Most implementations of the Mantel-Haenszel differential item functioning procedure delete records with missing responses or replace missing responses with scores of 0. These treatments of missing data make strong assumptions about the causes of the missing data. Such assumptions may be particularly problematic when groups differ in their patterns…

This paper reports on an analysis of large-scale assessments of Grades 5-8 students' writing across 10 provinces and 2 territories in Canada. Theory, classroom practice, and the contributions and constraints of large-scale writing assessment are brought together with a focus on Grades 5-8 writing in order to provide both a broad view of…

This study was designed to compare the performance on selected intelligence tests of a group of Canadian Indian children who had never been to school with the performance of a similar group of children who were attending school regularly. (Author/RK)

The purpose of this study is to examine the SACU variables in relation to other commonly used variables in predicting university success in Alberta. (Author)

In this study on set illusion, control subjects (those having no experimental experiences) and experimental subjects (those being exposed to "setting" trials) were compared on various measures usually indicative of strength of set. (Editor/RK)

The article contrasts North American and Soviet views and approaches to student evaluations, especially in the area of testing differences in academic achievement. It provides a brief summary of Soviet schooling and evaluative procedures. (Author/SB)

The estimation accuracy of procedures based on classical test score theory and item response theory (generalized partial credit model) were compared for examinations consisting of multiple-choice and extended-response items. Analysis of British Columbia Scholarship Examination results found an error rate of about 10 percent for both methods, with…

The reviewed book analyzes many facets of the testing enterprise from a sociocultural perspective, emphasizing the power motive of test givers. Part I on Authenticity Tests discusses the practice of using tests to determine innocence, guilt, and honesty with regard to culturally important behaviors. Part II addresses the use of ability tests for…

Criticizes an article by Messick (1989) that emphasizes consequential validity (the potential and actual social consequences of test score interpretation and use) as a component of construct validity. Shows the profitability of separating the construct-indicator link from the indicator-score link, and the greater importance of the former.…

Analyzed factorially various theoretically derived measures of conceptual systems functioning and several proposed measures and correlations. (Author/RK)

Relations among test anxiety, performance on a complex task, and task behavior were investigated within a simulated teaching situation. It was predicted that test anxiety would relate negatively to performance accuracy and level of active task involvement. (Editor)

Reports on student evaluation practices among 36 teachers in an Ontario (Canada) high school. Suggests that teachers may avoid ready-made evaluation instruments because of the multiple foci of their evaluations: student achievement, feedback to teachers on their own performance, and school policy about consistency in grading. (SV)

Presents a conceptual framework of educational diagnosis based on formative evaluation. Describes a computer-based diagnostic system that maximizes the coherence and effectiveness of obtained information by generating a structural diagnosis of the nature of student errors and a causal diagnosis related to teaching methods. Contains 64 references.…

The increasing interest in and availability of "open-area" education is based largely on descriptive and anecdotal evidence. This paper attempts an empirical examination of the effectiveness of open-area classrooms (at an elementary grade level) in British Columbia. (Editor)

To examine the potential of classroom teachers as primary screening agents for learning difficulties, 197 kindergarten children were assessed on 6 measures. Best predictors of grade 1 achievement were the Metropolitan Readiness Tests and the Myklebust Pupil Rating Scale, both of which can be administered by teachers. Contains 22 references. (SV)