To validate an interpretation or use of test scores is to evaluate the plausibility of the claims based on the scores. An argument-based approach to validation suggests that the claims based on the test scores be outlined as an argument that specifies the inferences and supporting assumptions needed to get from test responses to score-based…

Proposes a methodology and describes a test battery that synthesizes the psychometric strengths of maximal performance tests and the engagingness of typical-performance tests. Results with 31 adults show that the test measures the same abilities tapped by conventional cognitive tests but is viewed by examinees as less stressful, more interesting,…

The "CSE Program Evaluation Kit" is a series of nine books intended to assist people conducting program evaluations. This volume, the seventh in the kit, provides an overview of a variety of approaches to measuring performance outcomes. It presents considerations in deciding what to measure and in selecting or developing instruments best suited to…

Data from administration of the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency and the Cornish Test of Motor Planning were taken on 120 children (5-13 years old), 60 of whom had been classified learning disabled (LD). Thirty of the LD Ss had been assigned to adapted physical education. The study sought to do two things: (1) determine whether the…

Describes the use of the partial credit form of the Rasch model in the analysis and calibration of a set of writing tasks in which assessment scales and criteria were adapted to suit each task's specific demands. Potential applications of the partial credit model in language testing are discussed. (Author/CB)

The familiarity and use of direct and frequent measurement in special education was examined using three sample groups of teachers serving learning disabled students. Although most teachers were shown to be familiar with direct and frequent measurement strategies, relatively few were found to use them, in the belief that the repeated measures were…

The motor performance components of 11 tests measuring childhood motor development were analyzed with respect to five criteria listed in the American Psychological Association's Standards for Educational and Psychological Tests. Researchers concluded that the motor tests did not contribute to psychological constructs for early childhood testing.…

Achievement testing in nontraditional curriculum areas (such as industrial arts, physical education, or music) provides an ideal opportunity for developing students' self-evaluation skills. While applying testing procedures, teachers demonstrate what skills deserve evaluation and how to evaluate them. This article describes objective approaches to…

Each year the Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP) tests all 4th, 7th, and 10th grade students in reading and mathematics and one or more subject areas. Because MEAP has lost funding for test development, experienced assessment staff and a volunteer team of local educators and college and university specialists develop, administer, and…

Non-verbal tests are paper-and-pencil tests that are designed to measure cognitive processes that do not involve verbal language. Such tests use shapes, patterns, diagrams, and sequences to measure general intellectual skills of a non-verbal nature. The use of such tests in schools is described. Performance tests using concrete apparatus are…

Reports that 26 of 199 responding colleges require the Fundamentals of Engineering examination. States that of the 26, 16 require it to be taken college-wide and 3 require the student to pass. It was estimated that fewer than half of all graduating engineering students take the exam. (MVL)

This speech presents instructional evaluation techniques currently used in Belleville, Illinois. These are based on two criteria: (1) community opinion, and (2) performance level of students. To discover community opinions, needs, priorities, and levels of support, questionnaires are distributed, presenting a series of curricular goals and…

A decade ago intelligence testing was in its beginnings in the United States. There were no standardized tests available except those of the Binet-Simon scale. These tests had been used but little, and chiefly for the detection and classification of the backward and the feeble-minded. Goddard had just begun pioneer work in this field, while…

Intelligence quotient profiles in 81 high-functioning children and adults with autism were examined. Profiles did not reveal the presumed typical pattern of a lower verbal IQ than performance IQ. Results found that individuals with autism demonstrated a wide range of ability levels and patterns on the Wechsler Intelligence Scales, without a single…

This guide explains the benefits of and procedures for constructing and administering criterion-referenced performance tests in vocational education programs. Addressed in the individual sections are the following topics: the rationale for using task performance measures in vocational education; the predictive validity and physical fidelity of…