The use of restrictive factor analysis (RFA) is illustrated with data from the field of educational research. An attitude scale measuring the degree to which students feel they are accepted by their classmates is constructed in accordance with the Theory of Violators. The main idea of the Theory of Violators is that most problems associated with…

This booklet, second in a series on issues in assessment, seeks to describe an initiative supported by Finger Lakes Community College (New York) to use classroom assessment techniques (CATs) in different academic areas and to present an overview of some assessment approaches that have been used in the classroom. Papers include: (1) "Enhancing…

Public school ratings of the importance of subject-matter test objectives associated with teacher certification tests were examined by means of a job-analysis survey conducted in 1986 and a similar survey conducted in 1993. It was predicted that there would be a high degree of change in the importance ratings assigned to these test objectives…

The Educational Testing Service is moving rapidly to computerize its tests for admissions to postsecondary education and occupational licensure/certification. Computerized tests offer important advantages, including immediate score reporting, the convenience of testing when the examinee wishes, and for adaptive tests, equal accuracy throughout the…

Issues involved in the construction of alternative forms of assessment by mathematics teachers were studied through the case study of assessment development in three elementary schools. Three schools with 14 third-grade teachers were selected and matched with comparison schools. Data are presented about the mathematics part of the study, along…

The Arizona Student Assessment Program (ASAP) epitomizes the principle on which measurement-driven reform is based, "You get what you assess." This policy study examines the ideologies and intentions of groups instrumental in the creation and implementation of a performance-based assessment reform. The study was conducted by interviewing…

A job analysis was conducted of the knowledge and skills important for the competent performance of beginning business education teachers. The results of this job analysis will be used to define the content domain of the subject assessment in Business Education for the Praxis Series of professional assessments for beginning teachers. A domain of…

Talent identification in most sports occurs through mass participation and the process of natural selection; track and field does not enjoy such widespread participation. This paper reports on a project undertaken for the following purposes: improve the means by which youth with the potential for high level performance can be identified; develop…

This handbook provides guidelines for instructors to follow in developing test items for occupational task lists. It begins with directions for task analysis: identifying major performance steps of a task, identifying supporting knowledge for each performance step, identifying supporting performance skills for each performance step, identifying…

As part of an empirical search for a practical self-concept scale that can be used with preschool children, the Self-Description Questionnaire (SDQ-I) was administered to a pilot group of kindergarten students in a rural Tennessee town. The study replicated the use of the SDQ-I with kindergarten children in Australia, which had demonstrated…

The psychometric properties of objective tests administered in two testing conditions were compared, using an experimental take-home testing condition and a traditional in-class testing condition. Subjects were 290 college students in a basic educational psychology course who took a test developed and tested the previous semester. Two equivalent…

Context effects in test taking were explored, paying attention to the psychological processes that occur during test taking, and modeling context effects for each individual at the item block level. A sample of 279 high school students (140 females and 139 males) was chosen to yield adequate power for detecting interactions. Reading test forms…

This book is meant to be a guide to standardized reading tests, to help teachers live with tests. Standardized, norm-referenced reading tests are a fact of life for most teachers. The suggestions in this book are drawn form the experience of teachers in the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project at Teachers College, Columbia University. Part…

The essays in this collection are the products of work by more than 100 teachers in the Hudson Valley Portfolio Assessment Project. Teachers spent 3 years learning about, experimenting with, and reflecting on their uses of assessment and its relations to student achievement. In the opening three essays, Giselle Martin-Kniep discusses what she…

A hearing was held to consider the issues involved in funding the administration's proposals for certain educational testing. After opening remarks by Senators Kennedy (Massachusetts) , Specter (Pennsylvania), and Harkin (Iowa), the Secretary of Education, Richard W. Riley, spoke about the proposed tests. The Clinton Administration and Secretary…