A special preparation curriculum for the analytical section of the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) Aptitude Test was developed and administered to self-selected GRE candidates. Analyses revealed an effect that stemmed from improved performance on two of the three analytical item types formerly included in the analytical section. (Author/PN)

Argues that, in determining if a standardized test task and a classroom performance task are the same, educators should carefully analyze the tasks in terms of the input modality (stimulus) and the output modality (response). (FL)

Two studies examined the extent to which test takers use plausibility as a method for locating correct responses when guessing and the extent to which scores can be improved by teaching test takers this approach. Results confirm that this aspect of multiple choice items merits further consideration by test constructors. (Author/BW)

Reports the results of a study that examined the technical adequacy of three selected informal reading inventory procedures. (AEA)

With college graduate students in actual classroom settings, the effects of taking a recall test, a recognition test, or no test on retention four weeks later were studied. Results indicated that simply taking an exam had no significant effect on retention. (Author/GK)

The distinctiveness of the subscale structure of an attitude instrument, the Test of Science-Related Attitudes (TOSRA), was examined. Factor analysis of the item correlation matrix obtained from student responses suggested that the seven subscales of the test were not distinct. (Author/GK)

Investigated the Mathematics Problem Solving (MPS) and Mathematics Concepts (MC) subtests of the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills for content and psychometric item bias at grades three, six, and eight. Identified items which favored either males or females. Found no skill classification, item content, or location trends. (Author/JAC)

A comparison of the relative ordering power of separate and grouped-items true-false tests indicated that neither type of test was uniformly superior to the other across all levels of knowledge of examinees. Grouped-item tests were found superior for examinees with low levels of knowledge. (Author/CTM)

The Rasch model was used to equate reading comprehension tests of widely different difficulty for three groups of fifth grade students of widely different ability. Under these extreme circumstances, the Rasch model equating was unsatisfactory. (Author/CTM)

Test data from two diverse culture groups were analyzed to determine the agreement among four methods of detecting item bias (transformed difficulty, discrimination differences, chi-square, and item characteristic curve). The test battery contained 155 items from six subtests: vocabulary, reading comprehension, mathematics, letter groups,…

The study investigated the effect of the use or nonuse of separate answer sheets on responses to affective instruments with respect to both instrument and subject characteristics. Results indicated significant score differences across scales with and without answer sheets. (Author/BW)

A study attempted to identify those performance-related factors that were responsible for subjects' errors on one measure of functional literacy. The analysis of errors revealed that the majority of errors could be explained in terms of information processing failures. (MKM)

Since 1970 the CPA Law Exam has been heavily weighted in a few of the 14 content areas, raising the question of whether or not there are too many legal areas for which the student is held responsible. (Journal availability: Fred B. Rothman & Co., 10368 W. Centennial Road, Littleton, CO 80123, $4.00.) (MSE)

Concludes that the claim that the test is available for utilization to determine career awareness and has proven to be a valid, reliable tool to obtain base information necessary for effective career programs is totally unsupported. (Author)

A study of the context effects on item parameters for one- and three-parameter latent trait models showed that: (1) changes in context affected their item difficulties; and (2) context effects were more important in making predictions for single items than for groups of items. (Author/RL)