The general goal of this paper is to help researchers conduct appropriately designed goodness of fit studies for item response model applications. The specific purposes are to describe: (1) an up-to-date set of promising and useful methods for addressing a variety of goodness of fit questions; and (2) current research studies to advance this set…

Work on item response theory was extended to two areas not extensively researched previously, including models for: (1) test items that require more than one ability for a correct response (MIRT); and (2) interaction between modules of instruction that have a hierarchical relationship (HST). In order to develop the MIRT and HST models, the author…

The Brand Emotions Scale for Writers (BSEW) is a 20-item scale designed to measure the emotions of writers; (1) immediately before writing (state-before), (2) immediately after writing (state-after), and (3) when writing in general (trait). This paper describes the development of BSEW and the factor structure of these three different forms. Common…

This paper deals with test fairness regarding a test consisting of two parts: (1) a "common" section, taken by all students; and (2) a "variable" section, in which some students may answer a different set of questions from other students. For example, a test taken by several thousand students each year contains a common multiple-choice portion and…

Part I discusses the many benefits of having an item bank of four-option multiple-choice questions for test construction in English language instructional programs. The advantages of the item bank include: increased effectiveness, efficiency, and professionalism among teachers and administrators in test development, design, writing, review, and…

A study examined whether the process of gathering verbal reports of subjects' thinking while taking multiple-choice critical thinking tests could be used to infer the reasoning process used and identify test items which do not require critical thinking skills. Four factors can render an inference of a subject's critical thinking skills…

A study attempted to estimate the instructional sensitivity of items in three reading comprehension tests in English as a second language (ESL). Instructional sensitivity is a test-item construct defined as the tendency for a test item to vary in difficulty as a function of instruction. Similar tasks were given to readers at different proficiency…

A methodology for investigating the influence of correction-for-guessing directions and formula scoring on test performance was studied. Experts in the test content field used a judgmental item appraisal system to estimate the knowledge of the minimally competent candidate (MCC) and to predict those items that the MCC would omit on the test under…

This twelfth grade diploma examination is written in both French and English. The test consists of 52 multiple-choice items and three written response questions. Two and one-half hours are provided for taking the test; approved calculators may be used. The test content covers a wide range of mathematical topics including: geometry; trigonometry;…

This study investigated the relationships among the symbolic representation of problems given to students to solve, the mental representations they use to solve the problems, and the accuracy of their solutions. Twenty eleventh-grade science students were asked to think aloud as they solved problems on the ideal gas laws. The problems were…

In 1982 the Michigan Educational Assessment Program's Test of music learning was administered by local school staffs to fourth, seventh, and tenth graders from 36 randomly selected schools in 33 districts. Group tests were administered to 5700 students, and 500 students took individual tests. Test items were developed from objectives in the…

The chi-square procedure has been suggested as a viable index of test bias because it provides the best agreement with the three parameter item characteristic curve without the large sample requirement, computer complexity, and cost. This study examines the effect of using different numbers of ability intervals on the reliability of chi-square…

The study investigated cultural bias in the verbal items of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R). Six verbal subtests of the WISC-R were administered to 40 Anglo, 40 Mexican-American, and 40 Navajo intermediate grade students matched for grade level, sex, and socioeconomic status. The responses of three groups of subjects…

The Science Curriculum and Assessment Project is a multi-state network of school districts and other educational agencies that actively promotes science improvement through the alignment of curriculum, instruction, and assessment. This document describes the major areas of project work, specifications and review procedures for test items in the…

Difficulty and discrimination ability were compared between multiple choice and short answer items in midterm and final examinations for the internal medicine course at Louisiana State University School of Dentistry. The examinations were administered to 67 sophomore dental students in that course. Additionally, the impact of the source of the…