Current methods for obtaining reliability indices for mastery tests can be laborious. This paper offers practitioners tables from which agreement and kappa coefficients can be read directly and provides criterion for acceptable values of agreement and kappa coefficients. (TJH)

The classical estimate of a binomial probability function is to estimate its mean in the usual manner and to substitute the results in the appropriate expression. Two alternative estimation procedures are described and examined. Emphasis is given to the single administration estimate of the mastery test reliability. (Author/CTM)

Huynh (1976) suggested a method of approximating the reliability coefficient of a mastery test. The present study examines the accuracy of Huynh's approximation and also describes a computationally simpler approximation which appears to be generally more accurate than the former. (Author/RL)

A number of different definitions and indices of reliability for mastery tests have recently been proposed in an attempt to cope with possible lack of score variability that attenuates traditional coefficients. One promising index that has been suggested is the proportion of students in a group that are consistently assigned to the same mastery…

Assuming that the density p of the true ability theta in the binomial test score model is continuous in the closed interval (0, 1), a Bernstein polynomial can be used to uniformly approximate p. Then via quadratic programming techniques, least-square estimates may be obtained for the coefficients defining the polynomial. The approximation, in turn…

Single administration (beta-binomial) estimates for the raw agreement index p and the corrected-for-chance kappa index in mastery testing are compared with those based on two test administrations in terms of estimation bias and sampling variability. Bias is about 2.5 percent for p and 10 percent for kappa. (Author/RL)

A large number of seemingly diverse coefficients have been proposed as indices of dependability, or reliability, for domain-referenced and/or mastery tests. In this paper, it is shown that most of these indices are special cases of two generalized indices of agreement: one that is corrected for chance, and one that is not. The special cases of…

The Mastery-Learning test model is extended. Methods for estimating prior probabilities are described. The use of an adjustment matrix to transform a probability of mastery measure and empirical methods for estimating adjustment matrix parameters are derived. Adjustment matrices are interpreted as indicators of instructional effectiveness and as…

Four different procedures were used for estimating the proportion of persons who would be classified consistently as either passing both of two parallel tests or failing both. These four methods were applied at each of four different mastery level scores for each of three different length tests. Data were based on 50 replications of each procedure…

Using the basic principles of generalizability theory, a psychometric model for domain-referenced interpretations is proposed, discussed, and illustrated. This approach, assuming an analysis of variance or linear model, is applicable to numerous data collection designs, including the traditional persons-crossed-with-items design, which is treated…

The feasibility of criterion referenced testing is held to be dependent on the tenability of two postulates: (1) that bias can be controlled in a principled manner from one test to the next; and (2) that one mental process measured by such tests may lawfully interact with another. Without the first postulate, criterion scores could not be…

A procedure is demonstrated for constructing tables showing, for each score on a commercial reading achievement test, the percentage of real-world materials that the testee is likely to comprehend with at least a criterion level of proficiency, the percentages of students in a local or national sample who can competently comprehend a given…