Argues that giving students a reading test that is above or below their levels of achievement will yield inaccurate information. (FL)

Examination of the history of the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) program and the College Board can inform the current debate about testing by shedding light on admission and access issues that have been addressed by the program over the years. It has strived to balance consistency with the flexibility to adapt testing to new knowledge about…

This article defines test bias and reviews research methods most aptly applied postpublication to educational and psychological tests. Best methods for estimating bias in criterion-related or predictive validity and determining bias in construct validity across groups are explained. (Author/JDD)

Investigated model for reducing time for administration of Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) using real-data simulation of Bayesian scaling in computerized adaptive administration. Findings from simulation study using data from 127 undergraduates are strongly supportive of use of Bayesian scaled computerized adaptive administration of MBTI.…

Administered a questionnaire focusing on examinees' computer familiarity to 90,000 Test of English as a Foreign Language test takers. A group of 1,200 low-computer-familiar and high-computer-familiar examinees' worked through a computer tutorial and a set of TOEFL test items. Concludes that no evidence exists of an adverse relationship between…

Reflects on what has transpired in the second language (L2) testing field in relation to technology and situates developments within the larger language testing, general measurement, and educational contexts. (Author/VWL)

A study examined the effects of extended and untimed testing on 31 postsecondary students with learning disabilities and 40 typical students. By extending the time limits on the Nelson Denny Reading Test, students with learning disabilities realized significant gains on their test scores and typical students made less dramatic gains. (Contains…

Northwest Evaluation Association in Portland, Oregon, consults with state and local educators on assessment issues. Describes several approaches in place at school districts that are using some combination of computer-based tests to measure student growth. The computerized adaptive test adjusts items based on a student's answer in "real…

This study investigated the equivalence of scores from computerized and paper-and-pencil formats of a series of K-3 reading screening tests. Concerns about score equivalence on the computerized formats were warranted because of the use of reading passages, computer unfamiliarity of primary school students, and teacher versus computer…

The Raven Advanced Progressive Matrices Test (APM) is a well-known measure of higher order general mental ability. The time to administer the test, 40 to 60 minutes, is sometimes regarded as a drawback. To meet efficiency needs, the APM can be administered as a 30-or 40-minute timed test, or one of two developed short versions could be used. In…

Many important research hypotheses concern conditional relations in which the effect of one predictor varies with the value of another. Such relations are commonly evaluated as multiplicative interactions and can be tested in both fixed-and random-effects regression. Often, these interactive effects must be further probed to fully explicate the…

Purpose: In conjunction with curricular changes, a process to develop integrated examinations was implemented. Pre-established guidelines were provided favoring vignettes, clinically relevant material, and application of knowledge rather than simple recall. Questions were read aloud in a committee including all course directors, and a reviewer…

The 169 paper and symposium presentations given during 57 sessions of the conference are provided in these two volumes. The first volume contains the keynote speech, which addressed military entrance processing command and its acquired immune deficiency snydrome testing program. Symposia topics in this volume include: (1) computerized diagnostic…

Ethical perspectives on testing children are explored and suggestions made for reorienting assessment. (RC)

A glossary of terms commonly used in discussing measurement is presented. Terms, arranged in alphabetical order, contain definitions as they pertain to the measurement field. Terms defined are: (1) achievement test; (2) age norms; (3) average; (4) battery; (5) ceiling; (6) criterion-referenced test; (7) diagnostic test; (8) domain-referenced test;…