The array of different philosophical positions underlying contemporary views on competence, assessment strategies and justification have led to advances in assessment science. Challenges may arise when these philosophical positions are not considered in assessment design. These can include (a) a logical incompatibility leading to varied or…

Researchers are often inclined to test agreement or discrepancy hypotheses using difference scores. This commentary explains 2 mathematical-statistical principles underlying associations with difference scores and 2 conceptual-interpretation problems that make difference scores inappropriate for testing such hypotheses. The commentary provides…

The Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) taxonomy of cognitive abilities married John Horn and Raymond Cattell's Extended Gf-Gc theory with John Carroll's Three-Stratum Theory. While there are some similarities in arrangements or classifications of tasks (observed variables) within similar broad or narrow dimensions, other salient theoretical features and…

The use of differences scores to assess agreement/disagreement has a long and contentious history. Laird (2020) notes, however, that developmentalists have been particularly resistant to discontinue the use of difference scores. One area of developmental science where difference scores are still in regular use is that of parental differential…

Few arguments about education are as effective at galvanizing public attention and motivating political action as those that compare the performance of students with their counterparts in other countries and that connect academic achievement to economic performance. Because data from international large-scale assessments (ILSA) have a powerful…

The EA:es index (part of the Comprehensive Rorschach System) is discussed, demonstrating how conceptual difficulties and abstract jargon can result in misleading and contradictory inferences. The comments of J. E. Exner, Jr., and the response of J. H. Kleiger concern the importance of theory in Rorschach interpretation. (SLD)

A method for detecting and interpreting disturbances of the local-independence assumption among items that share common stimulus material or other features is presented. Dichotomous and polytomous Rasch models are used to analyze structure of the learning outcome superitems. (SLD)

Five of the common misuses of tests are reviewed: (1) acceptance of the test title as an accurate and complete description of the variable being measured (failure to examine the manual and the items carefully to know the specific aspects to be tested can result in misuse through selection of an inappropriate test for a particular purpose or…

Effects of blind guessing on the success of passing true-false and multiple-choice tests are investigated under a stochastic binomial model. Critical values of guessing are thresholds which signify when the effect of guessing is negligible. By checking a table of critical values assembled in this paper, one can make a decision with 95% confidence…

TAILOR, a computer program which implements an approach to tailored testing, was examined by Monte Carlo methods. The evaluation showed the procedure to be highly reliable and capable of reducing the required number of tests items by about one half. (Author/JKS)

This critique, of Cummings and Moscato's review (TM 508 777) of the Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Cognitive Ability (WJTCA) argues that the WJTCA is biased toward achievement resulting in a discrepancy of scores for learning disabled students. This bias is incompatible with the aptitude/achievement discrepancy model of specific learning disabilities.…

In June 1995, the Scottish Council for Research in Education began a 5-month study of the Standard Entrance Examination (SET) to the police in Scotland. The first phase was an analysis of existing recruitment and selection statistics from the eight Scottish police forces. Phase Two was a study of two police forces using a case study methodology.…

Alternate versions of Hutchinson's theory were compared, and one which implies the existence of partial knowledge was found to be better than one which implies that an appropriate measure of ability is obtained by applying the conventional correction for guessing. (Author/PN)

An instructional module is presented to promote a conceptual understanding of test form equating using traditional methods. Equating is distinguished from scaling. The equating methods described are: (1) mean; (2) linear; and (3) equipercentile. The module includes a self-test. (SLD)

Issues emerging from a look at student achievement, which is defined in its usual school context as achievement on standardized tests, are addressed. A mythology about standardized testing has developed, in part because the metaphoric languages of medicine and business have been applied to education, defining it in terms of cure, efficiency, and…