This project began with the delineation of the roles and functions of respiratory therapy personnel by the American Association for Respiratory Therapy. In Phase II, The Psychological Corporation used this delineation to develop six proficiency examinations, three at each of two levels. One exam at each level was designated for the purpose of the…

For six tests, coefficient delta as an index for internal optimality is computed. Internal optimality is defined as the magnitude of risk of the decision procedure with respect to the true score. Results are compared with an alternative index (coefficient kappa) for assessing the consistency of decisions. (Author/JKS)

The path coefficients in an explanatory model of teaching and learning were corrected for error of measurement using generalizability theory. The disattenuation procedure effectively clarified and increased the interpretability of results. (Author/CTM)

Results of the Vocabulary, Reading Comprehension, and Mathematics Concepts subtests of the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills were analyzed for sex bias. On the whole, little evidence for sex bias was found for the four subtests and three grade levels examined. (Author)

Combines item response theory (IRT) and statistical methods to analyze California Achievement Test-Mathematics (CAT-M) results for 4,135 seventh graders in northeast Ohio. Provides information to educational analysts about which IRT model fits CAT-M data for the target population, test accuracy in estimating students' abilities at different…

This study set out to empirically determine the reliability and validity of the Vocabulary Levels Tests, both the passive and productive versions. Furthermore, attempt was made to investigate the nature of the students' vocabulary knowledge with regard to their passive and active knowledge of the L2 words as a whole and at different word frequency…

The "Social-Communication Assessment Tool" (S-CAT) was created as a direct observation instrument to quantify specific social and communication deficits of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) within educational settings. In this pilot study, the instrument's content validity and interrater reliability were investigated to determine the…

The research literature provides important guidance to counselors working to keep abreast of the latest thinking regarding best practices and recently developed counseling tools. The purpose of this digest is to highlight a few errors that seem to recur within the literature, and to provide some helpful references that further explore these…

A study investigated the alternate forms reliability of the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) Forms 8, 9, 10, and 11. Usable data were obtained from 62,938 armed services applicants who took the ASVAB in January and February 1983. Results showed that the parallel forms reliability coefficients between ASVAB Form 8a and the…

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…

The construct validity of measures of reading comprehension was discussed. A word deletion procedure was proposed consistent with a model of comprehension which emphasizes the importance of context. The procedure assures sensitivity to context by allowing only highly constrained words to be deleted and by increasing the information value of…

The basic concepts, practices, and considerations in assessment are outlined in order to provide the reader with a beginning knowledge of assessment techniques and procedures. Discussion includes the goals of assessment, types of tests, criteria for instrument selection, test construction, data collection procedures, and statistical analysis of…

This paper is an extended series of appendices to the report "Exploring the T.R.Q.: An Assessment of the Effectiveness of the Teachers' Rating Questionnaire," Report Number 123. It should be most useful to those familiar with multiple regression analysis and factor analysis and wishing a more complex record of the statistical procedures…

Evidence on how the psychometric properties of verbal and quantitative academic aptitude tests are affected when item options are weighted using rather simple conceptual procedures is presented. This is discussed in connection with the scoring methods used on the Graduate Record Examinations. (DG)

Examined the effects on their test performance of junior high school students changing responses. Results indicated that changing answers neither increases the reliability nor decreases the standard error of measurement of the test. (Author/RC)