This study looks at the real and perceived effects of inter-candidate variation in linguistic ability during pair-tested oral examinations in a southern Italian context. Pair testing has not been taken up in schools and universities in southern Italy despite its wide use in international testing systems. Colleagues and prospective candidates often…

Many postsecondary institutions, and community colleges in particular, require that students demonstrate specified levels of literacy and numeracy before taking college-level courses. Typically, students have been assessed using two widely available tests--ACCUPLACER and Compass. However, placement testing practice is beginning to change for three…

The purpose of this study was to determine how elementary school administrators in a large U.S. state perceived the overall effects of testing on education in general and, more specifically, on their instructional leadership responsibilities. We surveyed 325 Florida principals and assistant principals, many of whom viewed the testing program…

Differential item functioning (DIF) occurs when an item on a test, questionnaire, or interview has different measurement properties for one group of people versus another, irrespective of true group-mean differences on the constructs being measured. This article is focused on item response theory based likelihood ratio testing for DIF (IRT-LR or…

A well-established principle in the literature on learning, which maintains that variability of practice enhances long-term retention, served as the foundation of a summer program intended to ameliorate reading skills in incoming freshmen. During a 4-week period, students received reading instruction in the context of four areas: humanities,…

It is sometimes assumed that students (a) know which questions they will be best at answering in an examination, and (b) know how well they have performed after completing an examination. These hypotheses were tested for 50 dental students who completed a six-question essay examination in Human Physiology and Pharmacology. (Editor/RK)

This paper introduces a set of services for the creation of on-line surveys, questionnaires, exams and self-assessment tests within a virtual community system used in e-learning settings. The system, called "Online Communities", is a dynamic web application used as platform for blended learning activities by the Faculty of Economics of…

A series of questions designed to challenge school administrators to reconsider the purposes, selection, use, and interpretation of tests and test results in their school programs. (Author/DN)

This paper examines some of the issues involved in releasing test results to the press. The first part is based on a survey of National Association of Test Directors members (72 of the 142 members completed a questionnaire on reporting test results to the public). The survey included the following: to whom are results reported; what kind of…

The mandated minimum competency programs of two states--Pennsylvania and Maryland--are examined, and some of the effects on school districts of raising the testing stakes are reviewed. In a survey conducted during the winter of 1986-87 in Pennsylvania and Maryland, one teacher, one principal, and one central office staff member each from 277…

Approximately 20,000 eighth-and eleventh-grade students in Texas were tested on nine career education objectives; (1) career planning and decision making; (2) occupational information; (3) job acquisition and retention; (4) work attitudes; (5) human relations skills; (6) self evaluation; (7) personal responsibilities; (8) economic factors; and (9)…

The aim of this investigation was to develop a justifiable and efficient procedure for locating the top two percent of the eighth grade students in an inner-city junior high school. The WISC performance IQ was chosen as the criterion measure. Four screening measures were used to select students for the WISC: an achievement test (the California…

College applicants taking the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and the Test of Standard Written English (TSWE) were surveyed regarding the tests, college admission in general, and the communications received concerning the test and their scores. Separate questionnaires were administered before taking the SAT or TSWE, after taking the test, and after…

A SURVEY INSTRUMENT DESIGNED TO PROVIDE FOR THE REPORTING OF THE ADMINISTRATION OF TESTS AND THE USE MADE OF TEST SCORES WAS MAILED TO THE 664 MEMBER INSTITUTIONS OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF COLLEGES FOR TEACHER EDUCATION. THE MAJOR OBJECTIVES OF THE SURVEY WERE TO (1) DETERMINE THE SCOPE OF THE ADMINISTRATION OF TESTS TO STUDENTS IN TEACHER…

The three parts of this study concern the application of diagnostic testing to measure the effectiveness of classification training, the development of a systematic approach to applying the results, and a long-term study of employee retention of classification information. The measurement instrument selected for diagnostic testing of employees of…