GCSE examinations (taken by students aged 16 years in England) are not intended to be speeded (i.e. to be partly a test of how quickly students can answer questions). However, there has been little research exploring this. The aim of this research was to explore the speededness of past GCSE written examinations, using only the data from scored…

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…

The first of three sequels to the booklet "Student Assessment," this booklet begins by describing and providing examples of four different forms that objective questions can take: (1) conventional multiple choice questions; (2) true/false questions; (3) assertion/reason items; and (4) matching items. Guidance is offered on how to decide which type…

The third of three sequels to the booklet "Student Assessment," this booklet begins by describing and giving examples of three forms that essay-type questions can take: (1) unstructured-essay questions; (2) structured-essay questions; and (3) short-notes questions. Guidelines are then provided for deciding which type of question to use in a given…

In an adaptive test, the test administrator chooses test items sequentially during the test, in such a way as to adapt test difficulty to examinee ability as shown during testing. An effectively designed adaptive test can resolve the dilemma inherent in conventional test design. By tailoring tests to individuals, the adaptive test can…

Literature related to the multiple true-false (MTF) item format is reviewed. Each answer cluster of a MTF item may have several true items and the correctness of each is judged independently. MTF tests appear efficient and reliable, although they are a bit harder than multiple choice items for examinees. (SLD)

New developments in the use of automatically scorable constructed response item types for large-scale assessment are reviewed for five domains: (1) mathematical reasoning; (2) algebra problem solving; (3) computer science; (4) architecture; and (5) natural language. Ways in which these technologies are likely to shape testing are considered. (SLD)

The KeyMath Revised is a power test that measures the understanding and application of mathematics skills and concepts. It is individually administered and is intended for students from kindergarten through the ninth grade to determine student mastery of mathematics concepts. The revised version is designed to be user-friendly for the student and…