The purpose of this study was to address the use of computers in social work practice and to survey the field for tools, concepts, and trends that could assist social workers in their practice. In addition to a review of the relevant literature, information was requested from the Social Work Service and Ambulatory Care Database Section at Walter…

This study examined major characteristics of instruments commonly used in statewide teacher certification procedures and the possible relations of these characteristics to the uneven success rate among minority teaching candidates. The study analyzed raw scores and selected variables associated with 63 white female candidates who took the Georgia…

Practical and effective methods for detecting copying of multiple-choice test responses have been available for many years. These methods have been used routinely by large admissions and licensing testing programs. However, these methods are seldom applied in the areas of standardized or classroom testing in schools or colleges, and knowledge…

The performance of the following four methodologies for assessing unidimensionality was examined: (1) DIMTEST; (2) the approach of P. W. Holland and P. R. Rosenbaum; (3) linear factor analysis; and (4) non-linear factor analysis. Each method is examined and compared with other methods using simulated data sets and real data sets. Seven data sets,…

This booklet commemorates the General Educational Development (GED) Testing program's first 50 years. Included are the following: (1) a description of a GED graduation; (2) reminiscences of three GED administrators; (3) success stories from five GED graduates; (4) descriptions of eight special GED programs; (5) an explanation of how the GED system…

Practical curriculum issues faced by the school administrator are addressed in this guidebook. Chapter 1 examines the function of curriculum in schools and describes the three forms of curricula: formal, informal, and hidden. These forms appear as written, taught, and tested curricula. Chapter 2 develops a template for curriculum content. The…

Teachers' beliefs and the effects of these beliefs on instructional practices have become significant areas of research on teaching. The purpose of this study was to compare the beliefs of elementary and secondary teachers with respect to testing and grading and to identify factors that discriminate between the two groups of teachers. The sample…

A part-form methodology was used to study the effect of varying degrees of multidimensionality on the consistency of pass/fail classification decisions obtained from simulated unidimensional item response theory (IRT) based licensure examinations. A control on the degree of form multidimensionality permitted an assessment throughout the range of…

The effects of mobilizing prior knowledge on information processing were studied. Two hypotheses, the cognitive set-point hypothesis and the selective attention hypothesis, try to account for the facilitation effects of prior knowledge activation. These hypotheses predict different recall patterns as a result of mobilizing prior knowledge. In…

Instructions for the administration of the Opinions about Deaf People Scale are given. This scale measures the beliefs of hearing adults about the capabilities of deaf adults. The somewhat ambiguous title of the instrument is designed to avoid leading respondents to respond in socially desirable ways. The instrument is based on misconceptions…

Theoretical issues underlying the development of scales of language proficiency are examined. First, a brief classification of scale types is presented, and problems identified in them and advantages they offer are outlined. Discussion then moves to the issues of describing and measuring language proficiency. In this section, behaviorally-based…

From primary grades, students are exposed to both standardized and classroom tests. While teacher-made classroom tests may contain multiple choice, constructed response, or essay items, standardized tests, on the other hand, primarily rely on the multiple-choice format. Standardized tests are easy and inexpensive to administer and score, amenable…

This paper reports the results of using a three-layer backpropagation artificial neural network to predict item difficulty in a reading comprehension test. Two network structures were developed, one with and one without a sigmoid function in the output processing unit. The data set, which consisted of a table of coded test items and corresponding…

The present study examines the influence of judges' item-related knowledge on setting standards for competency tests. Seventeen judges from different professions took a 122-item teacher-certification test in economics while setting competency standards for the test using the Angoff procedure. Judges tended to set higher standards for items they…

InterGeo II, a project of the Commission on Geographical Education (CGE) of the International Geographical Union (IGU), has developed a broadly based, field-trialed testing instrument for making cross-national comparisons of achievement in geography. Field trials of InterGeo II were held in 23 countries. Data were analyzed for national achievement…