This article describes how The Language Center at the Espirito Santo Federal University changed from using traditional pencil-andpaper tests to performance testing, based on authentic tasks. The change was prompted because people thought that their testing did not reflect a communicative approach to language teaching. The Assessment Project lasted…

This article examined two item-writing guidelines: the format of the item stem and homogeneity of the answer set. Answering the call of Haladyna, Downing, and Rodriguez (2002) for empirical tests of item writing guidelines and extending the work of Smith and Smith (1988) on differential use of item characteristics, a mock multiple-choice driver's…

The use of computers to deliver course-related materials is rapidly expanding in most universities. Yet the effects of computer vs. printed delivery modes on students' performance and motivation are not yet fully known. We compared the impacts of Web vs. paper to deliver practice quizzes that require information search in lecture notes. Hundred…

The feasibility of using linear and equipercentile equating methods (W. H. Angoff, 1984) to equate forms of the Test of Written English (TWE) by using the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) as an anchor was explored. These two equating methods assume that either the TOEFL test and TWE test measure the same skills or that the examinee…

A procedure for checking the score equivalence of nearly identical editions of a test is described. The procedure employs the standard error of equating (SEE) and utilizes graphical representation of score conversion deviation from the identity function in standard error units. Two illustrations of the procedure involving Scholastic Aptitude Test…

Equating a test form to itself through a chain of equatings, commonly referred to as circular equating, has been widely used as a criterion to evaluate the adequacy of equating. This paper uses both analytical methods and simulation methods to show that this criterion is in general invalid in serving this purpose. For the random groups design done…

This paper, presented in an outline format, provides general suggestions for the format of classroom tests and offers guidelines for adapting commercial tests that accompany textbooks for students with disabilities. Suggestions include, for example, using visual prompts to focus attention on important words, symbols, or procedures; and not…

A study examined the results of an administration of a series of theoretically based prototype tests to 857 high school students in California, New York, and Wisconsin. By revising the existing framework of a prior study, tests were devised which attempted to measure three interrelated aspects of school literature: background knowledge, the…

A technique is described for reducing the incidence of cheating on multiple choice exams. One form of the test is used and each item is assigned multiple numbers. Depending upon the instructions given to the class, some students will use the first of each pair of numbers to determine where to place their responses on a separate answer sheet, while…

The validity studies planned for the Test Design activities deal primarily with the appropriateness of items generated for a domain. Previous exploratory work in the field related to overall test content appropriateness ratings has not been satisfactory. Studies which are solely based on correlational data suffer from confounding with…

The authors discuss the new essay requirement on the General Educational Development Test. Topics covered include scoring, expected difficulty, and how test preparatory classes can help students do well on the essay. (CH)

Discusses answer justification, a technique that allows students to convert multiple-choice items perceived to be "tricky" into short-answer essay questions. Convincing justifications earn students credit for missed items. The procedure is reported to be easy to administer and very popular among students. (Author/GEA)

Personal construct psychologists have suggested various psychological functions explain differences in the stability of constructs. Among these functions are constellatory and loose construction. This paper argues that measurement error is a more parsimonious explanation of the differences in construct stability reported in these studies. (Author)

A model of examinee behavior was used to generate hypotheses about the operation of true-false scores. Confirmation of hypotheses supported the contention that true-false scores contain an error component that makes these tests less reliable than multiple-choice tests. Examinee response style may invalidate a total true-false score. (Author/DWH)

The influence of scale format on results was examined. Two Likert type formats, one with all choice points defined and one with only end-points defined, were administered. Each subject completed half the items in each format. Results indicated little difference between forms, nor did subjects indicate a format preference. (Author/DWH)