The instructional validity of computer administered tests was studied with a focus on whether differences in test scores and item behavior are a function of instructional mode (computer versus non-computer). In the first of 3 studies, performance test scores for approximately 400 high school students in 1990-91 for tasks accomplished with the…

As part of an empirical search for a practical self-concept scale that can be used with preschool children, the Self-Description Questionnaire (SDQ-I) was administered to a pilot group of kindergarten students in a rural Tennessee town. The study replicated the use of the SDQ-I with kindergarten children in Australia, which had demonstrated…

Some methodological issues in the study of levels of knowledge are reviewed, and needs for further research are explored, drawing on an analysis of 12 studies reported since the late 1970s. In the 12 studies, 16 quantitative experiments were conducted. These were assessed for internal and external validity. Analysis revealed some shortcomings in…

The psychometric properties of objective tests administered in two testing conditions were compared, using an experimental take-home testing condition and a traditional in-class testing condition. Subjects were 290 college students in a basic educational psychology course who took a test developed and tested the previous semester. Two equivalent…

This study examined the communicative competence of 89 international teaching assistants (ITAs) based on evaluations by undergraduate students. The study was developed to answer two questions: (1) whether the Oral English Proficiency Test, administered by professionals in teaching English as a second language, is a valid instrument for screening…

This book is designed to help teachers, especially secondary school teachers, create and use performance assessments. The basic concept is that teachers must plan backwards from outcomes of education to shift the paradigm of curriculum-instruction-testing to a new and more fluid design. The book presents a wide variety of assessment approaches…

This report examines the potential of adaptive testing, two-stage testing in particular, for improving the data quality of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Following a discussion of the rationale for adaptive testing in assessment and a review of previous studies of two-stage testing, this report describes a 1993 Ohio field…

For assessments that present problems that require extended responses and substantial amounts of time, there is often a desire to allow students to choose which problem they will respond to among two or more options. Student choice of problem may allow students a better opportunity to demonstrate what they know and are able to do. On the other…

This resource guide, second in a series of three volumes, is a compilation of assessment instruments, tools, or checklists. These instruments were submitted by active professionals in the field of assistive technology and demonstrate the range of instrumentation in use today. Each item submitted is reviewed according to a standard format that…

The widespread use of standardized tests and the high stakes decisions made because of their scores are facts that cannot be ignored. It can be argued, therefore, that assessment literacy should be included in the training of teachers and administrators. To determine the extent of selected assessment knowledge among preservice and inservice…

Indicators of mathematics and science education progress are important to policymakers and the public in order to evaluate the quality of education. Recent reports have evaluated existing indicators and suggested core aspects of mathematics and science education that an indicator system should evaluate. This note discusses two fundamental aspects…

This paper argues that the National Diffusion Network (NDN) is a valuable tool for disseminating information about effective school improvement programs (SIPs). It considers why SIPs are not found more frequently in the NDN and what can be done to remedy this situation, from the perspective of the executive secretary of the NDN Program…

Sixty-three fifth-grade children completed daily activity diaries indicating how they spent their non-school time for 15 days. From these diaries, estimates of the minutes per day that were spent in various activities were derived. The estimate of book-reading time from the activity diary correlated with new measures of individual differences in…

In 1990 the scope of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) was broadened by adding the Trial State Assessment (TSA), in which approximately 2,500 eighth graders in 100 schools in 40 states and U.S. territories participated in the mathematics assessment. A major step was training local test administrators to administer the TSA…

Arguments for replacing standardized multiple choice tests with performance assessment that encourages teachers to devote more attention to higher order skills, and thus results in increased student achievement, are based on three assumptions: (1) the teaching profession, key decision makers, and parents will accept performance assessment measures…