This paper presents a strategy for measuring cognitive gains in reading during the early school years. It is argued that accurate estimates of gain scores and their appropriate interpretation requires the use of adaptive tests with multiple criterion referenced points that mark learning milestones. It is further argued that two different measures…

The present study was designed to examine the relationship between performance on a standards-based assessment of reading comprehension in fourth grade and performance on a diagnostic battery of component skills of reading for a cohort of children who were followed from kindergarten through fourth grade. The findings demonstrate that the…

The authors describe the significant contributions of Robert Ebel to educational measurement theory and its applications. A biographical sketch details Ebel's roots and professional resume. His influence on classroom assessment views and procedures are explored. Classic publications associated with validity, reliability, and score interpretation…

The term "employability skills" refers to those skills required to acquire and retain a job. In the past, employability skills were considered primarily of a vocational or job-specific nature; they were not thought to include the academic skills most commonly taught in schools. Current thinking, however, has broadened the definition to…

This digest focuses on the career counseling process, specifically on the contribution of assessment procedures to career exploration and planning. Because these career development tasks are experienced by everyone, this digest addresses assessment for the many rather than intensive, problem focused career counseling. The following basic…

Developed for the Basic Skills Testing Program (BSTP) in New South Wales, Australia, this teacher's manual describes the Blue Series 3 of the ACER (Australian Council for Educational Research) Tests of Basic Skills. The two tests in the series, Aspects of Literacy and Aspects of Numeracy, were administered statewide by government school classroom…

Developed for the Basic Skills Testing Program (BSTP) in New South Wales, Australia, this teacher's manual describes the ACER (Australian Council for Educational Research) Tests of Basic Skills. The two tests in this series, Aspects of Literacy and Aspects of Numeracy, were administered statewide by government school classroom teachers in August,…

Developed for the Basic Skills Testing Program (BSTP) in New South Wales, Australia, this teacher's manual describes the Green Series 3 of the ACER (Australian Council for Educational Research) Tests of Basic Skills. The two tests in this series, Aspects of Literacy and Aspects of Numeracy, were administered statewide by government school…

Developed for the Basic Skills Testing Program (BSTP) in New South Wales, Australia, this teacher's manual describes the Green Series 6 of the ACER (Australian Council for Educational Research) Tests of Basic Skills. The two tests in this series, Aspects of Literacy and Aspects of Numeracy, were administered statewide by government school…

Factor analysis and Rasch measurement are compared, showing how they address the same data with different interpretations of numerical status. Both methods use the same estimation method, with different measurement models, and they solve the same problem, with different utility. Factor analysis is faulted for mistaking stochastic observations of…

The focus of this book is on the way professionals use and make sense of test assessment data in their counseling. The book is oriented specifically toward those training to be psychologists or counselors, especially those interested in a scientist-practitioner orientation to clinical practice. Each of the chapters presents a perspective on test…

Classroom teachers use intuitions, experiences, syllabi, and course guides to help implement a curriculum. Psychometric techniques can also help guide and shape curricula. Some psychometric techniques allow tests to reveal the actual curriculum mastered by students in an objective and sample-free manner and to indicate a probable learning sequence…

The Riley Inventory of Basic Learning Skills (RIBLS) is a group test that assesses 12 learning process skills in 5 general modalities (visual, auditory, verbal, kinesthetic, and abstract). The RIBLS is intended for administration to groups or individuals from age 6 to adulthood in two levels: a lower level for those who cannot read or are under…

Because change is fundamental to education and the measurement of change assesses the quality and effectiveness of postsecondary education, this study examined three methods of measuring change: (1) gain scores; (2) residual scores; and (3) repeated measures. Data for the study was obtained from transcripts of 722 graduating seniors at the…

This simulation study involved the design of two two-stage tests in which the routing tests and the second-stage measurement testlets took the form of a multidimensional knapsack problem with prespecified target informations and constraints to be enumerated using the algorithm of E. Balas. Two conventional tests of similar length to the two-stage…