The goal of this study is to show a novel way of using large-scale data (N = 6203) to identify pupils' strategies when solving missing value number equations. It is based on the assumption that wrong numerical results appearing more frequently than would be the case if they were consequences of random guessing can be expected to be underlain by a…

Using classical test theory and item response theory, this study applied sequential procedures to a real operational item pool in a variable-length computerized adaptive testing (CAT) to detect items whose security may be compromised. Moreover, this study proposed a hybrid threshold approach to improve the detection power of the sequential…

One major aim of international large-scale assessments (ILSA) like PISA is to monitor changes in student performance over time. To accomplish this task, a set of common items (i.e., link items) is repeatedly administered in each assessment. Linking methods based on item response theory (IRT) models are used to align the results from the different…

Wollack, Cohen, and Eckerly suggested the "erasure detection index" (EDI) to detect fraudulent erasures for individual examinees. Wollack and Eckerly extended the EDI to detect fraudulent erasures at the group level. The EDI at the group level was found to be slightly conservative. This article suggests two modifications of the EDI for…

Simultaneous with a call for standardized assessments to assess developing rather than preexisting or surface knowledge (Sawyer, 2006) has been a growth in awareness of the unavoidable interactive nature of any form of assessment and this awareness has created a social turn towards approaches to language assessment (McNamara & Roever, 2006).…

A total of 19 graduate students enrolled in a graduate course conducted 6 consecutive administrations of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, 4th edition (WISC-IV, Canadian version). Test protocols were examined to obtain data describing the frequency of examiner errors, including administration and scoring errors. Results identified 511…

In this article, we present a theory of test translation whose intent is to provide the conceptual foundation for effective, systematic work in the process of test translation and test translation review. According to the theory, translation error is multidimensional; it is not simply the consequence of defective translation but an inevitable fact…

Investigated most frequent types of examiner errors made by graduate students (n=26) in administering Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) and examined on which items these mistakes were most likely to occur. Findings identified deficiencies in traditional methods of teaching students how to administer the WISC-R. Students…

Two indices for measuring the degree of conformity or consistency of an individual examinee's response pattern on a set of items are developed. The use of the indices for spotting aberrant response patterns of examinees is detailed. (Author/JKS)

Many of the currently available statistical indexes to detect answer copying lack sufficient power at small [alpha] levels or when the amount of copying is relatively small. Furthermore, there is no one index that is uniformly best. Depending on the type or amount of copying, certain indexes are better than others. The purpose of this article was…

Concludes that subjects are misled by errors they make on earlier items in cloze tests. (RL)

Examined the number and type of scoring errors made on Holland's Self-Directed Search-R (SDS-R). Participants were high school juniors and seniors (N=91). Results indicate that although some errors were made, the SDS-R was perceived as a useful career assessment tool. Implications are discussed. (Author/RJM)

The author, a college professor, cites specific instances in which his students misread examination questions. He considers his role in dealing with college students who have such poor reading ability. (SJL)

The biasing effects of a pretest on subsequent post-test results were investigated in two experimental studies. In general, the results argue for using designs without pretests. (Author/JKS)

Results of multiple-choice tests in educational psychology were examined to discover the effects on students' scores of changing their original answer choices after reconsideration. Eighty-six percent of the students changed one or more answers, and six out of seven students who made changes improved their scores by doing so. (Author/CTM)