The verbal analogy item as a measure of intelligence is investigated. Using latent partition analysis, this study attempts to identify a semantic structure of relationships that individuals use to comprehend completed analogies. The implications for test construction and test validity are discussed. (Author/JKS)

The reading comprehension items for a revision of the Nelson Reading Skills Test were administered to several hundred fourth and sixth-grade pupils in order to determine the passage dependency of each item. The passage dependency index was used to locate weak items. (Author/JKS)

This study examines the claim that cognitive preferences in science are no more than expressions of levels of cognitive operation as described by Bloom's Taxonomy. 667 twelfth grade students of chemistry and 989 twelfth grade biology students took a cognitive preference and an achievement test in their respective disciplines. The limitations of…

Students rated the quality of the items on a classroom test taken previously and psychometric items were calculated. Results showed that student ratings were related to item difficulty and that better students rated items as less ambiguous. Ambiguity ratings were more highly related to the item-test correlations for better students. (Author/LBH)

Consistency of gain from changing test answers was tested for students instructed about answer-changing research results, and composition of the gain was analyzed by examining the students' reasons for changing. Mean gain remained positive and consistent with gain for previously studied uninstructed groups; amount of change was also stable.…

This study demonstrated the use of confirmatory factor analysis to investigate the existence of item bias in an affective scale measuring self-concept. Data were collected from three ethnic groups in grade eight. A differential response pattern found across the three groups indicated potential bias in score interpretation. (Author/LMO)

Describes measurement problems associated with computer based testing (CBT) programs when they are part of a computer assisted instruction curriculum. Topics discussed include CBT standards; selection of item types; the contamination of items that arise from test design strategies; and the non-equivalence of comparison groups in item analyses. (8…

Processing of verbal analogies was evaluated by recording eye fixation patterns during solution of problems that represented a broad range of difficulty. Findings on easier problems replicated previous work. On difficult items, high verbal ability individuals adapted processing strategies to a greater extent then did low ability students.…

Reviews the criterion referenced test VICTA and concludes that it should be used with caution because of, among other things, the limited sample of questions per critical thinking skill, and the lack of a well integrated instructional program based on the test. (JC)

A battery of spatial, linguistic, and mathematical tests was administered to tenth- and twelfth-grade students to examine the relation between sex differences on particular spatial tests and sex differences on particular mathematical problems. The sex difference magnitude was not diminished by taking spatial and linguistic scores into account.…

The presently viewed role and utility of measures of instructional sensitivity are summarized. A case is made that the rationale for the assessment of instructional sensitivity can be applied to all achievement tests and should not be restricted to criterion-referenced mastery tests. (Author/BW)

Two studies examined the effect of making the correct answer of a multiple choice test item grammatically consistent with the item. American College Testing Assessment experimental items were constructed to investigate grammatical compliance to investigate grammatical compliance for plural-singular and vowel-consonant agreement. Results suggest…

Discusses what areas of ability are being assessed in timed, closed-book examinations and to what extent the procedure might foster possible educational objectives. Also describes a list of 10 "qualities" by which a mathematics question can be graded to see what skills are needed for its solution. (Author/JN)

The work we report focuses on utilizing linguistic profiles of mathematics, science and social studies textbook selections for the creation of reading test specifications. Once we determined that a text and associated tasks fit within the parameters established in Butler et al. (2004), they underwent both internal and external review by language…

Arizona's Instrument to Measure Standards Dual Purpose Assessment (AIMS DPA) is a combination of two separate tests. One test is AIMS, which measures how well the student knows the reading, writing , and mathematics content that all Arizona students at the third grade level are expected to know and be able to do. AIMS includes multiple-choice…