A study examined the use of cloze procedure as a measure of learning from content instruction. Subjects were 35 physician assistant (PA) students in a cancer prevention course and 31 education students (ED) enrolled in reading instruction courses. Cloze passages were constructed from published selections on the reading process and occupationally…

The diagnostic test combines an individual reading inventory, a reading comprehension test, and a work analysis test to determine and verify the basic reading level of students, locate individual reading problems, compare reading comprehension to vocabulary level, and locate deficiencies in phonetic and structural analysis skills. For use in…

This study assessed the usefulness of the dynamic testing approach to optimize testing procedures by reducing or eliminating bias, conceived of as error in measurement attributable to factors entering into performance which were not the target of the assessment. The study examined: (1) whether the dynamic assessment approach yields information…

Theoretically preferred item response theory (IRT) bias detection procedures were applied to both a mathematics achievement and vocabulary test. The data were from black seniors and white seniors on the High School and Beyond data files. We wished to account for statistical artifacts by conducting cross-validation or replication studies.…

A study examined the relationship of multiple measures of reading and writing at the second and fifth grade levels. Multiple reading tests (measuring vocabulary, word recognition, sentence comprehension, and passage comprehension) and writing tests (evaluating vocabulary diversity and syntactic complexity, and providing qualitative and…

Perspectives concerning the validation of faculty-developed instruments for the assessment of student performance at Alverno College are presented. Sixteen instruments were identified by departments for the validation studies. Three validation strategies were found to work best. One was a pre- and post-instruction comparison that determined if…

While the need for improved literacy in the work force is generally accepted, questions still remain as to what levels of literacy are required for different jobs and who will provide the necessary adult literacy training. To answer these questions, researchers must develop a database of information about literacy needs and deficiences. Developing…

The construct validity of four self-concept (SC) traits (general SC, academic SC, English SC, mathematics SC), as measured by three different scales (Likert, semantic differential, Guttman) for low- (n=252) and high-track (n=588) Canadian high school students, was assessed using both the Campbell-Fiske criteria, and a comparison of hierarchically…

A brief review of the types and uses of tests, to aid parents in interpreting their children's test scores, is presented. Tests covered include classroom tests, standardized tests, achievement tests, aptitude tests, norm-referenced tests, and criterion-referenced tests. Issues associated with test reliability and validity are addressed and the…

The Coping Strategies Inventory for Statistics (CSIS) is designed to identify beginning statistics students with non-facilitative test-taking and study-coping skills. The self-administered CSIS consists of directions followed by two scenarios. The student reads each scenario, decides how he or she would react to the situation, and rates each of…

Plans for new school/university entrance examinations and program assessment in the Republic of Korea are examined as such plans represent a significant variable in the formula for educational reform. In 1987, a Presidential Commission on Educational Reform identified evaluation and testing as a critical factor in the reconstruction of the…

This study tests several explanations for discrepant results in an earlier study (Cook et al., 1985) which presented a partial pre-calibration method for equating new editions of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) to the same scale as older editions. In contrast to full pre-calibration, which seeks to equate all items from two or more editions,…

The study empirically examines the effects of economic and non-economic variables on college persistence by presenting a causal model that relies on both economic theory and V. Tinto's Student Integration Model in order to enhance an understanding of the role of finances on the college persistence process. Analyses conducted upon a sample of 466…

Findings of teaching effectiveness research were related to the National Teacher Examinations (NTE) Test of Professional Knowledge (TPK). Delphi methodology was used to classify TPK items according to findings in a selected review of research. Six professors in teacher education completed a questionnaire to rate seven literature reviews. The three…

Determining the overall pass rates on the College-Level Academic Skills Test (CLAST) for a given cohort of students involves an analysis of both the first-time examinee performance and subsequent pass rates of students who failed the test and retook it at a later date. Two increases in the scores required to pass the CLAST in 1986 and 1989 have…