Because item order and salience may affect the findings of social science research, a study was conducted to determine the effect of topic salience on subject response to different item orders. In the study, 10 high salience self-esteem items were presented with 10 low salience items concerning product labels in three versions. In the first…

Each year the Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP) tests all 4th, 7th, and 10th grade students in reading and mathematics and one or more subject areas. Because MEAP has lost funding for test development, experienced assessment staff and a volunteer team of local educators and college and university specialists develop, administer, and…

An experiment investigated the effects of the instruction rubric at the beginning of an examination paper and of the format of the examination questions themselves. A history test whose questions originally differed widely in format was modified so that its rubric was as clear and concise as possible and all the short answer questions were of the…

The Madrid Chamber of Commerce examinations and their usefulness for evaluation of business Spanish students are discussed. Eastern Michigan University is the testing center for a five-state area. The written portion of the exam is graded in Madrid, while the oral portion is graded by the university faculty. Testing procedures and contents of the…

A study examined whether (1) the performance of students on text explicit (TE), text implicit (TI), and script implicit (SI) questions inserted in a text would vary as a function of the type of question received; (2) students responding in writing to the inserted questions would perform at a higher level on a subsequent criterion test than those…

Two approaches to criterion-referenced test construction are compared. Classical test theory is based on the practice of random sampling from a well-defined domain of test items; latent trait theory suggests that the difficulty of the items should be matched to the achievement level of the student. In addition to these two methods of test…

Intended as a supplement to the Reading/Literature Released Exercise Set, 1979-80 Assessment, this collection exemplifies students' written responses to thirteen open-ended exercises. Each exercise, its objectives, subobjectives, administration guidelines, and national performance levels on the exercise, are documented. Detailed, age specific…

In an adaptive test, the test administrator chooses test items sequentially during the test, in such a way as to adapt test difficulty to examinee ability as shown during testing. An effectively designed adaptive test can resolve the dilemma inherent in conventional test design. By tailoring tests to individuals, the adaptive test can…

The cognitive approach to education and instruction is discussed, with a focus upon achievement test question processing. A model of multiple-choice processing is discussed and used to develop a proposed model of recall processing. Each model is tested by the means of investigating the use of retrieval cues in processing each type of question. The…

A study examined whether students beginning a cell biology course with prior knowledge of its three areas (genetics, histology, and biochemistry) would retain that advantage throughout the course and whether achievement was influenced by the order of questions in a test. (MSE)

Responses to a sample test were simulated for examinees under free-response and multiple-choice formats. Test score sets were correlated with randomly generated sets of unit-normal measures. The extent of superiority of free response tests was sufficiently small so that other considerations might justifiably dictate format choice. (Author/DWH)

There is no one test or approach that is sufficient to serve all the objectives and purposes of assessment within the major. A multidimensional approach combining locally developed procedures such as theses, portfolios, orals, external examiners, with standardized tests is an effective strategy. (Author/MSE)

Provides a framework for understanding the concept of validity and how it applies to simulation research. Extant tests of validity are discussed in terms of this framework, and a general schema for testing validity is proposed. (MBR)

Compares the features, learning outcomes tested, reliability, viability, and cost effectiveness of essay tests with those of interpretive tests used in training programs. A case study illustrating how an essay test was converted to an interpretive test and pilot tested is included to illustrate the advantages of interpretive testing. (MBR)

The random response technique was compared to a direct questionnaire, administered to college students, to investigate whether or not the responses predicted the social desirability of the item. Results suggest support for the hypothesis. A 33-item version of the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale which was used is included. (GDC)