This is the first in a series of five articles describing a national study of general education astronomy students' conceptual and reasoning difficulties with cosmology. In this paper, we describe the process by which we designed four new surveys to assess general education astronomy students' conceptual cosmology knowledge. These surveys focused…

The relationship between classical discrimination indices (CDI) and criterion-referenced discrimination indices (CRDI) and the appropriateness of each for use on criterion-referenced tests are investigated. A CRDI is proposed that attempts to separate those who master material from those who do not master material. A 26 item multiple-choice…

Methods of estimating the standard error at different ability levels were compared. Overall, it was found that at a given ability level the standard errors calculated using different formulas are not appreciably different. Further, for most situations the traditional method of calculating a standard error probably provides sufficient precision.…

Studies the effect of item order on test scores and completion time. Students scored slightly higher when test items were grouped sequentially (relating to text and lectures) than on tests when test items were grouped by text chapter but ordered randomly, or when test items were ordered randomly. Found no differences in completion time. (Author/LS)

A general issue related to language program development involves the empirical rationalization of cut score decisions in criterion-referenced language tests. Cut score dependability focuses on the consistency of the decisions in repeated testing or the assessment of language learner performances. In this case, the issue is to determine the optimal…

This study compared five density estimation techniques applied to samples from a population of 272,244 examinees' ACT English Usage and Mathematics Usage raw scores. Unsmoothed frequencies, kernel method, negative hypergeometric, four-parameter beta compound binomial, and Cureton-Tukey methods were applied to 500 replications of random samples of…

Scales constructed under procedures and criteria outlined by the various traditional and latent trait methods were examined as to whether they varied in characteristics related to scale quality. Scales were constructed from a common pool of items analyzed in full form according to Likert and a one-parameter Rasch model for non-dichotomous data.…

A study was conducted to determine whether evaluators of large scale essay tests respond the same way toward essays written by English as a second language (ESL) and non-ESL students. The data examined came from the English Placement Test (EPT) administered in the province of British Columbia, Canada, in March 1979. The test was used to identify…

Some examinees' test-taking behavior may be so idiosyncratic that their scores are not comparable to the scores of more typical examinees. Appropriateness indices, which provide quantitative measures of response-pattern atypicality, can be viewed as statistics for testing a null hypothesis of normal test-taking behavior against an alternative…

A review of the literature concerned with validity data and policies for various methods of treating multiple scores is reported, as are analyses of data from the College Board Validity Study Service. The analyses evaluated the use of Scholastic Aptitude Test--Verbal alone, Scholastic Aptitude Test--Mathematical alone, and the use of both in…

A study examined how pragmatic form influences evaluation of student essays in university placement testing. Specifically, the study documented how patterns in students' use of information (assumed to be either old, inferable, or new for readers) affected the holistic scores for quality given to the essays. Subjects, 99 randomly selected entering…

This guide is designed to provide essential background material about the College Board's Computerized Placement Tests (CPTs). It is recommended for administrators and staff alike. It contains the theory on which the tests are based, information concerning how to administer them, and discussions of the reports produced and how to interpret the…

This report was designed to respond to two major methodological shortcomings in the item bias literature: (1) misfitting test models; and (2) the use of significance tests. Specifically, the goals of the research were to describe a newly developed method known as the "plot method" for identifying potentially biased test items and to…

The 1976 Educational Testing Service (ETS) Invitational Conference served as a platform for individuals who have been prominent in educational measurement and research to present their views on issues surrounding the testing controversy. The 1976 ETS "The Testing Scene: Chaos and Controversy," presents a historical review of events surrounding the…