Two distinct approaches, one based on item response theory and the other based on observed item responses and standard summary statistics, have been proposed to identify unusual response patterns. A link between these two approaches is provided by showing certain correspondences between Sato's S-P Curve Theory and item response theory. This link…

Political and educational consequences of standard setting for criterion-referenced tests are discussed. Suggestions for setting standards are given. (JKS)

Conventional linear and equipercentile procedures are reviewed with an emphasis on their utility for equating achievement tests pitched at different levels of difficulty. It is argued that the equipercentile procedure is superior to the linear procedure, but that neither is very satisfactory for the vertical equating problem. (Author/JKS)

It has been argued that the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) underestimates student achievement because the assessment has no consequences for the students, their teachers, or for their schools. This study was conducted to determine whether differences in test administration conditions and presumed levels of motivation engendered…

The common approach to studies of predictive bias is analyzed within the context of a conceptual model in which predictors and criterion measures are viewed as fallible indicators of idealized qualifications. (Author/PN)

Two problems in the investigation of predictive bias in tests, the effect of unreliability of the predictors, and the effect of excluding a predictor from the regression equation on which there are preexisting group differences, are discussed. (Author)

Indices of appropriateness of a test for an individual are discussed, and two data sets are evaluated. With the first data set, three indices of test appropriateness are obtained for response patterns on achievement tests from an experimental study of the effects of test anxiety and time pressure with 173 3rd and 4th grade students. Relationships…

Confusion in the terminology used in criterion-referenced measurement specifications and development and standard setting and the attendant role of cut-off scores are shown to need practical clarification through psychometric research on test applications and consequences. (CM)

Results of a 1987 report--indicating that elementary students of all 50 states were above the national average--were assessed via 2 national mail and telephone surveys. Although results of data for 35 states support the general findings of the 1987 report, it appears that more specific results are less sensational. (TJH)

Issues in the misuse of standardized test scores are discussed. While information misuse is not a problem unique to testing, it is particularly prevalent. Information can be a source of power, and politically motivated uses of information explain part of the misuse of test scores. Other misuses have historical roots in the exaggerated claims of…

Forming a sequence covering the various aspects of the simplex model, four articles are presented here under the following titles: "A Simplex Model for Analyzing Academic Growth", "Analyzing Ratings With Correlated Intrajudge Measurement Errors", "The Correlation of States With Gain", and "The Reliability of…