An overview of the development of a computerized version of the Differential Aptitude Tests (DAT) is presented. It describes the previously existing printed version of the DAT, design of the computerized adaptive edition, calibration of the test items for use in the computerized version, and two field studies that compared the Adaptive and…

The external examiner approach to assessment can address concerns that American educational standards are low, curricular coherence is lacking, and college students are learning insufficiently. The discussion: (1) contrasts the conditions in British and American higher education that make the British model inappropriate for the United States; (2)…

The Alabama High School Graduation Examination (AHSGE) was given to eleventh graders for the first time in October 1983. In April, 1983, an instructional validity survey was conducted concurrently with the piloting of the AHSGE to determine if seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth grade students were being taught the skills tested on the AHSGE.…

A study was conducted to determine if a teacher-constructed cloze procedure correlated significantly with two standardized tests of reading achievement, thereby testing G.D. Spache's claim that most teachers are unable to design valid and reliable assessment materials. Subjects were 60 fourth and sixth grade students who were administered the…

A study of students' self-expressed test-taking strategies for reading comprehension tests in English as a second language (ESL) had as subjects 86 Hebrew-speaking university students in Israel. The students were given a reading comprehension test, half with open-ended questions and half with multiple choice. Half the responses were anonymous and…

The purpose of this project was to construct a valid and reliable noncurriculum specific measure of integrated science process skills intended for use with middle school students. The major efforts in test development were focused on the refinements and modifications of the set of objectives and test items assessed by the existing Middle Grades…

The present study, using a sample of 1,491 grade 10 students from a mid-western province in Canada, examined the validity evidence on the Canadian Tests of Basic Skills. Factor analysis of the 34 micro-skills (content by skill/process classification of items) of the four tests indicated that the Reading Comprehension, Written Expression, and Using…

A small follow-up study of three male and five female children, who were at risk of school failure and were enrolled in a model developmental Early Learning Center in the Boston (Massachusetts) Public Schools, is described. The focus was on determining whether a standardized achievement measure used to evaluate student academic success/progress…

A study was conducted to assess the validity of translations of two different forms of a licensing examination for cosmetologists in Florida to ensure that both Spanish and English candidates have equal chances of being licensed. The LISREL computer program was used to test the equivalence of factor structure, units of measurement, and standard…

Parallel studies at universities in Israel, Finland, Canada, and the United States used a "selected deletion gap-filling test," a variation on the cloze procedure designed to measure reading comprehension by testing the reader's familiarity with cohesive links and grasp of text coherence. The test design responded to the growing demand for a more…

A panel of classroom teachers and a Department of Education inspector respond to questions from participants in a conference on methodological advances in modern language teaching held in Ireland. The questions and answers address the following topics: (1) the usefulness and selection of cloze tests; (2) maintenance of high written language…

Adults' responses to a survey of television viewing were investigated to examine the premise that respondents assume that the range of precoded response alternatives reflects the researcher's knowledge of the distribution of opinions or behaviors in the population. Responses are, therefore, a function of the response alternatives provided.…

This paper: (1) reviews the development and implementation of a test designed to assess the competencies of public high school students in Atlanta, Georgia, preceding their graduation; and (2) presents the results of indicator cluster correlations between the new "Basic Skills Tests" and other reading and mathematics basal tests…

A French-English guide to French diagnostic reading tests for French immersion classes, grades one through three, is presented. The "tests diagnostiques de lecture" are designed to indicate strengths and weaknesses in silent reading performance in French for early French immersion pupils in Canada and to integrate this information into…

The R.S. Wyer and T.K. Srull model suggests that when humans process information and store it in memory they create construct categories that are somewhat like storage bins. According to this model, when information is placed in these bins, it is stored in the order that it is received or used, with the most recently processed information always…