Differences in test response characteristics between black and white, male and female groups who took the Admission Test for Graduate Study in Business (ATGSB) in February, 1971, were examined. Three studies were covered: 1) a study of the interactions between the difficulty level of test items and group membership for the above mentioned groups,…

A paper and pencil instrument was developed consisting of statements about teaching practices appropriate for students of ages 10 through 14. The statements are to be accepted or rejected by the respondent teacher. This paper reports the procedures and results of a third field test and the design of a fourth field test. The third field test…

Answers to the following questions were sought in this study: (1) Does the interview technique provide information that cannot be obtained from the usual normative approach?; (2) Does the interview technique provide information leading to the revision of mathematics test questions? Are the revised questions better than the original version in…

A procedure is described for increasing the reliability of tests after they have been given and for developing shorter but more reliable tests. Eight tests administered to 200 graduate students studying educational research are analyzed. The analysis considers the original tests, the items loading on the first factor of the test, and the items…

This project began with the delineation of the roles and functions of respiratory therapy personnel by the American Association for Respiratory Therapy. In Phase II, The Psychological Corporation used this delineation to develop six proficiency examinations, three at each of two levels. One exam at each level was designated for the purpose of the…

Stability of performance on a criterion referenced reading test was examined for 413 students in grades one through six. The test, which measures 367 behavioral reading objectives, was administered twice to each student, with an interval of at least three weeks between the first and second administrations. Three statistical indices of permanence…

The responses of five samples of elementary and secondary school students to the Brooks Student Questionnaire were factor analyzed. Extracted factors, centile norms, and reliability data are reported. (Author/JKS)

A task specification chart that integrates the content facets and the procedural steps of a specified task is suggested as a tool for designing a test and interpreting its results. This procedure is demonstrated for a mathematics test covering one instructional unit on adding and subtracting fractions. (Author/GDC)

Describes cultural bias at four levels: lexico-syntactic, content and concepts, social and cognitive, and schematic or frame of reference. A study is described which provides examples of cultural bias in reading comprehension items because of a mismatch between the culture of the test item and that of the test taker.

Research on the potential effects of different item arrangement schemes on item statistics is reviewed for three separate periods. Earliest studies investigated the simple main effect of item order on test performance. The late 1960s emphasized interactions between item order and examinees' characteristics. Current concern focuses on item…

Discusses features of a microcomputer program, SCOREIT, used at New Orleans' Loyola University and several high schools to score and analyze test results. Benefits and dimensions of the program's automated test and item analysis are outlined, and several examples illustrating test and item analyses by SCOREIT are presented. (MBR)

This study investigates the relative effectiveness with which varied rehearsal strategies facilitate student achievement when instruction is received via visualized prose instruction. Results indicate that different rehearsal strategies, used to complement visualized instruction, are not equally effective in improving student achievement of…

Description of an objective method for assigning weights to questions on examinations includes discussions of classical test theory, knowledge organization, and how task analysis can be used to identify knowledge elements required to solve specific problems, rank them, and assign objective weights to exam questions using a Pareto distribution (7…

The Regression Model, popular in selection bias research, is proposed for use in item bias detection, providing a common framework for both types of bias. An empirical test of this new method, now called the Regression Bias method, and a comparison with other commonly used item bias detection methods are presented. (Author/BS)

The author argues that scoring, reporting, and deriving final grades can be considerably assisted by using a computer. He also contends that the savings in time and the computer database formed will allow instructors to determine test quality and reflect on the quality of instruction. (BW)