Academic integrity has been a perennial issue in higher education. Undoubtedly, the advent of the Internet and advances in user-friendly technological devices have spurred both concern on the part of faculty and research interest in the academic community regarding inappropriate and unethical behavior on the part of students. This study is…

Newton's article (2010) makes three main contributions to the literature. First, it is transatlantic, bringing together literatures that have been dealing with similar problems, using sometimes different methods and certainly with distinctive educational, cultural perspectives. He points out that neither of these literatures has all of the…

In this address to the Commonwealth Club of San Francisco, the Executive Director of the National Education Association (NEA) outlines the Association's objections to standardized tests. First, the interpretations of tests are usually based on several fallacious assumptions about education. For example, to say that a skill can be tested implies…

The paper discusses issues involved in the identification of gifted handicapped children, reviewing several research studies that attempted to define a specific configuration of Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised subtest scores indicative of handicapped children possessing intellectual gifts. The author concludes that profiles and…

The article "Thinking About Linking" by Newton (2010) presents a novel philosophical perspective on the way that educational assessments should be linked. Newton starts by describing the linking framework as it was characterized in various publications and identifies a cross-cultural dimension in the definitions and uses of test…

In this study, we describe a framework for monitoring rater performance over time. We present several statistical indices to identify raters whose standards drift and explain how to use those indices operationally. To illustrate the use of the framework, we analyzed rating data from the 2002 Advanced Placement English Literature and Composition…

It is argued that the manual of the Test of Adolescent Language lacks precision even though the authors explicitly state that the test may be used for the purpose of identifying intraindividual differences. To alleviate this problem, a table containing statistically significant differences between subtest standard scores is presented. (Author/CL)

Several frustrating experiences attributable to the recent revision of the Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire (16 PF) are described. Because of the unchanged physical appearance of the old (1962) and new (1967-68) editions of the test, some subjects in a longitudinal research project were accidently administered the wrong edition. Data…

The author suggests several modifications in the rationale of criterion-referenced measurement in order to increase the utility and meaningfulness of test results for teachers. (AA)

Although the Angoff procedure is among the most widely used standard setting procedures for tests comprising multiple-choice items, research has shown that subject matter experts have considerable difficulty accurately making the required judgments in the absence of examinee performance data. Some authors have viewed the need to provide…

The general use of the Spearman-Brown formula for calculating the reliability of parallel tests with different lengths is reviewed. The importance of the assumption that the component tests be parallel is noted and the property that parallel tests must be non-negatively correlated is derived. (Author)

The spread of testing to its present near-universal status in American education is ascribed in part to the fact that tests have been found generally superior to suggested alternative ways of obtaining information about human behavior. Where alternative methods are used, it is from necessity rather than choice: there are important human…

Complexities of test fairness are described in nontechnical language, and their implications for the selection procedures practiced in our society are discussed. Four clearly distinguishable models of fair selection are presented: the Cleary, or traditional, model; the Cole model; the Thorndike model; and the Darlington model. A distinction is…

Formula scoring is designed to reduce multiple-choice test score irregularities due to guessing. It is inappropriate for most classroom testing, but may be desirable for speeded tests and difficult tests with low passing scores. An annotated bibliography and a Self-Test are provided. (SLD)