Multilog (Thissen, 1991) was used to estimate parameters of 225 items from the Quebec Adaptive Behavior Scale (QABS). A database containing actual data from 2,439 subjects was used for the parameterization procedures. The two-parameter-logistic model was used in estimating item parameters and in the testing strategy. MicroCAT (Assessment Systems…

Two courses on logic gates were administered to 1,191 male and female recruits in Basic Military Training in 3 studies (448, 431, and 312 subjects, respectively) to evaluate the relative validities of the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) and the Learning Abilities Measurement Program (LAMP) tests in predicting individual…

In 1997, the Software Engineering Laboratory at Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) implemented the first version of AulaNet (TM) a World Wide Web-based educational environment. Some of the teaching staff will use this environment in 1998 to offer regular term disciplines through the Web. This paper introduces Quest, a tool…

This paper describes a system that provides faculty with automatic testing and grading online facilities, as well as course administration resources, using the World Wide Web as a common and ubiquitous interface. The system was built using the Common Lisp HTTP Server from MIT and its functionality to generate HTML "on the fly," which offers the…

This guide is designed to enable the beginner, as well as the advanced user, to understand and use the Computerized Placement Management Software (CPMS). The CPMS is a system for evaluating information about students and recommending their placement into courses best suited for them. It also tracks their progress and maintains their records. The…

The issue of test-item selection in support of decision making in adaptive testing is considered. The number of items needed to make a decision is compared for two approaches: selecting items from an item pool that are most informative at the decision point or selecting items that are most informative at the examinee's ability level. The first…

The hardware and software system used to create the National Opinion Research Center/Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing (NORC/CRESST) item databases and test booklets for the 12th-grade science assessment are described. A general description of the capabilities of the system is given, with some specific information…

Author-generated summaries/outlines of papers presented at the annual conference of the International Personnel Management Association Assessment Council (IPMAAC) in 1988 are provided. The "Presidential Address" is by N. E. Abrams. The keynote address is "Is There a Future for Intelligence?" by R. Thorndike. Summaries of 53…

The controversy over appropriate educational uses of computers is framed along a continuum based on the amount of support provided to the user. Software programs in which the user's role is to respond in a pre-determined structure (program controlled software) anchors one end of the continuum, while software which empowers the user to create new…

The history of the Educational Testing Service (ETS) Factor Kits is summarized. The original ETS Factor Kit was developed in 1954 and contained 51 items, three each for each of 15 factors and six for a 16th factor. The next edition was developed in 1963 and included adaptations (clones) of the defining tests instead of the exact copies. These…

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…

In this report four educators discuss the issues which they see to be most current in the fields of testing, measurement and evaluation. The first section discusses the mastery of basic skills, defined by minimum levels of competence. Factors such as accountability, social policy, instructional implications, and psychometric issues are brought to…

An introductory course in computer automated tests and measurement systems based on the International Test Instrument-Computer Interface Standard, the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers)-488, is presented in this study guide. This course is designed to: (1) introduce the electronics engineering technician to the functional…

A consortium of four institutions, based at Western Michigan University, was to plan a Research and Development Center on Student Testing, Evaluation, and Standards Setting. The four consortium sites are Boston College, the Dallas Independent School District, the University of Kansas, and Western Michigan University. This report is a final…

The rule space model permits measurement of cognitive skill acquisition, diagnosis of cognitive errors, and detection of the strengths and weaknesses of knowledge possessed by individuals. Two ways to classify an individual into his or her most plausible latent state of knowledge include: (1) hypothesis testing--Bayes' decision rules for minimum…