Exams constitute the predominant form of summative assessment in undergraduate biology education, with the assumption that exam performance should reflect student conceptual understanding. Previous work highlights multiple examples in which students can answer exam problems correctly without the corresponding conceptual understanding. This…

A latent class model for handling the items in Birenbaum and Tatsuoka's study is described. A method to derive the optimal scoring rule when multiple choice test items are used is illustrated. Remedial training begins after a determination is made as to which of several erroneous algorithms is being used. (Author/DWH)

Twenty-four students who scored 650 or more on the Scholastic Aptitude Test Mathematics test (SAT-M) were asked to think aloud while solving 13 mathematics items in either multiple-choice or free-response format. Strategies students used to solve the items were classified as either algorithmic or insightful. Data analyses indicated that items in…