The Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation Programs (CAEP), required evidence of reliability and validity of measures used in a university's Educator Preparation Program (EPP). This paper describes processes that provided this evidence for the Teacher Performance Assessment (TPA). Literature examined included Messick (1989), Linn…

Thorndike (1969) proposed a three P theory of faculty grading orientations (FGOs) -- "perfection", "peers", and "potential", also known as Criterion-, Norm, and Self-referenced FGOs in the literature. Using data from a 2014 faculty survey I examined the responses of 1,742 faculty at 18 four-year, primarily teaching…

This article seeks to explain why, even in norm referenced assessment environments, students and other stakeholders should not be concerned that students who help peers learn are negatively impacting their own assessments. The article opens with a review of assessment options: norm referenced, criterion referenced and ipsative. Next, Social…

We present findings from an analysis of the Calculus Concept Inventory. Analysis of data from over 1500 students across four institutions indicates that there are deficiencies in the instrument. The analysis showed the data is consistent with a unidimensional model and does not have strong enough reliability for its intended use. This finding…

In the present paper and the discussion that follows, the author presents aspects of test construction and a careful description of instructional objectives. Constructing tests involves several stages such as describing language objectives, selecting appropriate test task, devising and assembling test tasks, and devising a scoring system for…

School accountability decisions based on standardized tests hinge on the degree of alignment of the test with a state's standards. Yet no established criteria were available for judging strength of alignment. Previous studies of alignment among tests, standards, and teachers' instruction have yielded mixed results that are difficult to interpret…

We investigated the latent factor structure of the "Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening for Kindergarteners" in Spanish ("PALS español K"). Participants included 590 Spanish-speaking, public-school kindergarteners from five states. Three theoretically-guided factor structures were measured and tested with one half of our…

Operational testing programs employing item response theory (IRT) applications benefit from of the property of item parameter invariance whereby item parameter estimates obtained from one sample can be applied to other samples (when the underlying assumptions are satisfied). In theory, this feature allows for applications such as computer-adaptive…

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between mathematics and reading/language arts Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) scores at a selected elementary school. The sample consisted of 12 randomly selected males in a third grade classroom. Data were collected for this study using the overall reading/language arts subtest…

The purpose of this paper was three-fold: (1) to review mastery learning and criterion-based assessment; (2) to advocate extending these concepts to higher education; and (3) to invite MSERA members to join in research projects examining mastery learning in higher education. The authors used Guskey's (2001) definition of mastery learning from his…

Though domain-oriented and norm-referenced tests are appropriate for some situations, objective-oriented and criterion-referenced tests must be used to gather additional information. Objectives for such tests must include a statement of the desired performance, the test conditions, and the standards of acceptance. When tests are constructed the…

The types of test score interpretive information considered useful to failing examinees were studied through interviews with Educational Testing Service (ETS) staff members. Research literature on interpretive information for failing test takers was reviewed, and procedures currently used at ETS were determined. Managers of 23 testing programs…

Some fundamental concepts of criterion referenced test (CRT) reliability are highlighted. Emphasis is given to the procedures for determining reliability of scores for individual pupils because this is an area requiring increased awareness by classroom teachers and practitioners. Reliability issues encountered in the evaluation of instructional…

This study examined the effectiveness of two different domain definition strategies in achieving homogeneity of criterion-referenced test items. The argument was tested regarding the extent to which item writers following the Instructional Objectives Exchange (IOX) domain definition strategy for a cognitive skill generate items that are more…

A framework, or classification scheme, is provided for displaying the spectrum of criterion-referenced tests. This framework illustrates that no single type of test can be identified as the absolute prototype criterion-referenced test. It is shown that over the past 115 years criterion-referenced testing has grown to be a many-faceted concept, its…