To establish that measures of vocational identity are sensitive to variations in development, researchers need to demonstrate that different patterns of scores on these measures predict subsequent coping with later tasks of vocational development. This study investigated the ability of the Vocational Identity Scale (VIS) to predict coping with a…

A scaling procedure is proposed, based on item response theory (IRT), to fit non-hierarchical test structure as well. The binary scores of a test of English were used for calculating the probabilities of answering each item correctly. The probability matrix was factor analyzed, and the difficulty intervals or estimates corresponding to the factors…

The effects of review options (the opportunity for examinees to review and change answers) on the magnitude, reliability, efficiency, and concurrent validity of scores obtained from three types of computerized vocabulary tests (fixed item, adaptive, and self-adapted) were studied. Subjects were 97 college students at a large midwestern university…

This report identifies generic competencies (skills necessary for success in the workplace) and foundations (skills and qualities underlying the competencies). Chapter 1 explains use of this report to help educators make high school courses more relevant to the needs of a modern work force and to help employers ensure that their employees possess…

Curricula for public library use instruction designed for limited-English-proficient (LEP) students are presented. Lessons are included for each of four instructional levels, and each lesson assumes that the student may have exposure to only one lesson. These basic concepts are covered: (1) information on all subjects is available at the public…

The instrument for Colorado's Foreign Language Proficiency Sample Project and directions for its administration are provided in this document. The project is a voluntary, teacher-designed and -administered effort to standardize high school student language proficiency assessment techniques. The materials are used in teacher workshops. The…

Item components that might contribute to the difficulty of items on the Raven Colored Progressive Matrices (CPM) and the Standard Progressive Matrices (SPM) were studied. Subjects providing responses to CPM items were 269 children aged 2 years 9 months to 11 years 8 months, most of whom were referred for testing as potentially gifted. A second…

This paper reports on the process of modifying the ModelCreator item generation system to produce output in multiple languages. In particular, Japanese and Spanish are now supported in addition to English. The addition of multilingual functionality was considerably facilitated by the general formulation of our natural language generation system,…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of using multidimensional items in a computer adaptive test (CAT) setting which assumes a unidimensional item response theory (IRT) framework. Previous research has suggested that the composite of multidimensional abilities being estimated by a unidimensional IRT model is not constant…

A listing of computer software for use in high school and adult English-as-a-second-language instruction includes over 40 items, categorized for grammar, reading/writing, or vocabulary teaching, with descriptions of each. The listings include such information as the title, focus, proficiency level, components, content, comments, and brief…

Responses to American College Test College Outcome Measures Program (ACT-COMP) items by 481 black and 9,237 white students at the University of Tennessee (Knoxville) were analyzed using F. Samejima's graded model to determine the level of differential item functioning (DIF). Students had been tested using Form 8 of the ACT-COMP objective test…

The construction of objective tests for native language reading comprehension is described. The tests were designed for the early secondary school years in several kinds of schools, vocational and non-vocational. The description focuses on the use of the Rasch model in test development, to develop a large pool of homogenous items and establish…

While the populations of students learning writing in English as a second language (ESL) are diverse and have widely varying needs, three general recommendations to nonspecialist teachers of ESL pupils are to: (1) organize courses according to thematic unity; (2) limit the number of formal, polished essays assigned; and (3) encourage students to…

Criteria for the evaluation of foreign language materials in the commonly and less commonly taught languages in secondary and postsecondary institutions are presented. They are intended for use by individual teachers or appointed committees when selecting and evaluating language teaching materials. The criteria contain a set of evaluative and…

The Survey of Special Test Administrations was administered to people with disabilities concerning their responses to special testing accommodations, both for college testing and for the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and Graduate Record Examinations (GRE). The questionnaires were developed to evaluate testing accommodations for disabled people…