The validity of results from international assessments depends on the correctness of the test translations. If the tests presented in one language are more or less difficult because of the manner in which they are translated, the validity of any interpretation of the results can be questioned. Many test translation methods exist in the literature,…

A set of 150 experimental personality items was constructed for an alternate form of the word association personality worksample developed by the Johnson O'Connor Research Foundation. The items were intended to possess several semantic properties hypothesized to facilitate discrimination between objective and subjective examinees. Specifically,…

A recent innovation in the area of educational measurement is MDT multi-digit testing, a machine-scored near-equivalent to "fill-in-the-blank" testing. The MDT method is based on long lists (or "Answer Banks") that contain up to 1,000 discrete answers, each with a three-digit label. Students taking an MDT multi-digit test mark…

Indices were constructed to measure individual differences in the effects of the automated testing format and repeated testing on Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) responses. Two types of instability measures were studied within a data set from the responses of 150 undergraduate students who took a computer-administered and…

A study was undertaken to develop a checklist of desirable characteristics of mail questionnaires. The checklist was to reflect some degree of consensus among experts in survey research and to be used as a general guide by novice questionnaire designers. A second objective was to take a first step toward development of an objective measure of…

The second of three sequels to the booklet "Student Assessment," this booklet begins by describing and giving examples of three different forms that short-answer questions can take: (1) completion items; (2) unique-answer questions; and (3) open short-answer questions. Guidelines are then provided for deciding which type of question to…

Do choice-type tests (multiple-choice, true-false, etc.) measure the same abilities or traits as free response (essay, recall, completion, etc.) tests? A large number of studies conducted with several different methodologies and spanning a long period of time have addressed this question. In this review, attention will be focused almost…

Differential test performance by undergraduate males and females enrolled in a developmental educational psychology course (n=167) was reported on a quantitative examination as a function of item arrangement. Males were expected to perform better than females on tests whose items arranged easy to hard. Plake and Ansorge (1982) speculated this may…

A recently conducted survey has disclosed that during the past few years there has been a significant increase in the development of speaking tests. Examination of 100 speaking tests revealed many varieties and many considerations in preparing and using them. Among these are the purpose for its use, the background of the examinee, the criteria…

In the area of large scale assessment, there is increasing interest in the measurement of students' written performance. At issue is whether the task demands in writing assessment can be simplified to involve the production of paragraph-length writing samples and/or multiple choice testing, rather than full-length essays. This study considers data…

In order to determine effects of different sequential placement of the expressive language sample during evaluation of young children referred for speech or languge handicap, 27 normal 3-year-olds were evaluated. Length, complexity, or spontaneity were not affected even when the sample was elicited immediately after formal tests requiring little…

Use of latent class models to examine strategies that examinees (92 college students) use for a specific task is illustrated, via a multiple-choice test of spatial ability. Under an answer-until-correct scoring procedure, models representing an improvement over simplistic random guessing are proposed. (SLD)

Reports on a study of the use of cloze passages in a developmental reading assessment program. The cloze procedure provides students with opportunities to practice their improved reading skills, while affording complete student-as-reader profiles. Concedes the value of standardized tests in determining student readiness to exit developmental…

The authors discuss changes that will appear in the 1988 edition of the General Educational Development (GED) test. Changes include (1) a focus on comprehensive, integrated skills; (2) a need for highly developed thinking skills; (3) use of a computer technology theme; (4) writing assessments; and (5) changes in content areas. (CH)

Provides a brief, nontechnical overview of latent trait models and argues for the preferability of these models (particularly the Rasch logistic model) over classical test models. Offers an example application of the Rasch model and discusses implications for the use of latent trait models for communication educators. (AEW)