This study attempted to determine the effectiveness of cloze procedures as norm-referenced instruments by comparing the differential responses of four groups of college students of English as a second language on two identical cloze passages. The responses were scored using both exact-answer and acceptable-word methods. The results indicate that…

A procedure which may be used to project the frequency distribution of one test onto that of another test is described and illustrated. The procedure is useful when a test developer wishes to construct an alternate form with preferred distributional characteristics. For example, the test developer may wish to construct a new test form with a…

A study was conducted to assess the reliability of the College-Level Academic Skills Test (CLAST) for the major ethnic groups in Florida; and to develop a standard error of measurement for the critical group that fell close to the cut score on each test. The October 1983 and March 1984 administrations of the CLAST were analyzed to determine…

This paper reports on the development of three self-efficacy questionnaires for use in studying the interaction effect among students, teachers, and principals within an educational situation. The Student Self-Efficacy Instrument was designed from a widely used questionnaire administered to children, the Intellectual Achievement Responsibility…

The Learning Strategies Questionnaire (LSQ) was developed to assess students' declarative knowledge of strategy utility. Goals were to develop a reliable survey that: (1) could be administered for fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-graders in a group setting; (2) would provide a profile of children's declarative knowledge of strategies for classroom…

The needs-press model, as operationalized by the Stern Activities Index (AI) and the Organizational Climate Index (OCI), was examined for its usefulness in evaluating and measuring organizational climate in a school setting. According to the model, needs represents personality and press represents the environment. This research was designed to…

Five papers on the assessment of writing ability presented at the Division D meeting are critiqued. It is suggested that it is not possible to conclude--as has Larson in his study of grades 4, 6, and 8--that National Assessment of Educational Progress results do not give evidence of growth in writing ability. Dovell and Buhr, examining approaches…

This paper examines the development of the "Comfortability Scale in Special Education." This 44-item self-evaluation instrument measures special education teachers' perceptions of "comfort" (self-confidence) with their ability to use pertinent knowledge and skills. Each item is rated on a seven-point Likert-like scale. Two…

Theoretical framework, instrument development, and psychometric qualities are reviewed for some measures of learning style currently in use with adults. Instruments reviewed include: (1) Kolb's Learning Style Inventory I; (2) Kolb's Learning Style Inventory II; (3) the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator; (4) the Productivity Environmental Preferences…

An attempt was made to develop an objective instrument to assess a teacher's perceived engagement in reflective practice. A Reflective Teaching Instrument (RTI) was developed around three dimensions of reflective practice in teaching: (1) diagnosis (problem setting); (2) testing; and (3) personal causation. Indicators of each of the dimensions…

The objective of this project was to develop a valid and reliable multiple choice test of six basic science process skills for students in grades 4 to 8 (ages 8 to 14 years). Seven criteria were outlined for the test: an emphasis on the six most widely used science process skills (observation, inference, prediction, measurement, communication, and…

This paper isolates and examines separately three distinct sources of error in essay scores: lack of agreement between raters; inconsistencies in performance within mode of discourse, and inconsistencies in performance between modes of discourse. Essay prompts in the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS) Writing Supplement were designed to assess…

Eighty Singapore teachers voluntarily participated in the evaluation of three new scales: (1) the Responsibility Scale, which measures the teacher's sense of responsibility, willingness to take on additional new duties, and perception of being assigned duties; (2) the Change Scale which measures the teacher's acceptance of changes in life as…

A review of literature serves as the basis for a discussion of various aspects of criterion-referenced tests. The aspects discussed are: teaching and evaluation objectives, criterion- and norm-referenced measurement, stages in construction of criterion-referenced tests, construction and selection of items, test validity, and test reliability.…

While language testing specialists agree on the importance of their field and that the intelligent application of language testing approaches, techniques, and methods to the classroom can improve the overall quality of language learning and teaching, that opinion may not be shared by teachers. Few teachers have training in language testing, and…