A simply constructed, psychometrically sound testing procedure which enables the instructor to assess higher cognitive process with respect to the material in questions, and which is amenable to machine scoring, is described. It involves the application of the word association technique long used in psychoanalysis to the classroom setting. The…

Thematic summaries of those papers from the 1971 annual meeting of the AERA dealing specifically with criterion-referenced measurement are presented. An evaluative commentary by the writer is also included. (AG)

This document is an English-language abstract (approximately 1,500 words) of a series of research papers on the selection of college and university students. One paper compared the scores gained by three different types of entrants to six universities attracting applicants of high quality. It was found that a candidate has almost no chance of…

Discusses the issue of oral communication tests through an account of an oral test administered to nearly 1,000 students at Yarmouk University Language Center. The ways in which the institution attempted to overcome problems in the oral test's feasibility, validity, and reliability are presented. (Author/CB)

Presents major stages in design and development of criterion referenced tests (CRT) with emphasis on differences between CRT construction and norm-referenced test construction. Discussion covers test interpretation; test theory; preparation for test construction (hierarchical analysis, item type selection, and choosing number of items); test…

A sample (N=37) of currently published achievement tests was surveyed as to the availability of five types of technical data: (1) item selection techniques; (2) standardization; (3) types of norms; (4) types of validating data; and (5) types of reliability data. Recommendations for publishers and cautions for test users are given. (BS)

This book is a manual for the administration and interpretation of the Learning Styles Inventory, Version III (LSI-III). Part 1 is reproducible (so each teacher who administers the LSI can have a copy) and answers the following concerns: what the LSI-III is and what it measures; administering and scoring the LSI-III; interpreting students' scores…

Over the past decade, developers of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) have changed substantially the mix of item types on the NAEP assessments by decreasing the numbers of multiple-choice questions and increasing the numbers of questions requiring short- or extended-constructed responses. These changes have been motivated…

Developed a motivational distortion scale for the High School Personality Questionnaire. Data from high school students (N=607) showed males and females differed in how they distorted their responses, resulting in the need for two motivational distortion scales. They also differed in characteristics considered to create a favorable impression.…

A refined and extended analysis of variance (ANOVA) approach was used to investigate the pattern of relationships among arithmetic ability; reading ability; and general ability as assessed by teacher ratings and standardized tests, over a three-year period, with 54 educable mentally retarded children, initially 12 years old. (Author)

Explores the role of diagnostic practices in school psychology. Basic principles related to diagnostic typology and concepts of reliability and validity are reviewed in the context of recent diagnostic decision-making research. The intrusion and eventual reduction of particular errors of consistency and inconsistency in psychodiagnosis are…

Presents a history and analysis of the Larry P. v Wilson Riles litigation in California which prohibited the use of intelligence tests for determining eligibility of Black children for placement in educable mentally retarded programs. Argues against the court decision, and claims tests are not biased. (APM)

Over 2,000 writing samples were collected from four undergraduate institutions and compared, where possible, with scores on a multiple-choice test. High correlations between ratings of the writing samples and multiple-choice test scores were obtained. Samples contributed substantially to the prediction of both college grades and writing…

Examined the validity of the pragmatic approach to test difficulty put forward by Child (1987). This study investigated whether the Child discourse-type hierarchy predicts text difficulty for second-language readers. Results suggested that this hierarchy may provide a sound basis for developing foreign-language tests when it is applied by trained…

The movement to standardization and high-stakes testing has been driven by ideological and political concerns and has adversely affected teaching/learning, democratic discourse, and educational equity. Rural schools are hit harder because of geographic isolation and insufficient staff and resources. Testing used for purposes other than measuring…