Educational achievement is a very important issue for parents, teachers, and the government. An accurate measurement plays a very important role in evaluating achievement fairly, and, therefore, analysis methods have been developed considerably in recent years. Education based on long-time learning processes forms a fruitful base for item tests,…

This study investigates whether item characteristic curves are the same for black students as for white students in the United States. The data analyzed were the answer sheets of 2269 black students and 2285 white students taking the 85-item Verbal Section of the College Board's Scholastic Aptitude Test. The study of item characteristic curves is…

Two forms of a test of consumer competency, developed as valid, reliable, normed tests in consumer education, were given to Illinois public school students in grades 8-12. A comparison of mean scores indicated that students who had completed a consumer education course scored higher on both test forms than those who had not. Test results are shown…

Instructional programs organized according to modern educational technology are discussed within the purposes of criterion-referenced measurements used. The problems of criterion-referenced measurements include scoring and score interpretation, item and test analysis, and mastery testing. An overview of solutions and approaches to the problems and…

A computer program for analyzing test results is presented. Item analysis and the point biserial correlation coefficient, both generated by this program, are explained and discussed. (MK)

A new method of analysis was used in the Michigan Educational Assessment Program to test minimum competencies in fourth grade reading achievement. This technique permitted a substantial decrease in testing time and costs. The original test consisted of 95 items measuring 19 objectives; mastery was indicated by correct responses to four out of the…

This guide is organized into five chapters; (1) an approach to testing--decisions made from test results, types of achievement tests, types and levels of objectives, and test validity, reliability, and practicality; (2) classroom test construction--planning, item banks, item writing, assembly, administration, and scoring; (3) test analysis-item…

The "A" testing program of the Beginning Teacher Evaluation Study, Phase III-B, is summarized. A sample of 150 second grade and 134 fifth grade students completed the reading and mathematics achievement battery, as well as affective scales regarding reading, mathematics, and school. The administration procedures, test results, and psychometric…

The "B" testing program of the Beginning Teacher Evaluation Study, Phase III-B, is summarized. A sample of 146 second grade and 128 fifth grade students completed the reading and mathematics achievement battery, as well as affective scales pertaining to reading, mathematics, and school. The administration procedures, test results, and psychometric…

The "C" testing program, which followed the "A" and "B" tests of the Beginning Teacher Evaluation Study, is summarized. A sample of 139 second grade and 123 fifth grade students completed the reading and mathematics achievement battery, as well as affective scales regarding reading, mathematics, and school. The administration procedures, test…

Intended as a comprehensive introduction to the construction and use of foreign language tests, this book utilizes modern linguistic knowledge as a base for scientific language testing. Major attention in testing is focused on such integrated language skills as auditory and reading comprehension, speaking, writing, translation, and over-all…

The Edmonton Grade III Achievement: 1956-1977 study is a comparison of achievement in reading, arithmetic, and language involving all of the third grade students in a large school system. Six basic skills tests which were administered to all of the Edmonton third grade students in 1956 were reprinted and administered to all of the third grade…

Empirical studies are reviewed of sex bias and psychometric bias in aptitude and achievement tests. It is concluded that: (1) of four studies of sex bias, all found that the language used in the tests favored males, but, at the elementary-secondary level, sex bias has been decreasing; (2) of 15 analyses of psychometric bias, all found an…

The criterion-oriented problem of test bias and fairness in selection is compared to the construct-oriented problem of comparability of test scores in cross-cultural research. These problems are shown to have important similarities, and their studies may supplement each other. In a formulation of psychometric criteria for the comparability of test…

This textbook is intended for use in an introductory course in the use of tests in schools and colleges. The book is divided into five parts: (1) history and philosophy--educational measurement, historical perspectives; Measurement and the process of education; (2) classroom test development--what should achievement tests measure?; How should…