Best linear prediction (BLP) and penalized best linear prediction (PBLP) are techniques for combining sources of information to produce task scores, section scores, and composite test scores. The report examines issues to consider in operational implementation of BLP and PBLP in testing programs administered by ETS [Educational Testing Service].

In this study, differential item functioning (DIF) methods utilizing 14 different matching variables were applied to assess DIF in the constructed-response (CR) items from 6 forms of 3 mixed-format tests. Results suggested that the methods might produce distinct patterns of DIF results for different tests and testing programs, in that the DIF…

In this technical report, we document the results of a cross-validation study designed to identify optimal cut-scores for the use of the easyCBM[R] mathematics test in the state of Washington. A large sample, randomly split into two groups of roughly equal size, was used for this study. Students' performance classification on the Washington state…

In "Beyond Test Scores: Leading Indicators for Education," Foley and colleagues (2008) define leading indicators as those that "provide early signals of progress toward academic achievement" (p. 1) and stress that educators "need leading indicators to help them see the direction their efforts are going in and to take…

This technical report presents results from a cross-validation study designed to identify optimal cut scores when using easyCBM[R] reading tests in Oregon. The cross-validation study analyzes data from the 2009-2010 academic year for easyCBM[R] reading measures. A sample of approximately 2,000 students per grade, randomly split into two groups of…

This dissertation argues that changing ideas about race and engagement with race science were at the heart of a major transformation of political science in the 1920s, a transformation that I characterize as "becoming modern." This transformation was at once conceptual--visible in the basic categories and theoretical apparatus of the…

Investigated how well the generalized and Rasch models described item and test performance across a broad range of mixed-item-format test configurations (six tests from two state proficiency testing programs). Evaluating the impact of model assumptions on the predictions of item and test information permitted a delineation of the implications of…

College populations may differ greatly, not only in terms of traditional academic variables such as high school grades and test performances, but also in terms of student interests, values, educational aspirations, occupational plans, and socio-economic background. The recognition of biographic variables as potential predictors of academic success…

The present study, designed as a pilot study to provide an empirical basis for modifying the PEP testing program, investigated the possibility that teachers could accurately evaluate learning progress without formal testing. (Author)

This study is part of a continuing search for measures of divergent thinking and for better predictors of performance in occupational areas depending on such ways of thinking. Traditional predictors of college performance, i.e., high school GPA and tests of verbal and quantitative aptitude have always worked much better estimating success in…

Used a curriculum-based measurement (CBM) of reading aloud from narrative passages to predict performance on statewide achievement tests in reading and mathematics. Results for 51 students (third graders in the second year of the study) provide initial support for the use of timed oral readings to predict students' performance on statewide…

The requirements of the revised Elementary and Secondary School Act for annual assessment of student progress highlight problems in using tests in a stringent manner to assess students and teachers. Issues such as validity, reliability, and time spent on test preparation must be considered. Some tests are used for prediction of future performance,…

Recent reports of high levels of achievement on the Regents examinations in New York state and relatively poor showing on the eighth grade examinations have led many to speculate that the eighth grade examinations lack good predictive properties with respect to the Regents examinations. There are many problems with arriving at such a conclusion,…

The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a correlation between a high school student's score on the Tests of Achievement and Proficiency (TAP) and the same student's score on the Georgia High School Graduation Test (GHSGT) in the area of mathematics. Student test scores were secured from 182 students at a middle Georgia high school…

Deals with the methodology and practices for Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). Describes the EIA process, prediction process, alternative assessment methods, training needs, major activities, training provision and material, main deficiencies and the precautions, and real world training examples. (Author/YP)