To study the stability of students' writing performances across occasions, four essays were obtained from each of 107 college students. These were scored with an analytic system that counts errors in 18 categories. Score reliability, computed by summing the 18 categories, was .36 for a single essay and .68 for the set of four essays. Score…

The diagnostic testing component of the Critical Thinking Project of the Pittsburgh schools is described and a rationale for the project's particular choice of testing procedures is provided. The purpose of the project was to help students develop skills for thinking critically and communicating critical thought through reading, discussion, and…

As a step toward developing a standardized measure for evaluating the impact of child protective services, three indices were developed: the abuse index, the neglect index, and the sexual abuse index. Each is composed of physical indicators of the problem and social and behavioral indicators found to be statistically correlated with physical…

This paper offers answers to nine important questions concerning standard-setting issues and methods: (1) Should normative or content-referenced standards be used? (2) Different standard-setting methods yield different results. What is your reaction to this finding? That of your clients? Does this finding present a problem for the application of…

This is the preliminary report of a new memory scoring method. Using the Wechsler Memory Scale as its base, it scores lateralized verbal and figural memory and long- and short-term memory. Six independent memory scales were developed. Studies of 105 subjects demonstrate that these scales are reliable and valid. (Author)

A multidimensional aggression scoring system for preschool children's responses to the structured doll play interview is described. The system, which incorporates previous investigator's findings, scales doll play responses along three dimensions of aggression: intensity, agent, and directionality. (Author)

Some basic statistical concepts relevant to the teacher--mean scores, standard deviation, normal and skewed distributions, z scores, item analysis, standard error of measurement, reliability--and their use by the teacher are explained. (RM)

This paper presents the author's responses to nine questions addressed to the standard-setting symposium participants. A central theme in this assessment is that one cannot clearly demonstrate, a priori, that either a normative or a content-referenced approach is superior. Most methods used to date have been insufficiently grounded in…

A computer program has been developed to assist users of DIAL-R (Developmental Indicators for the Assessment of Learning-Revised), a widely used screening test, in the accurate scoring of young children's performance. In addition to print-out feedback for parents and teachers, the program generates suggested objectives for each child based on the…

A recent innovation in the area of educational measurement is MDT multi-digit testing, a machine-scored near-equivalent to "fill-in-the-blank" testing. The MDT method is based on long lists (or "Answer Banks") that contain up to 1,000 discrete answers, each with a three-digit label. Students taking an MDT multi-digit test mark…

Studies have revealed significant problems in correctly scoring ambiguous verbal responses to test items on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R). This study evaluated the effectiveness of an instructional design procedure developed to reduce examiner scoring errors on the WISC-R. Data concerning frequent sources of error…

The capabilities and hardware requirements of four microcomputer software packages produced by the Office of Educational Testing, Research and Service at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign are described. These programs are: (1) the Scan-Tron Forms Analysis Package Version 2.0, an interface between an IBM-compatible and a Scan-Tron…

Large-scale educational assessments differ from familiar educational measurements by attempting to provide information about the levels and natures of skills in populations rather than in individuals. That the distinct purposes of assessment require different methodologies than individual measurement was recognized by the development of…

The purpose of the essay portion of the New Jersey College Basic Skills Placement Test is to identify students whose English language skills are not sufficiently strong to ensure that they can successfully manage the writing required in regular freshman classes. Students are given 20 minutes to read and respond to the essay topic. The essays…

Five studies of holistic writing assessment procedures examined interactive relationships of the participants, processes, and products of writing assessment episodes. The first study examined practices in designing writing test prompts. The second study investigated the effects of variation in the specification of audience in a writing test prompt…