This paper reports on a revision of the assessment model from the first mathematics course for pre-service teachers (PSTs) aiming for grades 5-10, at a Norwegian university. The weight of the final written exam was reduced and a new, mastery-based testing model, with weekly small tests, was introduced. Results from this study show that the PSTs…

The Big Three Perfectionism Scale (BTPS) is a 45-item self-report measure of perfectionism with three overarching factors: rigid, self-critical, and narcissistic perfectionism. Our objective was to create a brief version of the BTPS, the Big Three Perfectionism Scale--Short Form (BTPS-SF). Sixteen items were selected, and confirmatory factor…

The broad range of English language teaching and learning contexts present in the world today necessitates high quality assessment instruments that can provide reliable and meaningful information about learners' English proficiency levels to relevant stakeholders. The "TOEFL Junior"® tests were recently introduced by Educational Testing…

This study was to develop a linear measure of change using University of Rhode Island Change Assessment items that represented Prochaska and DiClemente's theory. The resulting Toledo Measure of Change is short, is easy to use, and provides reliable scores for identification of individuals' stage of change and progression within that stage.

There is strong theoretical support for oral reading fluency (ORF) as an essential building block of reading proficiency. The current and standard ORF assessment procedure requires that students read aloud a grade-level passage (˜ 250 words) in a one-to-one administration, with the number of words read correctly in 60 seconds constituting their…

The booklet presents the two-part Grade 12 Diploma Examination for the Social Studies 30 program. Part 1 consists of 70 multiple-choice questions worth 70% of the total score. Each question has four choices and students must choose the one which best completes the statement or answers the question. Many questions are based on narratives,…

Criticisms of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) have included speculation that the listening test places too much burden on short-term memory as compared with comprehension, that a knowledge of reading is required to respond successfully, and that many items appear to require mere recall and matching rather than higher-order…

Alternative mathematical models for scoring and decision making with criterion referenced tests are described, especially as they concern appropriate test length and methods of establishing statistically valid cutting scores. Several of these approaches are reviewed and compared on formal-analytic and empirical grounds: (1) Block's approach to…

Research on the comparative utility of varying numbers of rating statements per set--using an external criterion of recognition of rater profiles for evaluating "goodness" of the sets--was conducted on 132 noncommissioned Air Force officers. Groups of subjects rated groups of their peers on 20 factors, on a subset of 10 factors, and on a…

The Student Achievement Diagnostic Questionnaire (SADQ) is described as measuring: (1) student self concept of ability in English, mathematics, science, and social studies; (2) student attitudes toward their teachers in each of the subjects; (3) student perception of the expectations these teachers have for student achievement in these subjects;…

This study evaluated whether the addition of a writing section to the SAT Reasoning Test™ (referred to as the SAT® in this study) would impact test-taker performance because of fatigue caused by increased test length. The study also investigated test-takers' subjective feelings of fatigue. Ninety-seven test-takers were randomly assigned to three…