Provided is information on the development, operation, and evaluation of an item bank for multiple choice questions in physics. While the users of the bank are presently limited, the item banks has saved its members time and provided items and ideas for items. (MA)

Addressing the shortcomings of classical item statistics for selecting criterion-referenced test items, this paper describes an optimal item selection procedure utilizing item response theory (IRT) and offers examples in which random selection and optimal item selection methods are compared. Theoretical advantages of optimal selection based upon…

In every instance in the process of constructing and using a test, the microcomputer can aid the classroom teacher. However, the teacher will not apply the microcomputer to classroom testing without added training both in classroom testing and in using the microcomputer. (BW)

In computerized adaptive testing (CAT), new or experimental items are frequently administered alongside operational tests to gather the pretest data needed to replenish and replace item pools. The two basic strategies used to combine pretest and operational items are embedding and appending. Variable-length CATs are preferred because of the…

The question bank described which comprises a manual file of questions and a computerized file of question description labels, is designed for use in annual surveys of 11-, 13-, and 15-year-old pupils' science performance. Use of the system for test item construction is also discussed. (JJD)

This discussion of computer-assisted repeatable tests, which are frequently used to evaluate and monitor students' acquisition of knowledge in mastery learning situations, cites and describes a number of specific examples of systems for creating both online and batch tests. A reference list is provided. (JJD)

The item bank (Rasch model) has serious limitations for the national assessment of subject performance: it requires agreement about the scope and organization of each school subject and about the difficulty level of each test item; and items tend to focus on factual knowledge, ignoring other desirable learning outcomes. (SJL)

Two procedures are presented for detecting violations of the unidimensionality assumption made by latent trait models without requiring factor analysis of inter-item correlation matrices. Both procedures require that departures from unidimensionality be hypothesized beforehand. This is usually possible in achievement tests where several content…

Derivation of asymptotic variance-covariance matrices for item and personal parameters in item response models is demonstrated for one- and two-parameter models using maximum likelihood estimation. The results can be used in incomplete designs and in estimation of the accuracy of various designs beforehand. (TJH)

This report documents the development of a scale to measure hearing adults' beliefs about the capabilities of deaf adults. Test items from a list of misconceptions about deaf people were piloted with groups of 38 and 290 undergraduates. Analysis supports scale reliability and validity. (SLD)

A Monte Carlo investigation of simplex fitting as a method of determining the dimensionality of binary data matrices was conducted. Examination of the fit of correlation matrices with a known factor structure to correlation matrices that represent the perfect simplex shows that simplex fitting is a feasible approach under some circumstances. (SLD)

Computer simulations were run to measure the relationship between testlet validity and factors of item pool size and testlet length for both adaptive and linearly constructed testlets. Making a testlet adaptive yields only modest increases in aggregate validity because of the peakedness of the typical proficiency distribution. (Author/SLD)

A popular design in large-scale educational assessments as well as any other type of survey is the balanced incomplete block design. The design is based on an item pool split into a set of blocks of items that are assigned to sets of "assessment booklets." This article shows how the problem of calculating an optimal balanced incomplete block…

The construction of parallel editions of conventional tests for purposes of test security while maintaining score comparability has always been a recognized and difficult problem in psychometrics and test construction. The introduction of new modes of test construction, e.g., adaptive testing, changes the nature of the problem, but does not make…

A 1992 study by R. Gershon found discrepancies when comparing the theoretical Rasch item characteristic curve with the average empirical curve for 1,304 vocabulary items administered to 7,711 students. When person-item mismatches were deleted (for any person-item interaction where the ability of the person was much higher or much lower than the…