A suit filed by Steven E. Wynne, who has dyslexia, against the Tufts School of Medicine charged that the school discriminated against him when it refused to provide a test that did not use multiple-choice questions. Tufts filed an appeal saying the decision is an encroachment on academic freedom. (MLW)

A review of the development and innovation of testing at the higher education level focuses on Ralph Tyler's testing emphasis on the educational process and the objectives of instruction, a precursor to the current trend of integrating formative evaluation into the curriculum development process. (CB)

Two studies of the relationship between learner interest and advance organizers (AOs) with test performance were conducted: one with 33 and one with 66 undergraduates. Although the AO had no effect on test performance, student interest appeared affected by the presence of an AO. (SLD)

Differential tendencies to avoid guessing on the Psychometric Entrance Test (the Israeli college entrance examination) were studied as a function of language group, gender, and examination date for over 10,000 students. Students with different cultural backgrounds and genders differed in their tendencies to guess. Implications for test results are…

Literature related to the multiple true-false (MTF) item format is reviewed. Each answer cluster of a MTF item may have several true items and the correctness of each is judged independently. MTF tests appear efficient and reliable, although they are a bit harder than multiple choice items for examinees. (SLD)

This study at 21 colleges found that having entering freshmen write a short holistically scored essay added nothing to the prediction of freshman grade point average compared to predictions made from high school grade point average, Scholastic Aptitude Test scores, and a multiple-choice test of writing-related skills. (Author/DB)

Performances of 60 male and 60 female undergraduates on a conventional multiple-choice test were compared with their performances on a test that enabled them to assess the correctness of their own answers. The self-assessment approach reduced the bias seen in differences between male and female scores. (SLD)

The reliabilities of 2-, 3-, 4-, and 5-choice tests were compared through an incremental-option model on a test taken by 154 high school seniors. Creating the test forms incrementally more closely approximates actual test construction. The nonsignificant differences among the option choices support the three-option item. (SLD)

It is proposed that the multiple-choice test can be useful in helping language students understand the meaning of text better without overwhelming them. Techniques for drafting effective questions are discussed, and a sample list of questions is presented. (MSE)

To investigate the ability of multiple-choice tests to assess higher order thinking skills, examinations were constructed as half multiple choice and half constructed response. Results with 90 undergraduate and graduate students indicate that the 2 formats measure similar constructs at different levels of complexity. (SLD)

Analysis of educational psychology textbooks identified textbook authors' guidelines for teachers to follow when writing multiple-choice test items. Selected guidelines were used to evaluate multiple-choice items (N=1,080) from 18 college instructor guides to educational psychology texts. Results indicated that approximately 60 percent of the…

Instead of relying on standardized test scores and interdistrict comparisons, school systems must develop a more powerful, timely, and local approach to accountability that is truly client-centered and focused on results. Accountability requires giving successful teachers the freedom and opportunity to take effective ideas beyond their own…

Effects of experimenter-controlled incentives and feedback on the calibration of performance were examined for 85 undergraduates answering reading comprehension and mathematics multiple-choice questions. Results support the hypotheses that incentives affect the calibration of performance and that external incentives can enhance the degree to which…

Places performance assessment in the context of high-stakes uses, describes underlying technologies, and outlines the history of performance testing from 210 B.C.E. to the present. Historical issues of fairness, efficiency, cost, and infrastructure influence contemporary efforts to use performance assessments in large-scale, high-stakes testing…

The recall of information about Hepatitis B demonstrated by 180 seventh graders was tested with three test types: (1) short-answer; (2) true/false; and (3) multiple-choice. Short answer testing was the most reliable. Suggestions are made for the use of short-answer tests in evaluating student knowledge. (SLD)