In actual test development practice, the number of test items that must be developed and pretested is typically greater, and sometimes much greater, than the number eventually judged suitable for use in operational test forms. This has proven to be especially true for analytical reasoning items, which currently form the bulk of the analytical…

Various memoranda concerning language test development procedures and technical operations are compiled for staff at the Kuwait University Language Center from the Office of Tests and Measurement. The memoranda are of interest to Unit Test Representatives but also are intended to provide guidance to unit supervisors, course coordinators, and…

The purpose of this study was to develop and implement a hypertext documentation system in an industrial laboratory and to evaluate its usefulness by participative observation and a questionnaire. Existing word-processing test method documentation was converted directly into a hypertext format or "hyperdocument." The hyperdocument was designed and…

Considers the situation in which content or administrative considerations limit the way in which a test can be partitioned to estimate the internal consistency reliability of the total test score. Demonstrates that a single-valued estimate of the total score reliability is possible only if an assumption is made about the comparative size of the…

Examined the effectiveness of the Sympson-Hetter technique and rotated content balancing relative to no exposure control and no content rotation conditions in a computerized adaptive testing system based on the partial credit model. Simulation results show the Sympson-Hetter technique can be used with minimal impact on measurement precision,…

The value of assessment activities should be judged by their contribution to what happens, directly or indirectly, between teachers and students. No one assessment can serve all ends. Alternative forms of assessment measure outcomes beyond the purview of traditional measures and are more authentic efforts to represent behavior or accomplishments…

Reviews general approaches to job analysis and considers methodological issues related to sampling and the development of rating scales used to measure and describe a profession or occupation. Evaluates the usefulness of different types of test plans and describes judgmental and empirical methods for using practice analysis data to help develop…

This manual presents information on the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI), primarily directed to counselors and clinicians who work with university counseling center clients, private practice clients, and mental health clinic clients who are not usually psychotic or neurotic but are having difficulties in one or two areas. This…

This Digest describes matrix sampling of test items as an approach to achieving broad coverage while minimizing testing time per student. Matrix sampling involves developing a complete set of items judged to cover the curriculum, then dividing the items into subsets and administering one subset to each student. Matrix sampling, by limiting the…

This document contains a description of the Georgia High School Graduation Test in mathematics. The test item specifications, reflecting the Georgia State Quality Core Curriculum, are used by writers and reviewers who are responsible for the development of test items. Much of the content in the description is based on earlier test versions…

Item selection methods in computerized adaptive testing (CAT) can yield extremely skewed item exposure distribution in which items with high "a" values may be over-exposed while those with low "a" values may never be selected. H. Chang and Z. Ying (1999) proposed the a-stratified design (ASTR) that attempts to equalize item…

Designed to provide an experience as close as possible to the actual assessment, this paper presents the revised model of assessment in reading for the Michigan High School Test (HST). The revisions incorporated into the paper reflect the testing transition from the High School Proficiency Test to the HST. The first part of the paper presents…

What are the purposes of exams? Would teachers give exams if they were not grading students? Exams provide information that should inform the instructional program, let the students know their strengths as well as areas for growth, and tell teachers what information their students know and what they still need to know. When determining how…

Studied three stratification designs for computerized adaptive testing in conjunction with three well-developed content balancing methods. Simulation study results show substantial differences in item overlap rate and pool utilization among different methods. Recommends an optimal combination of stratification design and content balancing method.…

In most large-scale assessments of student achievement, several broad content domains are tested. Because more items are needed to cover the content domains than can be presented in the limited testing time to each individual student, multiple test forms or booklets are utilized to distribute the items to the students. The construction of an…