Issues concerning the cost and feasibility of using Formulating Hypotheses (FH) test item types for the Graduate Record Examinations have slowed research into their use. This project focused on two major issues that need to be addressed in considering FH items for operational use: the costs of scoring and the assignment of scores along a range of…

The study was designed to examine the similarity of response options generated by different item writers using a systematic approach to item writing. The similarity of response options to student responses for the same item stems presented in an open-ended format was also examined. A non-systematic (subject matter expertise) approach and a…

A behavioral domain is well-defined when it is clear to both test developers and test users which categories of performance should or should not be considered for potential test items. Only those tests that are keyed to well-defined domains meet the definition of criterion-referenced tests. The greatest proliferation of criterion-referenced tests…

This report presents factors to consider in the design of computer-based testing for all students, including students with disabilities and students with limited English proficiency. It also provides a process for the initial transformation of paper/pencil assessments to inclusive computer-based testing. Steps include: (1) assemble a group of…

Whether assessment items administered using screen reading software measure students learning better than assessment items in a paper-and-pencil format was studied. Using a computer to present a test orally controls for standardization of administration and allows each student to complete the assessment at his/her own pace. In this study, 96…

Successful reform of science education requires careful orchestration of a number of factors including technological developments, organizational issues, teacher preparation and enhancement, and advances in the scientific disciplines themselves. Exemplary innovations in exam practices that assess scientific understanding in new and more…

Multiple matrix sampling of items and examinees was applied to an 18-item rank order instrument administered to a randomly assigned group and compared to the ordering and ranking of all items by control subjects. High correlations between ranks suggest the methodology may viably reduce respondent effort on long rank ordering tasks. (Author/CM)

Describes four criteria that can be used to evaluate methods of assessment: (1) "What are the consequences of using the test?" (2) "Is this assessment fair?" (3) "Do the skills and knowledge of this assessment transfer or generalize?" and (4) "Does this assessment cover cognitively complex task?" (KDP)

The effects of packing or skewing the response options of a scale on the common measurement problems of leniency and range restriction in instructor ratings were assessed. Results from a sample of 130 undergraduate education students indicate that packing reduced leniency but had no effect on range restriction. (TJH)

Described is an approach that substantially reduces the annotated shortcomings of standard multiple-choice tests presented to lower-division college mathematics and statistics classes. Examples are included from each discipline. (JJK)

Many testing programs include a section of optional questions in addition to mandatory parts of a test. These optional parts of a test are not often truly parallel to one another, and groups of examinees selecting each optional test section are not equivalent to one another. This paper provides a general method based on missing-data methods for…

This paper summarizes two related sets of data. First, the findings of an inquiry titled, "The Appropriateness of Forced Choice True/False Response Formats for Selected Learning Style Inventories" is reported. This inquiry compared data from two forms of the Dunn/Price Learning Style Inventory. The first form was the real Dunn/Price…

A solution to reduce the likelihood of one examinee copying another's answers on large scale tests that require all examinees to answer the same set of questions is to use multiple test forms that differ in terms of item ordering. This study was conducted to determine whether varying the sequence in which blocks of items were presented to…

To meet the needs of visually-impaired candidates, Educational Testing Service (ETS) has traditionally provided tests in three special formats: large-print, Braille, and cassette. Certain ETS programs permit the use of the candidate's reader or the use of amanuensis, that is, someone who records answers for the candidate. The primary goal of…

The present study was an attempt to alleviate some of the difficulties inherent in multiple-choice items by having examinees respond to multiple-choice items in a probabilistic manner. Using this format, examinees are able to respond to each alternative and to provide indications of any partial knowledge they may possess concerning the item. The…