Restricted equating samples are often used to equate test results. Previously eligible students may be excluded because this group of students is not stable from year to year and their inclusion may bias the results. The present study evaluated the impact of including previously eligible students in the equating samples, where the percentage of…

A competency test was developed to assess students skills in using electronic library resources. Because all students were required to pass the test, and had multiple opportunities to do so, multiple test forms were desired. Standards had been set on the original form, and minor differences in form difficulty needed to be taken into account.…

The influence of anchor length on the accuracy of test equating was studied using Tucker's linear method and two Item-Response-Theory (IRT) based methods, focusing on whether equating accuracy improved with more anchor items, whether the anchor effect depended on the equating method used, and the adequacy of the inclusion of the guessing parameter…

The statistical parallelism of a pair of tests equated by the P-value method was investigated, as well as the relationship between their raw scores and scores transformed by linear equating. Data were obtained from eight sections of the 1980 New Jersey Minimum Basic Skills Program; specifically, the reading and mathematics tests for each of grades…

An empirical item characteristic curve shows the probability of a correct response as a function of the student's total test score. These curves can be estimated from large-scale pretest data. They enable test developers to select items that discriminate well in the score region where decisions are made. A similar set of curves can be used to…

Six measurement-related problems which face educators attempting to implement minimum competency-oriented instruction (MC-OI) are isolated. They are: (1) choosing appropriate competencies to measure; (2) acquiring appropriate tests; (3) setting standards for MC-OI; (4) selecting suitable sanctions; (5) providing equidifficult examination…

The 1986 scores from the Statewide Student Assessment Test-II, a minimum-competency test required for high school graduation in Florida, were placed on the scale of the 1984 scores from that test using five different equating procedures: (1) linear method; (2) Rasch model; (3) three-parameter item response theory (IRT)--concurrent method; (4)…

New legislation in 1972 shifted the emphasis of the California Assessment Program (CAP) from traditional every pupil achievement testing to a more efficient multiple-matrix testing design, under which a broad spectrum of skills could be surveyed without undue expenditure of educational resources. Scale score reporting was introduced to the grade 6…

This article reviews developments in the field of educational measurement over the preceding 20 years, focusing on criterion-referenced measurement, item response theory, standard-setting methods, and equating methods. (TJH)

A minimum standards amendment to the New Jersey Public School Act of 1975 requires the testing of public school students to determine proficiency in the minimum basic skills of reading and mathematics, under the auspices of the New Jersey State Department of Education's Educational Assessment Program. To meet the mandates of this amendment, the…

As a result of using the Rasch model in building item banks in reading and mathematics, we were able to design two new testing programs for our district. The first was a grade level competency-based evaluation program designed to identify our district's low achievement-level students as well as the precompetency goals on which they needed help.…

Five methods of equating minimum-competency tests were compared using the Florida Statewide Student Assessment Test, Part II, for 1984 and 1986. Four of five methods yielded essentially comparable results for the highest scoring 84% of the students. Different lengths of anchor items were compared, using the concurrent item response theory equating…

This study investigated the feasibility of the use of the three-parameter item response theory (IRT) model in Florida's minimum competency testing program. The paper includes the following sections: (1) a description of the procedures currently being used by the assessment program, with an emphasis on procedures currently involving the Rasch…

This Technical Report provides descriptions and summary data that assist measurement specialists in assessing the procedures used in developing New Jersey's High School Proficiency Test (HSPT), the technical qualities of the tests, and the statewide results obtained from its use. The data summarized in this report were collected during the various…

This study investigated the feasibility of using the three-parameter model in Florida's minimum competency testing program. LOGIST 4 was used to analyze 1984 Statewide Student Assessment Tests (SSAT)-II data, exploring possibilities that easiness of the test would cause problems in the estimation of the a and c parameters. These problems and…