A two-stage adaptive test and a conventional peaked test were constructed and administered on a time-shared computer system to students in undergraduate psychology courses. (The two-stage adaptive test consisted of a routing test followed by one of a series of measurement tests.) Comparison of the score distributions showed that the two-stage test…

The suggestion that multiple-choice items can be converted to true-false items without essentially changing what the item measures and with possible improvement in efficiency is investigated. Each of the 90 four-choice items in a natural science test was rewritten into a pair of true-false items, one true, one false. The resulting 180 items were…

Equations are derived to enable the graphic approximation of the item parameters of the stochastic mental test models, i.e., the generalized normal ogive and logistic models. The item parameters for the models are discriminatory power, difficulty, and probability of chance success. Suggested uses for the approximations were to provide a basis for…

This study was designed to assess the conceptual structure of the Task of Public Education Opinionnaire (TPE). Since the development of the instrument, several psychometric techniques have been formulated. Two of those methods, image component and alpha factor analysis, were applied to the items of the TPE after the correlation matrices were…

A subject by item matrix of test responses is shown to be a useful heuristic in criterion referenced and norm referenced test analysis, and in the teaching of measurement. The pattern of responses within the matrix provides indications of item interactions, weak deceptors, and conventional test statistics. The strong visual analogy between the…

The basic objective of the study was to determine the validity of four new indices of item quality. Three of these were based on analyses of differential, empirical weights for item choices, and the fourth was designed to measure the relative attractiveness of distracters. A secondary objective was to ascertain the validity of the conventional…

During the past decade both the Guilford and Torrence groups have developed numerable measures to assess creative potential. Many of these measures purport to evaluate "creativity" but one element seems to be lacking in each: i.e., the last of "reality-based, real world measures" which would allow relevant response tendencies…

The purposes of this paper are to (1) discuss general issues related to a newly proposed methodology for item content and construct validation and (2) apply the new method in the context of developing a scale for measuring attitudes toward black people. Latent partition analysis was proposed and applied for the study of item content validity using…

New strategies for evaluation criterion referenced measures (CRM) are discussed. These strategies examine the following issues: (1) the use of normed referenced measures (NRM) as CRM and then estimating the reliability and validity of such measures in terms of variance from an arbitrarily specified criterion score, (2) estimation of the…

Item analysis was made of results of a national achievement testing program of nearly 19,000 primary and secondary school hearing impaired students enrolled in special educational programs in the Spring of 1971. Testing instrument was the Stanford Achievement Test Series (Form W). Individual test items or descriptions of the academic information…

A scaling technique known as the Method of Reciprocal Averages has been in use since the early 1930's. This technique yields a set of item response weights for a psychological inventory which maximizes the internal consistency of the inventory for a group of subjects. Although the technique has been used for many years, its mathematical…

AN INSTRUMENT WAS DEVELOPED THAT COULD BE USED FOR ESTABLISHING THE CORE OF PROFESSIONAL KNOWLEDGES AND ABILITIES REQUIRED IN TRAINING PROGRAMS FOR VOCATIONAL TEACHERS IN FIVE AREAS. THE DISCIPLINES REPRESENTED IN THE PROCESS OF IDENTIFICATION INCLUDED (1) TRADE AND INDUSTRIAL EDUCATION, (2) BUSINESS EDUCATION, (3) HOME ECONOMICS EDUCATION, (4)…

A factor analysis of the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) battery was undertaken to gain a better understanding of the specific abilities which contribute to performance on the tests. To determine whether greater amounts of testing time should be allocated to groups of items defined by the factor analysis, a validity study was conducted. Existing…

Concommitant with changes in education, health care roles, and evaluation in recent years, a new six year combined B.S. and M.D. program was inititated at the University of Missouri at Kansas City. Evaluation was integrated into the academic plan in order to assess student progress toward the overall goal of becoming a safe physician, as well as…

A method of analysis is developed which accounts for whatever variance is present in the responses to test items, additive, configural or the two combined. The method is applied to successive column matrices which report frequencies or endorsements by categories of subjects to answer alternative sets of test items. Approaches are included which…