The feasibility and efficacy of using self-report response methods with an In-Basket exercise were evaluated in two studies involving 258 managers and 55 college students, respectively. Results suggest that high face validity of the In-Basket exercise can be combined with the scoring ease and objectivity of self-reports. (SLD)

This review, with profiles of 51 available writing/language usage tests from most major test publishing companies, provides technical information on the tests, the evolution of test characteristics, the tests' role as writing samples, and issues in psychometric quality. Published objective writing tests are changing in important and positive ways.…

Reasonable and practical solutions to two major problems confronting the developer of any test of educational achievement (what to measure and how to measure it) are proposed, defended, and defined. (Author/PN)

This "toolbox" offers suggestions about how and when to create objective tests. Such tests are sometimes a quick way to find out how students are doing, and sometimes they help students focus on what they are doing in class or help teachers define the content that is worth knowing. The following suggestions are offered for developing objective…

Research on true-false (TF), multiple-choice, and alternate-choice (AC) tests is reviewed, discussing strengths, weaknesses, and the usefulness in classroom and large-scale testing of each. Recommendations are made for improving use of AC items to overcome some of the problems associated with TF items. (SLD)

Three standard assessment instruments (Rorschach, Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory and 16PF) were administered to 12 participating Rosebud Sioux Indians--6 males, 6 females. Reports were generated for each instrument. Consensual and unique concepts contained in all the reports were analyzed in order to describe the contents. Six judges, all…

Current practices of personality and behavior assessment were analyzed. Projective techniques, especially figure drawings and sentence completion devices, were found to be the most often used instruments for personality assessment by school psychologists. Objective personality tests and published behavior rating scales were far less frequently…

Cognitive learning and cognitive measures are defined and various types of objective measures of cognitive learning are discussed and compared, including short answer test items, true-false items, multiple choice items, matching items, and written simulations. (MSE)

Basic precepts for test development are described and explained as they are presented in measurement textbooks commonly used in the fields of education and psychology. The five building blocks discussed as the foundation of well-constructed tests are: (1) specification of purpose; (2) standard conditions; (3) consistency; (4) validity; and (5)…

The use of objective tests in higher education, both as an additional dimension to examinations and as part of the teaching and learning process, is considered. Specific concerns are the characteristics, functions, and limitations and the appropriate systems of organization and management of tests. The following types of objective items are…

Authentic measurement has become an important topic recently in educational testing. Advocates of authentic measurement feel that objective tests, multiple-choice tests in particular, cannot meet the demands required of today's tests and should be replaced by tests that can be closely matched to instruction and can assess higher-order cognitive…

Can students' writing ability really be assessed by standardized, objective tests? This question is explored here along with a discussion of the alternatives and advice for principals to help their English and language arts teachers confront the issue. (Author/TE)

There is increasing pressure on teachers in higher education to provide assessment systems that are fair, valid, reliable, efficient, and effective. Funding bodies, students themselves, and public opinion have higher expectations, and there is a new emphasis on competence-based systems. Growing numbers of students and financial constraints make…

A new approach to the development of the item characteristic curve (ICC), which expresses the functional relationship between the level of performance on a given task and an independent variable that is relevant to the task, is presented. The approach focuses on knowledge states, decision processes, and other circumstances underlying responses to…

Characteristics of objective measurement and how to develop an objective instrument are discussed. Objective measurement can be thought of as that type of measurement in the social sciences that parallels the measurement that takes place in science. The following are aspects of scientific measurement that should be transferred to the measurement…