The "Education Evaluation and Remedial Assistance" section 10-14n of the Connecticut General Statutes, requires that the State Board of Education administer an annual statewide proficiency examination in basic reading, language arts, and mathematic skills to all ninth-grade students. This report describes the development of the test and…

After introductory material examining student skepticism toward testing and outlining the major problems encountered by instructors in test construction and grading, this monograph explores the optimum use of testing and performance evaluations in competency-based vocational education programs. Background information is then presented, including…

This study examined the effect of two ways of question phrasing as related to three styles of expository writing on the test performance of elementary school children. Multiple-choice questions were developed for sets of passages which were written using three different syntactic structures; and which had different levels of difficulty. The…

Suggests that the current tests for writers form a paradigm for how other liberal studies faculties can shape assessment programs that reflect the important tenets of their disciplines, because these tests have grown from sound academic principles, rather than from the expediencies of budget offices, campus testing services, or legislative…

The proportionality model assumes that total testing time is proportional to the number of test items and the number of options per multiple choice test item. This assumption was examined, using test items having from two to five options. The model was not supported. (Author/GDC)

Using both the Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scales (BARS) and the Purdue University Scales, 727 undergraduates rated 32 instructors. The BARS had less halo effect, more leniency error, and lower interrater reliability. Both formats were valid. The two tests did not differ in rate discrimination or susceptibility to rating bias. (Author/GDC)

A study of undergraduate students investigated whether different rehearsal strategies are more effective in facilitating achievement, whether certain rehearsal strategies require learners to spend more time interacting with instructional content, and whether verbal or visual testing requires students to spend more time processing and responding to…

The multifaceted structure of sentence-completion test items was analyzed to explain verbal comprehension. The three stimulus constituents were technical, logical-semantic, and associative-contextual. Guttman's facet and order theories and smallest space analysis were used. Results confirmed the multiple skills involved in solving these tasks.…

Evaluating the comparability of a test administered in different languages is a difficult, if not impossible, task. Comparisons are problematic because observed differences in test performance between groups who take different language versions of a test could be due to a difference in difficulty between the tests, to cultural differences in test…

Data from the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) were examined to determine the extent to which the rank ordering of countries based on pupil test performance was consistent across three different item formats: multiple-choice, short-answer, and extended-response. Findings from the analysis are used to make the case that…

To date, little work has been done to ensure limited English proficient (LEP) students are accurately assessed on a large scale. The purpose of this guide is to help scorers in high volume situations to be able to effectively evaluate the open-ended responses of this population. Section one of this guide presents a brief overview of the State…

The Law School Admission Council (LSAC) is currently investigating the feasibility and advisability of administering a computerized Law School Admission Test (LSAT). In this context, using data from the College Boards 1989 National Advanced Placement (AP) Chemistry Examination for 18,462 test takers and a survey of all AP Chemistry teachers in…

This report describes court challenges to high school exit exams for students with disabilities, explores the legal and public policy issues, and discusses implications for educators. Legal challenges include claims brought under the Due Process and Equal Protection clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment, and under disability statutes, including the…

Surveyed student attitudes on modes of testing and evaluation. Data from 476 college students revealed that multiple-choice test items and short answer essays were most preferred. Found grade point average related to study habits and preparation for and determinant of student preferences regarding tests. (Author/JAC)

Ninth-graders read a passage for a test to be taken the next day, anticipating a recall test, a multiple-choice test, and a retention test. Half received either a recall or a recognition test regardless of prior instructions. Subjects did better on the recognition tests in all conditions. (Author/RD)