This paper introduces criterion-referenced tests (CRTs), compares them with norm-referenced tests (NRTs), discusses how they can be evaluated and revised, and presents a study of an actual class and textbook test evaluation using CRTs. NRTs have dominated testing methodology since the mid-1970s; an example is the Test of English as a Foreign…

This brief paper summarizes a roundtable discussion on the relative lack of use by special education researchers of a variety of qualitative and quantitative methodologies. Discussion addressed: (1) the types of knowledge that could be generated by using a wider range of research methods (e.g., structural equation modeling and associated methods…

This book is intended for a one-semester or one-term course in educational research. It is designed to enable students to become intelligent consumers of educational research and to introduce its basic principles to those who eventually may be involved in research in their work. The chapters are: (1) "Introduction to Research in Education"; (2)…

Introduction: This paper examines the business external environment scanning theory for information in the context of Greece. Method. A questionnaire was developed to explore the relationships between general and task business environment, perceived uncertainty, scanning strategy, and sources of information with respect to type of environment,…

Issues associated with the lack of statistical skills among educational and psychological researchers are discussed. Issues are associated with accreditation standards, faculty positions for psychometric specialists, measurement curricula, and licensing organizations. The Test User Qualification Working Group has produced a model test user…

The goal of this research was to predict from a recruit's responses to the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) items whether the recruit would pass the Armed Forces Qualification Test (AFQT). The data consisted of the responses (correct/incorrect) of 1,020 Navy recruits to 200 items of the ASVAB together with the scores of these…

Several techniques have been developed for creating continuous smooth distributions of test norms. This paper describes two studies that explore the behavior of cubic splines in order to determine their appropriateness for use in test norming. The first study uses data from the Curriculum Referenced Tests of Mastery (CRTM) and employs two…

The quality of mathematics multiple choice items and their susceptibility to test wiseness were examined. Test wiseness was defined as "a subject's capacity to utilize the characteristics and formats of the test and/or test taking situation to receive a high score." The study used results of the Graduate Record Examinations Aptitude Test (GRE) and…

This document contains three papers from the Methodology Project of the Center for the Study of Evaluation. Methods for characterizing test accuracy are reported in the first two papers. "Bounds on the K Out of N Reliability of a Test, and an Exact Test for Hierarchically Related Items" describes and illustrates how an extension of a…

An essential first step in the investigation of employment discrimination is establishing that the selection procedure has had an adverse impact. The 80% rule and statistical significance (as determined with a chi-square test), two methods of assessing adverse impact, were compared considering the variables: number of applicants (N), proportion of…

The psychometric properties associated with the "specific objectivity" of the simple logistic model are acknowledged to be far superior to those of competing models. It is therefore the ideal model to be used for test development or for the analysis of any measuring instrument developed within a well-defined psychological construct. In…

Online practice tests and quizzes are commonly available to higher education students. The extent of student use of such study tools and the relationship of use to achievement, however, have not been fully investigated. One hundred twelve college students were encouraged to use optional online quizzes in preparation for proctored examinations.…

TWO HYPOTHESES WERE TESTED--(1) NO SIGNIFICANT RELATIONSHIP EXISTS BETWEEN THE LEVEL OF EXPECTATIONS FOR THE FINANCIAL ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL BOARD ROLE AND THE LEVEL OF LOCAL FINANCIAL SUPPORT, AND (2) NO SIGNIFICANT RELATIONSHIP EXISTS BETWEEN THE LEVEL OF EXPECTATIONS FOR SELECTED EXPENDITURES AND THE AMOUNT OF FUNDS ALLOCATED FOR THESE…

IN A STUDY THAT WAS PRIMARILY CORRELATIONAL IN NATURE, RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN EVALUATORS' ATTITUDES TOWARD EDUCATION AND PERCEPTIONS OF TEACHING BEHAVIOR WERE DETERMINED BY ADMINISTERING QUESTIONNAIRES TO OVER 3,000 ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY TEACHERS AND GRADUATE STUDENTS OF EDUCATION FROM INDIANA, MICHIGAN, NEW YORK, NORTH CAROLINA, TEXAS, AND…

Arranged like an encyclopedia, this book, addressed to directors and sponsors of education/training programs, as well as evaluators and those studying to become evaluators, unifies and systematizes the field of evaluation by organizing its main concepts and techniques into one volume. Researched and documented articles, contributed by recognized…