The Carleton Academic English Language (CAEL) Assessment is a criterion-referenced test developed at Carleton University (Canada). It combines logic of performance testing with ethics of gradual admission, i.e., that limited-English-speaking students should be allowed to begin limited academic study in English, based on language proficiency and…

Language testing historians have tended to ignore a significant period in the evolution of language tests, the years 1883-1929. In the earliest years, testing focused on knowledge about, not of, the language and reflected the teaching of Latin and Greek more than that of living languages. Grammatical formalism and translation were emphasized, and…

In preparation for a study of essay questions and other forms of open-ended exercises in the California Golden State Examination for biology, the functioning of open-ended biology items in another examination was explored. The Golden State Examination program offers honors credit to students who wish to qualify for admission to programs in…

Issues surrounding accurate assessment of depression in children have received much attention. However, the stability of scores from depression measures has generally been estimated using only classical test score theory, rather than the more powerful generalizability theory. The dependability of scores from the Children's Depression Inventory…

Credentialing agencies that use multi-test examinations (MTEs) should be concerned with the quality of pass/fail outcomes as well as with the proportion of candidates passing. This study addressed three questions: (1) the effects on passing rate of MTE reliability, number of tests comprising a MTE, and correlations between pairs of component…

Writing teachers and educators can add to information from large-scale testing and teachers can strengthen classroom assessment by creating a tight fit between large-scale testing and classroom assessment. Across the years, large-scale testing programs have struggled with a difficult problem: how to evaluate student writing reliably and…

This study sought: (1) to develop and collect evidence of reliability and validity for self-report instruments to measure cognitions about the experience of having a child with a disability; and (2) to examine the relationship of these cognitions with measures of stress and well-being among parents of children with disabilities. Cognitions…

Results of the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) battery trials in Australia are reported. The IELTS tests of productive language skills use direct assessment strategies and subjective scoring according to detailed guidelines. The receptive skills tests use indirect assessment strategies and clerical scoring procedures.…

Direct assessment of writing skill, usually considered to be synonymous with assessment by means of writing samples, is reviewed in terms of its history and with respect to evidence of its reliability and validity. Reliability is examined as it is influenced by reader inconsistency, domain sampling, and other sources of error. Validity evidence is…

A Computer Anxiety Index (CAIN), which uses a six-point Likert scale of agreement, was developed to measure the trait of computer anxiety and to be predictive of the development of the state of computer anxiety. Computer anxiety was defined as the irrational fear or apprehension felt by an individual when using computers or when considering the…

Preliminary psychometric data assessing the reliability and validity of a method used to measure the diagnostic reasoning and problem-solving skills of predoctoral students in orthodontia are described. The measurement approach consisted of sets of patient demographic data and dental photos and x-rays, accompanied by a set of 33 multiple-choice…

The validity of inferences drawn from readiness tests used to place children in a regular or a 2-year kindergarten program was investigated. Data from nine school districts in Virginia were used in the study. The study explored technical characteristics of four commonly used readiness tests: the Brigance Kindergarten and First Grade Screen, the…

The agreement between the Educational Testing Service (ETS) and the Golden Rule Insurance Company of Illinois is interpreted as setting the general principles on which items must be selected to be included in a licensure test. These principles put a limit to the difficulty level of any item, and they also limit the size of the difference in…

The IDEA Oral Language Proficiency Test (IPT II), an individually-administered measure of speaking and listening proficiency in English as a Second Language designed for secondary school students, is described and discussed. The test consists of 91 items and requires 5-25 minutes to administer. Raw scores are converted to one of seven proficiency…

To facilitate the proper technical use of the test scores obtained from the administration of the tests, the curricular and psychometric characteristics of the tests are described in a series of technical manuals. This manual, the eighth in the series, contains a description of the characteristics of the North Carolina Test of Geometry. This paper…