The Colorado Evaluation Project was funded to field test the Common Status Measures concurrently with Colorado's pilot program in assessment and evaluation. The primary purpose is to determine Colorado's educational needs, and the secondary purpose is to test procedures for assessment which can be replicated or adapted by local school districts or…

An algorithm for updating the means of variances of a norm group after each computer-assisted administration of a test is described. The algorithm does not require storage of the whole data set, and provides for unlimited, continuous expansion of the test norms. (Author)

The testlet, a bundle of test items, alleviates some problems associated with computerized adaptive testing: context effects, lack of robustness, and item difficulty ordering. While testlets may be linear or hierarchical, the most useful ones are four-level hierarchical units, containing 15 items and partitioning examinees into 16 classes. (GDC)

Describes a project at Chorleywood College (England) which examined the possibility of automating the transcription of braille examination responses for marking by examination boards. Discussion covers the braille code, requirements of the transcription system, an analysis of mock examination papers which led to system modification, and the final…

Discussed are 12 elementary level standardized science tests, their levels of questions, and problems relating to coordinating instruction and standardized tests. (SL)

Chapters in this book present the challenges and dilemmas faced by researchers as they created new computerized assessments, focusing on issues addressed in developing, scoring, and administering the assessments. Chapters are: (1) "Beyond Bells and Whistles; An Introduction to Computerized Assessment" (Julie B. Olson-Buchanan and Fritz Drasgow);…

The following issues in psychological testing in Australia are reviewed: (1) commercialization of testing; (2) test user qualifications; and (3) computerization of testing. Proposed solutions include development of user guidelines, accreditation standards, test standards, and a network of test data information; and regulation by a professional…

Describes efforts at the University of North Carolina to test journalism major's knowledge of grammar and spelling rules. (RB)

Suggests that educational testing is not only big business in this country, it is also a big game. The "Testing Game", as it is called, refers to an ongoing series of transitions which progress to well-defined, predictable outcomes. (Author/AM)

This chapter outlines the concept of test anxiety and its impact on performance, manners in which to diagnose and provide accommodations for the disability, and many means by which to reduce the impact of test anxiety. Overall, it bears repeating that although the concept of test anxiety is relatively simple, understanding how it affects a given…

Discusses advantages and disadvantages of norm-referenced and criterion-referenced tests. (JF)

Examined the validity coefficients of all possible WISC-R short forms of several subtests. Comparisons were made between coefficients given by McNemar's and Silverstein's formulas to determine "best" short forms for different uses. Results indicated only a slight difference between short forms selected by the two methods. (Author)

Describes 58 works dealing with the testing of writing ability and provides the text of the Conference on College Composition and Communication's 1978 resolution on testing. (DD)

Suggests that because of the nonlinear relationship between item usage and item security, the problems of test security posed by continuous administration of standardized tests cannot be resolved merely by increasing the size of the item pool. Offers alternative strategies to overcome these problems, distributing test items so as to avoid the…