The author compares the efficacy of commercially available and internally developed standardized tests and evaluates their strengths and weakness in assessing student learning outcomes. The author shares the experience of a regional school in developing a standardized test to assess business knowledge. Data from a sample of 268 students were used…

This study provided an independent examination of the Teacher Student Relationship Inventory (TSRI), a teacher report measure developed in Singapore. A total of 500 American high school students were rated by 84 teachers. Exploratory factor analysis supported the existence of three factors representing instrumental help, satisfaction, and…

This study's purpose was to examine the psychometric properties of two new scales developed to quantitatively measure participants' ownership in exercise classes and empowerment, with respect to exercise. These two outcome measures will compliment Achievement Goal Perspective Theory (AGPT) grounded research to better understand participants'…

The aim of the present study is to validate a short form of the Adolescent Friendship Attachment Scale that evaluates best friend's attachment considering three styles: Secure, Anxious, and Avoidant. The scale demonstrated adequate internal consistency. Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the three-factor structure as found in the long form.

This article analyzes the design decisions of a team developing diagnostic assessments for a learning trajectory focused on rational number reasoning. The analysis focuses on the design rationale for key decisions about how to develop the cognitive assessments and related validity arguments within a fluid state and national policy context. The…

Mathematical Literacy (ML) is a relatively new school subject that learners study in the final 3 years of high school and is examined as a matric subject. An investigation of a 2009 provincial examination written by matric pupils was conducted on both the curriculum elements of the test and learner performance. In this study we supplement the…

The objective of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Filipino version of the Academic Delay of Gratification Scale (ADOGS; Bembenutty and Karabenick, "Learn Individ Differ" 10:329-346, 1998). This instrument measures the degree to which students postpone immediately available opportunities to satisfy their…

The purpose of this study was to identify dimensions of students' communication satisfaction in an asynchronous discussion forum. An asynchronous discussion may be defined as text-based human-to-human communication via computer networks that provides a platform for the participants to interact with one another to exchange ideas, insights, and…

Existing reading comprehension assessments have been criticized by researchers, educators, and policy makers, especially regarding their coverage, utility, and authenticity. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate a new assessment of reading comprehension that was designed to broaden the construct of reading. In light of these issues, we…

A method for medical screening is adapted to differential item functioning (DIF). Its essential elements are explicit declarations of the level of DIF that is acceptable and of the loss function that quantifies the consequences of the two kinds of inappropriate classification of an item. Instead of a single level and a single function, sets of…

With the adoption by most states of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for English language arts and literacy and for mathematics (CCSS Initiative, 2010a, 2010b) comes major changes in public education that will affect instructional practice, curriculum, and assessment across the nation. Heritage, Walqui, and Linquanti (2015) argued that the…

Frustrations with traditional testing led a group of teachers at the English for adults program at Universidad EAFIT (Colombia) to design tests aligned with the institutional teaching philosophy and classroom practices. This article reports on a study of an item-by-item evaluation of a series of English exams for validity and reliability in an…

The purpose of this study was to investigate Indonesian university students' preferences to science communication skills. Data collected from 251 students who were majoring in science education program. The Learning Preferences to Science Communication (LPSC) questionnaire was developed with Indonesian language and validated through an exploratory…

Assessing complex constructs such as those discussed under the umbrella of 21st century constructs highlights the need for a principled assessment design and validation approach. In our discussion, we made a case for three considerations: (a) taking construct complexity into account across various stages of assessment development such as the…

Measurement invariance (MI) is a property of measurement that is often implicitly assumed, but in many cases, not tested. When the assumption of MI is tested, it generally involves determining if the measurement holds longitudinally or cross-culturally. A growing literature shows that other groupings can, and should, be considered as well.…