Three descriptive statistics (difficulty, discrimination, and reliability) of multiple-choice (MC) test items were compared to those of a new (1980s) format of machine-scored questions. The new method, answer-bank multi-digit testing (MDT), uses alphabetized lists of up to 1,000 alternatives and approximates the completion style of assessment…

The aims of the present study were threefold: (1) to test for the equivalency of an hierarchical three-factor structure of the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) across English and French versions for non-clinical adolescents; (2) given evidence of poor model fit, to validate the factorial structure of the BDI French version across three independent…

Based on material prepared for the California Assessment Program, an argument in favor of authentic assessment is presented, and authentic assessment is contrasted with traditional standardized tests. An assessment is authentic when student performance on intellectual tasks is directly examined. Comparatively, traditional assessment relies on…

Forty three-option multiple choice (MC) statements on a midterm examination were converted to 120 true-false (TF) statements, identical in content. Test forms (MC and TF) were randomly administered to 50 undergraduates, to investigate the validity and internal consistency reliability of the two forms. A Kuder-Richardson formula 20 reliability was…

Ten years of validity research concerning the Slosson Intelligence Test (SIT) is reviewed. The equivalence of the SIT to the Stanford-Binet and the Wechsler Scales is examined and the relationship of the SIT to achievement measures is described. (Author)

Several methods for estimating item response theory scores for multiple subtests were compared. These methods included two multidimensional item response theory models: a bi-factor model where each subtest was a composite score based on the primary trait measured by the set of tests and a secondary trait measured by the individual subtest, and a…

Results indicated that despite very high correlations between deviation quotients and traditional measures, changes of potential diagnostic significance occurred in scores of over half the sample (N=2,200). Discusses the potential utility of the factorially pure deviation quotients. Presents a table for translation of scaled scores into these…

The Bem Sex-Role Inventory and Heilbrun Masculinity and Femininity Scales were compared. Correlations between the masculine and feminine scales of both instruments were significant for males but not for females. Misclassification into sex role categories occurred primarily in those categories in which personality characteristics overlap. (MH)

Compares the predictive and concurrent validities of a learning efficiency test with that of another test. Memory factor scores of the learning efficiency test correlated significantly with the other test's scores, with class grades, and with actual grade-level functioning in reading. The learning efficiency test's validity compares favorably to…

Effects of item wording on questionnaire reliability and validity were studied, using 280 undergraduate business students who completed a questionnaire comprising 4 item types: (1) regular; (2) polar opposite; (3) negated polar opposite; and (4) negated regular. Implications of results favoring regular and negated regular items are discussed. (SLD)

Hierarchical (adaptive) and linear methods of testlet construction were compared. The performance of 2,080 ninth and tenth graders on a 4-item testlet was used to predict performance on the entire test. The adaptive test was slightly superior as a predictor, but the cost of obtaining that superiority was considerable. (SLD)

Relationships among the scales of the Myers Briggs Type Indicator and the Human Information Processing Survey revealed in a study by S. C. Shiflett (1989) were reinvestigated in a study involving 554 college students (270 males and 284 females). One significant gender difference among the correlations was found. (SLD)

Comparison of scores from a normative sample of 880 children and 276 sexually abused children on the Child Sexual Behavior Inventory (CSBI), a checklist for 2- through 12-year-old children, supports the reliability and validity of the instrument. The CSBI is directly related to specific features of sexual abuse. (SLD)

An attempt was made to standardize the Work Aspect Preference Scale for an Australian work sample, including 1,250 employed adults (46 percent females and 54 percent males). Use of percentile norms--developed for 3 age cohorts (20 years and younger, 21-30 years, and over 30 years) and by sex--is discussed. (SLD)