Performance data on the Descriptive Tests of Language Skills (DTLS) for entering college students were collected through a pilot study of 4,234 students in 16 colleges. This study was also designed to permit several checks on the validity of the DTLS by examining the relationship of DTLS scores to the following criteria: English course grades,…

A study examined the use of cloze procedure as a measure of learning from content instruction. Subjects were 35 physician assistant (PA) students in a cancer prevention course and 31 education students (ED) enrolled in reading instruction courses. Cloze passages were constructed from published selections on the reading process and occupationally…

The diagnostic test combines an individual reading inventory, a reading comprehension test, and a work analysis test to determine and verify the basic reading level of students, locate individual reading problems, compare reading comprehension to vocabulary level, and locate deficiencies in phonetic and structural analysis skills. For use in…

Theoretically preferred item response theory (IRT) bias detection procedures were applied to both a mathematics achievement and vocabulary test. The data were from black seniors and white seniors on the High School and Beyond data files. We wished to account for statistical artifacts by conducting cross-validation or replication studies.…

A study examined the relationship of multiple measures of reading and writing at the second and fifth grade levels. Multiple reading tests (measuring vocabulary, word recognition, sentence comprehension, and passage comprehension) and writing tests (evaluating vocabulary diversity and syntactic complexity, and providing qualitative and…

Perspectives concerning the validation of faculty-developed instruments for the assessment of student performance at Alverno College are presented. Sixteen instruments were identified by departments for the validation studies. Three validation strategies were found to work best. One was a pre- and post-instruction comparison that determined if…

This article describes the rationale for and development of a computer-based instrument that helps identify commonly held science misconceptions. The instrument, known as the Science Beliefs Test, is a 47-item instrument that targets topics in chemistry, physics, biology, earth science, and astronomy. The use of an online data collection system…

A brief review of the types and uses of tests, to aid parents in interpreting their children's test scores, is presented. Tests covered include classroom tests, standardized tests, achievement tests, aptitude tests, norm-referenced tests, and criterion-referenced tests. Issues associated with test reliability and validity are addressed and the…

The Coping Strategies Inventory for Statistics (CSIS) is designed to identify beginning statistics students with non-facilitative test-taking and study-coping skills. The self-administered CSIS consists of directions followed by two scenarios. The student reads each scenario, decides how he or she would react to the situation, and rates each of…

Plans for new school/university entrance examinations and program assessment in the Republic of Korea are examined as such plans represent a significant variable in the formula for educational reform. In 1987, a Presidential Commission on Educational Reform identified evaluation and testing as a critical factor in the reconstruction of the…

Findings of teaching effectiveness research were related to the National Teacher Examinations (NTE) Test of Professional Knowledge (TPK). Delphi methodology was used to classify TPK items according to findings in a selected review of research. Six professors in teacher education completed a questionnaire to rate seven literature reviews. The three…

Guidelines, practical suggestions, and examples are offered to assist teachers in planning and developing tests to accurately measure student achievement. The six chapters cover: (1) planning tests; (2) developing tests; (3) assembling and administering tests; (4) interpreting test results; (5) assessing test items; and (6) improving test validity…

This paper summarizes an investigation of applications and issues in free response (FR) testing during 1989. It draws on ideas from the results of the National Educational Longitudinal Study 1988 (NELS:88) field test, a seminar series at the Educational Testing Service (ETS), working papers prepared for several FR testing applications, and…

The traditional multiple-choice reading comprehension test of English as a second language, used in the Dutch school-leaving examinations, has been criticized for its apparent lack of construct validity. The Dutch National Institute for Educational Measurement has conducted a number of studies to determine whether there is a different skill…

California has provided other states with an example of how not to assess student writing and has initiated a new direction in the statewide assessment of student writing achievement, a direction designed to influence writing instruction positively. Before 1987, the California Assessment Program (CAP) limited English skills assessment to multiple…