Different sources of assessment evidence are reviewed during International Baccalaureate (IB) grade awarding to convert marks into grades and ensure fair results for students. Qualitative and quantitative evidence are analysed to determine grade boundaries, with statistical evidence weighed against examiner judgement and teachers' feedback on…

This year, many high-school teachers in the district where the author teaches experienced exam anxiety because midterms--as they had come to know and love them--were no more. For a variety of reasons, the semester exam schedule looked very different. More to the point is the new philosophy about exam content and format that underpinned the…

The geographic skills, as outlined in "Geography for Life", provide an avenue for assessing students' work in geography. If used across the scope and sequence of the curriculum, a common scoring guide based on these skills offers opportunities for students to demonstrate their ability to use inquiry approaches to study geography and to…

This paper discusses issues related to the design and psychometric work for mixed-format tests --tests containing both multiple-choice (MC) and constructed-response (CR) items. The issues of validity, fairness, reliability and score consistency can be addressed but for mixed-format tests there are many decisions to be made and no examination or…

This catalog lists research reports, research notes, and other publications available from the College Board's website. The catalog briefly describes research publications available free of charge. Introduced in 1981, the Research Report series includes studies and reviews in areas such as college admission, special populations, subgroup…

In this study, we describe a framework for monitoring rater performance over time. We present several statistical indices to identify raters whose standards drift and explain how to use those indices operationally. To illustrate the use of the framework, we analyzed rating data from the 2002 Advanced Placement English Literature and Composition…

Encourages music teachers to work with students interested in advanced placement (AP) music courses. Discusses the logistics and advantages of placing students in these courses. Describes the Advanced Placement Listening and Literature and the Advanced Placement Theory courses and examinations. Outlines the examination scoring method and looks at…

The effects of applying different methods of determining different sets of subscore weights on the composite score ranking of examinees were investigated. Four sets of subscore weights were applied to each of three examination results. The scores were from Advanced Placement (AP) Examinations in History of Art, Spanish Language, and Chemistry. One…

Selected high school graduates can earn a year's college credit through College-Level Examination Program. (Editor)

This report analyzes the relationship of Advanced Placement Program® (AP®) teacher practices and student performance on AP Biology and AP U.S. History Exams. Using a national survey of AP teachers, the study developed four models for each subject with public school teachers only and both public and nonpublic school teachers, using two standards of…

Clues in the answers given to the Spanish Advanced Placement Examination questions can identify the test-taker as having learned the language in the classroom or as a native speaker. The Educational Testing Service has found mechanisms to ensure that the tests are equally suited to the two groups. (MSE)

In this study, we investigated a variety of Reader effects that may influence the validity of ratings assigned to AP® English Literature and Composition essays. Specifically, we investigated whether Readers exhibit changes in their levels of severity and accuracy, and their use of individual scale categories over time. We refer to changes in these…

This document contains the agenda for an Administrator's Workshop given by the College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) of the College Board. Included are an update on CLEP activities, a section on reaching out to faculty, and a section on reaching out to adult students. Covered in the update on CLEP activities are results of 1984 workshop surveys…

Performance assessment, constructed-response, and authentic assessment are topics of current interest in educational testing and reform. This workbook presents the following articles on educational assessment to highlight work being done in this area: (1) "Aquarium Problem and Teacher Guidelines: New Standards Project" (University of…

As part of a project on assessing deep understanding of subject matter, a study was conducted to assess students' knowledge of history by focusing on essay writing. Reading a provided text was incorporated into the assessment procedure. Ratings from five high school history teachers were compared with those of four English teachers for 85 essays…