Describes a study of gender differences in science achievement in England and Wales. Finds that the most pronounced gender differences in favor of males occurred in the higher-level papers taken by more able students, especially in physics. Also, more discriminating questions exhibited larger gender gaps in favor of males. Contains 21 references.…

Finds variable coverage of Earth Science topics in the United Kingdom among General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) double-award science syllabuses and examination papers. Concludes that the levels of error in the examination papers were high and that Earth Science questions showed lower levels of demand and higher levels of recall than…

Describes the design of four science-performance tasks for grade 9 students and the relationship between their performance on those tasks and multiple-choice items on the Iowa Tests of Educational Development. The students and schools used to develop the tasks were not included in the verification sample. Contains 22 references. (Author/ASK)

Provides a general framework for examining the consequences of assessment programs, especially statewide programs that intend to improve student learning by holding schools accountable. The framework is intended for use with programs using performance-based tasks but can be used with programs using traditional item formats as well. (SLD)

Three methods based on the nonparametric item response theory (IRT) of R. J. Mokken for the estimation of the reliability of single dichotomous test items are discussed. Analytical and Monte Carlo studies show that one method, designated "MS," is superior because of smaller bias and smaller sampling variance. (SLD)

Studied a method for investigating the equivalence of translated-adapted items using bilingual test takers through item response theory. Results from an English-Turkish course evaluation form completed by 688 Turkish students indicate that the methodology is effective in flagging items that function differentially across languages and informing…

Presents an overview of the major contemporary reference sources (print, online, and electronic) for scholarly information about psychological/educational tests. Stresses books and compendia that will assist reference librarians, and includes a compilation of texts that provide actual test items. Contains 53 references. (Author/LRW)

Focused on whether differential item functioning (DIF) is related to item type in translated test items and the causes of DIF using data from an Israeli college entrance test in Hebrew and a Russian translation. Results from 24,304 college applicants indicate that 34% of items functioned differently across items. (SLD)

Validated the Motivation Orientation scales of the Inventory of School Motivation (ISM) (M. Maher, 1984) across Navajo (n=760) and Anglo (n=1,012) students. Findings show that even though the ISM motivation orientation scales are applicable to students of different cultural backgrounds, meaningful cross-cultural comparisons should use the 30 items…

Empirical studies demonstrated Type-I error (TIE) inflation (especially for highly discriminating easy items) of the Mantel-Haenszel chi-square test for differential item functioning (DIF), when data conformed to item response theory (IRT) models more complex than Rasch, and when IRT proficiency distributions differed only in means. However, no…

Alignment has taken on increased importance given the current high-stakes nature of assessment. To make well-informed decisions about student learning on the basis of test results, assessment items need to be well aligned with standards. Project 2061 of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) has developed a procedure for…

Undergraduates completed a questionnaire after using the Immediate Feedback Assessment Technique (IFAT), a commercially available answer form for multiple-choice (MC) testing that can be used easily and conveniently with large classes. This simple new technique for MC testing provides immediate feedback for each item in an answer-until-correct…

Time limits on some computer-adaptive tests (CATs) are such that many examinees have difficulty finishing, and some examinees may be administered tests with more time-consuming items than others. Results from over 100,000 examinees suggested that about half of the examinees must guess on the final six questions of the analytical section of the…

Simulation and real data studies are used to investigate the value of modeling multiple-choice distractors on item response theory linking. Using the characteristic curve linking procedure for Bock's (1972) nominal response model presented by Kim and Hanson (2002), all-category linking (i.e., a linking based on all category characteristic curves…

This article used multitrait-multimethod methodology and covariance modeling for an investigation of the presence and correlates of method effects associated with negatively worded items on the Rosenberg Self-Esteem (RSE) scale (Rosenberg, 1989) using a sample of 757 adults. Results showed that method effects associated with negative item phrasing…