This paper summarizes some of the issues involved in educational testing. First, it describes four of the fundamental characteristics of tests: whether they are measures of aptitude or achievement, whether they require students to produce or just recognize the best answer, whether they are interpreted in relationship to the scores of other…

This bulletin describes the National Occupational Competency Testing Program, which is designed to give experienced craftsmen objective evidence of their competency in order (1) to obtain academic credit toward a degree, (2) to gain certification as an industrial teacher, or (3) to enroll in an industrial teacher education program. Information is…

To discover factors which contribute to a high response rate for questionnaire surveys, the preferences of 150 college teachers and teaching assistants were studied. Four different questionnaire formats using 34 common items were sent to the subjects: open-ended; Likert-type (five points, from "strong influence to return," to…

The Skills Achievement Monitoring (SAM) program, developed by teachers and administrators in the public schools of Fitchburg, Massachusetts, is described. The program, used in writing and mathematics, is based on three assumptions: (1) that classroom teachers are the primary untapped resource in schools, (2) that tests of any kind must be used as…

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of low difficulty and high difficulty testing approaches on the informational achievement of two groups of college students enrolled in a power mechanics course. Fifty students were assigned to two groups by a modified random technique, and treatments were randomly assigned to these groups.…

This chapter of "The Best of the Best of ERIC," Volume 2, contains 18 summaries of documents and journals on competency-based education, all of which are indexed in either "Resources in Education" or "Current Index to Journals in Education." The materials included deal with various aspects of the topic, such as…

This report presents data concerning the validity of a set of experimental computerized and paper-and-pencil tests for measures of on-job performance on global and job elements. It reports on the usefulness of 30 experimental and operational variables for predicting marks on 42 job elements and on a global criterion for Electrician's Mate,…

One of the overriding problems of any psychometric study is that aspects of behavior that are nonquantifiable or difficult to quantify are not considered. The other side of this coin is that those aspects of behavior that are easiest to quantify tend to be what are examined. In evaluating bilingual education programs, problems are found in the…

Performance in concrete and abstract tasks is examined systematically by varying the degree of abstractness of problem-solving and concept formation tasks. Four forms of a problem solving test were constructed. Each form of the test presented problem situations through four different modes: verbal stories, picture-book, color slides,…

The first four chapters of this report primarily provide an extensive, critical review of the literature with regard to selected aspects of the criterion-referenced and mastery testing fields. Major topics treated include: (a) definitions, distinctions, and background, (b) the relevance of classical test theory, (c) validity and procedures for…

The materials cited here represent information on such diverse but interrelated areas as: methods of assessing achievement, intelligence, personality factors, and attitudes; effects of testing on self concept and employment opportunities; prediction of academic success; reliability and validity of specific tests; criticism of the methods and use…

This is a teacher's guide for "Poor Simpleton," a language test designed for students of English in bilingual programs. The guide explains the nature of the test, how to administer and score it, and how to analyze test results. The test is a modified version of the cloze procedure. Unlike most cloze tests, which are…

Reports on a study designed to determine whether or not biology students were being disadvantaged by taking computer tests instead of written paper forms of the same tests. Results indicated that mean scores on computer-administered and written forms of the same test were approximately equivalent. (TW)

Describes design of an item bank for use with lower ability mathematics students in Scottish secondary schools. Aspects of bank usage discussed include raw score translation to measures on validated scales, test design for various purposes, and ways of recording and analyzing results. Test examples with corresponding outputs are given. (Author/MBR)

There are few certifying or recertifying examinations in the medical field that are given in a take-home format. This stems from a concern that examinees may discuss items with peers, or save copies of items on the exam and then pass them on to others. This study examined if item exposure on take-home examinations influences the difficulty of the…