Why has large-scale standardised testing attracted such a bad press? Why has pedagogic benefit to be derived from test results been downplayed? The paper investigates this question by first surveying the pros and cons of testing in the literature, and goes on to examine educators' responses to standardised, large-scale tests in a sample of low…

This article investigates several questions regarding the impact of different item formats on measurement characteristics. Constructed response (CR) items and multiple choice (MC) items obviously differ in their formats and in the resources needed to score them. As such, they have been the subject of considerable discussion regarding the impact of…

Examinees who take high-stakes assessments are usually given an opportunity to repeat the test if they are unsuccessful on their initial attempt. To prevent examinees from obtaining unfair score increases by memorizing the content of specific test items, testing agencies usually assign a different test form to repeat examinees. The use of multiple…

In an Angoff standard setting procedure, judges estimate the probability that a hypothetical randomly selected minimally competent candidate will answer correctly each item in the test. In many cases, these item performance estimates are made twice, with information shared with the panelists between estimates. Especially for long tests, this…

This paper explores the effectiveness of the Mantel-Haenszel (MH) statistic in detecting differentially functioning test items when the internal criterion is varied. Using a data set from the 1982 statewide administration of a 150-item life skills examination (the New Mexico High School Proficiency Examination), a randomly selected sample of 1,000…

Little research exists on the psychological impacts of computerized adaptive testing (CAT) and how it may affect test performance. Three CAT procedures were examined, in which items were selected to match students' achievement levels, from the item pool at random, or according to student choice of item difficulty levels. Twenty-four graduate…

The phenomenon of simultaneous differential item functioning (DIF) amplification and cancellation and the role of the SIBTEST computer program in detecting it were studied. A variety of simulated test data was generated for this purpose. In addition, the following real test data were used: (1) American College Testing program data for 2,115 males…

Since 1971, nearly four million adults have qualified for a high school equivalency credential based on General Educational Development (GED) test results. During Spring 1980 two major studies were undertaken by the GED Testing Service: (1) the U.S. High School Norming Study involving the administration of the GED Tests to a representative sample…

The performance of 2,000 academically talented seventh-grade students on the American College Testing Program (ACT) Assessment was investigated in comparison with 2,000 college-bound 12th-grade examinees. Data from the February 1988 and February 1989 administrations of the ACT were used. Differential test performance and item performance were…

This report presents a summary of information about the use in Massachusetts of open-ended questions in the Massachusetts Educational Assessment Program's biennial assessment of mathematics at grades 4, 8, and 12. These questions appeared in one form of the tests in each grade. One-twelfth of the fourth-graders, one-sixteenth of the…

In the spring of 1988, the Massachusetts Department of Education administered its second biennial assessment (the Massachusetts Educational Assessment Program), testing students in grades 4, 8, and 12 in reading, mathematics, science, and social studies. This report discusses the use of open-ended questions in one form of the science tests.…

In the spring of 1988, the Massachusetts Department of Education administered its second biennial assessment (the Massachusetts Educational Assessment Program) of students in grades 4, 8, and 12 in reading, mathematics, science, and social studies. This report discusses the use of open-ended questions in the tests of social studies. One-twelfth of…

The Iowa Tests of Basic Skills were administered to over 600 black and white students in grades six through nine, to determine if the test showed bias against minorities. Outliers were identified from test results. Outliers are items which differ from the central core of test items because they fall outside the range expected from a random…

This report contains details of the results of the Primary Assessment Program conducted in 1991 in urban and non-urban schools in the Northern Territory of Australia. The assessment program, conducted annually at years 5 and 7 in urban schools and at ages 10 years and above in non-urban schools, monitors achievement in English and mathematics. In…