This article reflects on the history of interest assessment in Australia in the last 45 years. In it the author would like to review some aspects of the history of interest assessment in Australia from his personal perspective as a user and researcher. He suggests that the present state of interest assessment in Australia using inventories is…

Author discusses the implications that criterion-referenced tests have for the teacher and for testing programs in the schools. (Author/CB)

In discussion of assessment and its applicability to the needs of the Spanish-speaking student population, four types of assessments are presented in the context of the educationally significant testing needed in this area. The focus of this paper is on the use of comprehensive assessment to measure the repertoire of language resources that the…

Author discusses and defines criterion tests in the context of classroom needs that have created much of the interest in the theory at this time. The primary source of interest is related to the growing implementation of individualized curricula. (Author/CB)

Technical considerations associated with item selection and reliability assessment are considered in relation to criterion-referenced tests constructed to provide group information. The purpose is to emphasize test building and the evaluation of test scores in program evaluation studies. It is stressed that an evaluator employ a performance or…

Criterion-referenced testing is defined and some of its background is discussed. A distinction is made between criterion-referenced scores, norm-referenced scores, cut-off scores, criterion scores, criterion variables, and content-standard scores. The relationship between norm-referenced information and criterion-referenced information is…

The concept of tailored testing for individuals is applied to the construction of tests for special groups and extended to apply to item content as well as item difficulty. It is suggested that evaluators may decide to construct tests on the basis of a unique combination of items drawn from an item bank to fit the need of a particular group. At…

It is argued in this paper that generalizability theory provides a uniquely useful framework for defining and quantifying the dependability of data for decision making. It does so by requiring careful specification of the conditions of measurement and the anticipated sources of variation in the results of the measurement procedure. A distinction…

This manual outlines the rationale for using the Criterion Referenced Test (CRT) approach and suggests specific guidelines for test developers to use in constructing test items. Methods for assessing the adequacy of a CRT are also provided. (Author/RC)

The Rasch model for test score equating was compared with three other equating procedures as methods for implementing the norm referenced method (RMC Model A) of evaluating ESEA Title I projects. The Rasch model and its theoretical limitations were described. The three other equating methods used were: linear observed score equating, linear true…

The existence of criterion-referenced (CR) measurement is questioned in this paper. Despite beliefs that differences exist between two alternative forms of measurement, CR and Norm Referenced (NR), an analysis of philosophical and psychological descriptions of measurement, as well as a growing number of empirical studies, reveal that the common…

The central assumption in domain-referenced testing (DRT), as presented in this book, is that a domain may be determined which adequately represents a particular universe of knowledge. After a domain has been established, the technological and practical problem of using domain-referenced testing must be solved. This book contains a collection of…

A central problem for the user of domain-referenced tests in instruction is deciding who has passed and who has failed. Two procedures were presented and discussed. The first, employing classical test theory, was found to be more useful for larger domains and where the passing standard is 70 percent or less. The sampling procedure suggested by…

An achievement testing framework is being developed by the Los Angeles Unified School District to assess the educational progress of 14,000 secondary level compensatory education students with something other than standardized tests. The technique of multiple matrix sampling was applied to the use of large item domains in the subject area of…

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…