Proposed person-fit statistics that are designed for use in a computerized adaptive test (CAT) and derived critical values for these statistics using cumulative sum (CUSUM) procedures so that item-score patterns can be classified as fitting or misfitting. Compared nominal Type I errors with empirical Type I errors through simulation studies. (SLD)

Explains the development of Florida's certification examination for prospective drama teachers. Describes its process design and the participation of drama educators from around the state as keys to the test's successful development. (SR)

Our memories are not necessarily "bad," but stored in different areas. By understanding the five memory lanes (semantic, episodic, procedural, automatic, and emotional), a high school English teacher discovered why her students could not do fractions (to calculate grades) in English class. Paper-and-pencil tests can be redesigned to assess memory…

Describes an analytic method for aiding in the generation of subscores that characterize the deep structure of tests and derives a procedure for estimating scores for those scales that are more statistically stable than subscores composed solely of items contained on that scale. Used data from a Praxis administration (9,278 examinees) to show the…

Describes the lessons learned in the creation of a special assessment instrument, a large-scale survey of the language and literacy skills of linguistic minorities in England and Wales, findings of which were reported elsewhere. The test construction process was found to be highly empirical and inductive, based on trial and error rather than…

Describes the Career Adjustment and Development Inventory: its content and construction, its reliability and validity, its applicability and use, and its future directions. (CT)

Reviews development of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) and describes its current status. A central issue is deciding exactly what to assess in each school subject at each grade level. Currently, NAEP is a low-stakes test with questionable policy relevance. Other problems surround NAEP proficiency scale interpretations and…

Describes problems in score reporting with the True Score model, defines the Rasch measurement unit (the logit), reviews transformations of the logit metric, and provides examples of score reporting procedures. Uses dichotomous data from an examination taken by 126 Ph.D. students and polychotomous data from a self-efficacy assessment completed by…

To assess the feasibility of computer-assisted Federal Aviation Administration certification examinations, a system for administering the Private Pilot Certification Examination was implemented using PLATO. Characteristics, reactions, and guidelines for use of the test are included. (Author/JJD)

This paper describes the rationale for and the development of the Geriatric Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI). The GOHAI has demonstrated a high level of internal consistency and reliability. Poor GOHAI scores were significantly correlated to having fewer teeth, wearing a removable denture, and perceiving the need for dental treatment.…

Reports on the development and validation of a standardized test, entitled Competency Inventory on Vocational Education for the Handicapped, which was designed to measure the knowledge vocational education teachers possess about teaching handicapped students in regular vocational education programs. (CT)

When developing an instrument for evaluating the clinical component of an allied health program, the evaluator must consider the interaction of behavioral domains. Using this process skills approach facilitates the incorporation of the affective domain when specific behavioral objectives are identified and correlated with evaluation items.…

Since acceptable writing is essential to success in job training programs and in many entry-level jobs, a writing sample was included in the Training and Employment Prerequisites Survey, a multiple-choice test about skills like mechanics, usage, and spelling. The two writing prompts asked students to give directions for finding a location in a…

A profile, developed to evaluate the implementation of an innovative curriculum enrichment program in Wellington County, Ontario assessed four basic dimensions: philosophy, teaching methods, resources, and student objectives. Positive consequences of the profile's use included increased staff involvement guidelines for program development and a…

The first administration of the newly revised Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT--formerly the Scholastic Aptitude Test) was in March 1994. This article looks at the historical background of the College Board's testing program, compares the formats of the new and old versions, and discusses implications for college-bound students and admissions…