Test taking and scoring are examined from the normative and descriptive perspectives of judgment and decision theory. The number-right scoring rule is endorsed because it discourages omissions and is robust against variability in respondent motivations, item vagaries, and limitations in judgments of uncertainty. (SLD)

Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were used to explore relationships among existing item types and three new computer-administered item types for the analytical scale of the Graduate Record Examination General Test. Results with 349 students indicate constructs the item types are measuring. (SLD)

Scores from mathematics (tested at 102 schools) and science (tested at 99 schools) sections of pilot forms of the Michigan High School Proficiency Test were examined for interaction between gender and response format (multiple choice or constructed response). Overall, neither males nor females seemed to be disadvantaged by item format. (SLD)

The shift from multiple-choice testing to performance assessment has brought a subtle shift in measurement philosophy. Selecting assessment tasks based on inherent value complicates inferences from test scores to nontest situations. A measurement-driven reform strategy relying on performance assessments to drive curriculum and instruction seems…

The effect that mode of administration, computer versus paper and pencil, had on the performance of 120 middle school students on multiple choice and written test questions was studied. Results show that, for students accustomed to writing on computers, responses written on the computer were more successful. Implications for testing are discussed.…

Discusses the advantages and disadvantages of multiple-choice tests, steps in developing good questions, and common pitfalls. Argues that carefully constructed multiple-choice questions can assess a wide variety of skills including higher-order thinking skills. Suggests that creating a good multiple-choice test starts with a description of the…

Students from 38 colleges with high scores on an advanced placement examination essay and low scores on the multiple-choice portion were compared with students with the opposite pattern. The pattern was not related to college grades, but was related to other test performance. (SLD)

Reports on two studies of student teachers that investigated the effect of asking learners to answer questions when learning in a hypertext environment. Discusses effects on concept learning from three learning environments: no response or feedback, analysis using a multiple choice questionnaire, and rule generation by students. (Author/LRW)

In this article we present results from a project to develop survey measures of the content knowledge teachers need to teach elementary reading. In areas such as mathematics and science, there has been great interest in the specialized ways teachers need to know a subject to teach it to others -- often referred to as pedagogical content knowledge.…

Few would disagree that grade inflation is a major problem at colleges and universities across the country. In this article, the author argues that a significant contributing factor-perhaps the single most important factor has been the institution of the now almost universal practice of administering anonymous, multiple-choice student evaluations…

This article examines whether an analysis of student answers to a standards-based, summative examination can be used to improve a teacher's instruction. The author, who is a chemistry teacher at Saratoga Springs High School, analyzed both the multiple-choice and the constructed response questions of the June 2003 New York State chemistry exam…

This paper describes and evaluates a new type of multiple-choice test question that is relatively easy to construct and that challenges students' understandings of biological concepts. The questions involve a small narrative of scientific text that students must evaluate for accuracy. These are termed "You are the Teacher" questions because the…

In this investigation of student performance in introductory business statistics classes, the authors performed two separate controlled studies to compare performance in (a) distance-learning versus traditionally delivered courses and (b) multiple choice versus problem-solving tests. Results of the first study, based on the authors' several…

Laird studies the relationship between two computerized nursing tests and finds a relationship between the two sets of scores. (Contains 2 tables.)

A new computerized testing system, which facilitates the use of short-answer-type testing, has been developed. In this system, the question of a multiple-choice problem is presented first, and the options appear briefly on the request of the test taker. The crux of this manipulation is to force students to solve the problem as if they were solving…