The Armed Services vocational aptitude battery (ASVAB) was developed by a joint-service technical group, using items from the services' previously operational tests. The ASVAB was designed as a potential replacement for the Armed Forces Qualification Test and the separate classification batteries used by each of the services. Thus, the…

This paper concerns the projected changes suggested for testing in the future by the College Entrance Examination Board (CEEB). A Commission on Tests is held desirable, the general purpose of which is to describe a comprehensive series of testing activities supporting the large-scale distribution of students among college level institutions in the…

The problem of determining relative weights for quantity and quality in scoring foreign language speaking and writing fluency tests is studied. French speaking and writing fluency tests were administered to students of French in several schools in England. Data from these tests was analyzed to support the suggestion that scoring formulas should…

As an alternative to a classical test theory basis for criterion-referenced test construction, it is proposed that a strict item-sampling model be used. The computer's role in such a model is outlined. The assumptions of the model are carefully defined and its properties reviewed. The relationship between mastery criteria and such sampling plans…

A 2-year investigation was initiated to determine the reliability and validity of the New York State competency tests used in selecting candidates for teacher preparation in the trade and industrial programs. The three most widely used tests--auto mechanics, cosmetology, and machine shop--were selected for investigation and further revision.…

Project TALENT is a national longitudinal study which tests secondary school students with a two-day test battery. This paper reports on a follow-up study made five years after the tests were given to a sample of 440,000 high school students to determine the degree of correspondence between test results and later realization of career plans.…

This report presents an investigation of three hypotheses concerning facial expressions in young children: (1) children seem to emit the same number of changes in facial expressions when they are alone as when they are in contact with another person; (2) the number of facial expressions made when children are along, compared with when they are in…

Three pyramidal adaptive tests and a conventional peaked test were constructed and administered by computer to two groups of students enrolled in undergraduate psychology courses. Six methods of scoring pyramidal tests were evaluated with respect to score distributions, stability, and the degree of relationship among scoring methods and between…

This paper reports progress in the development of a new Psychosocial Maturity Inventory. The subscales assess Self-reliance, Work Orientation, and Identity--theoretically, aspects of Individual Adequacy; Communication Skills, Knowledge of Major Roles, and Enlightened Trust--conceptualized as aspects of Interpersonal Adequacy; and Social…

An application of the two-paramenter logistic (Rasch) model to tailored testing is presented. The model is discussed along with the maximum likelihood estimation of the ability parameters given the response pattern and easiness parameter estimates for the items. The technique has been programmed for use with an interactive computer terminal. Use…

A scoring manual for the Directed Imagination Test, a projective technique wherein the subject is instructed to write four fictional stories (four minutes are allowed for each) about teachers and their experiences, is presented. The manual provides detailed instructions for rating each story by fifteen dimensions relevant to teacher education…

Research conducted at Cornell University over the past decade suggests seven different learning competency factors are more pertinent to ineffective learning at the secondary school and college levels than reading competency. The Cornell Learning and Study Skills Inventory (CLASSIC) was developed to assess these factors, to serve as a means for…

Statistical methods are described for diagnosing and treating three important problems in covariate tests of significance: curvilinearity, covariable effectiveness, and treatment-covariable interaction. Six major assumptions, prerequisites for covariate procedure, are discussed in detail: (1) normal distribution, (2) homogeneity of variances, (3)…

An objective-based classification of needs-assessment areas for elementary education and a critical test evaluation procedure for application to measurement devices in these need areas were developed. Criteria for the evaluation are measurement validity, examinee appropriateness, administrative usability, and normed technical excellence. The…

This report defines the concepts and some of the problems of accountability and performance contracting with special emphasis on measurement problems in the latter. Measurement problems involve both the validity and the reliability of standardized achievement tests as a basis for reimbursing a contractor. The author suggests the use of criterion…