on both examinations of 764 candidates in their fifth year of training as Chief Residents were analyzed. Descriptive statistics, correlations, and standard errors were…

The testing of many American Indian children using standardized exams (achievement, aptitude, ability, and intelligence tests) developed for the majority American society represents a case of cross-cultural testing which is likely to produce invalid results in the form of underestimation of student performance. Requirements for obtaining accurate…

In response to the negative learning environment found in most public schools today, a pedagogical method known as "The 3 Rs" (Reading, Reflecting, and Reacting) was developed to help schools produce active participants in a democratic and pluralistic society. Inspired by the literacy work of Paulo Freire, the method makes extensive use…

When test questions are not intended to measure language skills, it is important to know if language is an extraneous characteristic that affects item performance. This study investigates whether certain stylistic changes in the way items are presented affect item performance on examinations for a health profession. The subjects were medical…

Existing uses of assessment data obtained from the Jordanian General Secondary Education Certificate Examination (GSECE) are critically examined. The failure to fully realize potential uses of data is explored and explained in light of the existing testing technology and the associated level of expertise. A short description of the GSECE history,…

A study investigated the use of a narrative discourse task to test oral English proficiency in non-native speakers for screening and placement. The subjects were Japanese university freshmen entering a five-level course in spoken English. The subjects were shown an animated cartoon of a Japanese folk tale, with narration in Japanese, and later…

A discussion of the use of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) Proficiency Guidelines in teaching and testing less commonly taught languages (LCTL) describes a two-year project on that topic and looks at specific problems with four languages or language groups. The project was to familiarize LCTL teachers with the…

Since standardized tests of English foreign language seem to lack external validity, a new test, the New Cloze Test (NCT), was developed and validated as a placement test for foreign students. Details of the test design, including paragraph preparation, word deletion, and recommended methods for administration and scoring are discussed. Subjects…

The scores of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) have been declining since 1963. While this decline has occurred, scores on achievement tests administered to students in grades 3 to 11 have been stable. An alalysis of the medical and epidemiological literature was conducted to determine whether there could be a health factor that might have caused…

A sharp decline in the number of Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) candidates scoring over 600 (on a scale of 200-800), has been observed from 1969-70 through 1974-75. Several suggested explanations of this phenomenon relating to test-taking patterns are discussed. Specifically examined are the possibilities that fewer students take the SAT more than…

Hypotheses explaining the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) score decline have been advanced in letters to the College Entrance Examination Board and to the Advisory Panel on the Scholastic Aptitude Test Score Decline, in magazine articles, and in newspaper stories. A list of these hypotheses are presented and categorized according to changes in the…

The measurement of change is such a broad topic that this article must limit its focus to a few specific subtopics. These specific topics include: longitudinal research design, attrition in research studies, the statistical analysis of difference scores, and the comparison of analysis of variance (ANOVA) and multivariate analysis of variance…