Recent harsh criticisms that educational and psychological tests are unfair and inadequate measures of the capabilities of minority, poverty, and other educationally alienated groups are discussed. The authors suggest that there are two main issues, the first scientific, the second ethical: (1) Is a test a valid measure of the characteristics it…

A projective role taking task (RTT) was revised with respect to procedure and scoring categories for use with the mentally retarded. The revised RTT was administered to 123 educables. Results indicated significant associations between mental age and various indices of the retardates' role taking behavior. These associations remained significant…

The focus of this study was upon the development and evaluation of a computer-assisted branched test to be used in making instructional decisions for individuals in the program of Individually Prescribed Instruction. A Branched Test is one in which the presentation of test items is contingent upon the previous responses of the examinee. The…

This project developed an informal reading test from adult basic education teaching materials and investigated reading performance at six levels among adults attending basic education classes. Graded word lists, readiness oral reading passages, and graded oral reading passages were administered to 37 adults. The six most discriminating word lists…

An attempt to test students objectively in a five-part, French, speaking proficiency test is described and discussed. Concrete nouns, abstract words, pronunciation, syntax, and fluency are tested with a combination of tape and picture stimuli. Reliability, validity, and practical questions are raised; and previous aural-oral testing procedures are…

The study aimed at constructing, validating, and testing two instruments, one of which measured attitude change toward Civil Defense adult education, and one which measured level of knowledge about Civil Defense practices; and evaluating the effectiveness of the Personal and Family Survival (PFS) Course in terms of attitude change and knowledge…

Theory and research regarding four levels of concept attainment and three uses of concepts as specified by the model of conceptual learning and development (CLD) are described. Subtests, utilizing three-dimensional stimuli, were developed to assess each level of attainment and each use of the concept equilateral triangle. The tests were…

A latent trait model, the Rasch, was fitted to a criterion-referenced test. Approximately 90 percent of the items fit the model. Those items which fit the model were then calibrated. Based on the item calibration, individual ability estimates and the standard errors of those estimates were calculated. Using the ability estimates, it was possible,…

This unit of work is designed to provide the participant with an overview of the purposes, methods, and techniques for testing English as a Second Language (ESL) and practical classroom applications. Given the series of learning alternatives on testing that are presented in this module, the participant should be able to: (a) demonstrate knowledge…

The rationale underlying tests of social intelligence and some of the problems inherent in those tests are discussed. To measure social intelligence, paper and pencil tests were developed which were "situation free." These tests employed "stereotypic behavior of individual others." The stimuli used in the behavioral tests were…

An instrument has been designed and used to quantify the degree of student dissatisfaction with computer-assisted instruction (CAI) experiences. The instrument, entitled PERPI-LPI, was derived from the service test Perceptions Etudiantes de la Relation Professeur-Etudiants (Student Observations on the Teacher-Student Relationship). It measures the…

A theoretical discussion of problems encountered in the measurement and evaluation of speaking skill in a second language is developed in this paper. The primary areas of interest to be evaluated are identified and discussed, including phonology, syntax, morphology, and vocabulary. A delimited and graduated method of evaluation using numerical…

This paper highlights the expressed educational attitudes and learning orientations of students who participated in a recent eight-college pilot study (total N = 4279). The Student Orientations Survey (S.O.S.), a ten-scale inventory developed by R.M. Gray and this writer, was used in this project in order to assess student's attitudes towards…

The Differentiated Child Behavior (DCB) Observational System has a two-fold purpose: first, it provides a description and analysis of patterns of classroom interactions in educational programs and program impact on children's functioning; and second, it provides feedback to supervisory staff so that analysis of programs contributes to…

The results of a number of experiments with the memorizing of several different subject-matters are presented in such a way that the relationship between number of opportunities for error (word elements faded) and number of errors actually made can be observed for individuals and groups. The particular selection of word elements to be taught by…