A content-oriented analysis of written solutions to test items in Israeli high school graduation examinations in mathematics yielded six error categories: misused data; misinterpreted language; logically invalid inference; distorted theorem or definition; unverified solution; and technical error. (Authors/MNS)

Under the assumptions of classical measurement theory and the condition of normality, a formula is derived for the reliability of composite scores. The formula represents an extension of the Spearman-Brown formula to the case of truncated data. (Author/JAZ)

Tracing the development of the Otis test series, the author argues that there will be a continuing demand for group-administered general mental ability tests in education. He foresees a need for better ways of relating ability test scores with skills and achievements to make them more educationally useful. (Author/JAZ)

Described are procedures followed in developing, administering, and scoring a set of mathematical problem-solving superitems and examining their construct validity through a recently developed evaluation technique associated with a taxonomy of the structure of learned outcomes. Data strongly support the validity of the underlying theoretical…

The binomial error model includes form-to-form difficulty differences as error variance and leads to Ruder-Richardson formula 21 as an estimate of reliability. If the form-to-form component is removed from the estimate of error variance, the binomial model leads to KR 20 as the reliability estimate. (Author/BW)

Given a loss function, an asymptotic method for optimal test design for a specified target population of examinees is presented. Also, of more practical use, given an existing unidimensional test and target population, a way is presented to find the loss function for which the test is optimal. (NSF)

A factor analysis of a revised and expanded 102-item version of the Children's Behavior Scale (CBRS) was conducted to complete development of this teacher rating scale. Results confirmed previous research on the CBRS that indicated that two independent dimensions of cognitive deficits can be identified in teacher ratings. (Author/LMO)

Three item selection methods for criterion-referenced tests are examined: the classical theory of item difficulty and item-test correlation; the latent trait theory of item characteristic curves; and a decision-theoretic approach for optimal item selection. Item contribution to the standardized expected utility of mastery testing is discussed. (CM)

Mastery learning strategies and criterion referenced measurement tools perform a selective function in the classroom. The selective approach within the philosophical role of schools is discussed in terms of limited educational employment, competition, talent distribution, and the suggested attributes of good testing. (CM)

Provides information on statistical data and jargon so that English department members can more confidently and responsibly identify the inevitable weaknesses and limitations of both tests of writing ability and the research on them. (RL)

This paper traces the course of the consequences of viewing test responses as simply providing dichotomous data concerning ordinal relations. It begins by proposing that the score matrix is best considered to be items-plus-persons by items-plus-persons, and recording the wrongs as well as the rights. (Author/CTM)

The effect of test length on predictive validity is examined empirically. For four tests, the curve of validity against test length had a very gentle slope for the longer tests and all tests could be reduced by more than 60 percent without appreciable decreases in validity. (Author/BW)

For some situations the beta-binomial distribution might be used to describe the marginal distribution of test scores for a particular population of examinees. Several different methods of approximating the maximum likelihood estimate were investigated, and it was found that the Newton-Raphson method should be used when it yields admissable…

Four experiments with 263 undergraduates and 57 seventh-graders examined the "testing phenomenon" in relation to students' memory for brief passages and labels for parts of flowers. The phenomenon, which involves the positive effects of previous testing on final test performance, appears to depend on several complete retrieval events. (TJH)

Describes the use of the partial credit form of the Rasch model in the analysis and calibration of a set of writing tasks in which assessment scales and criteria were adapted to suit each task's specific demands. Potential applications of the partial credit model in language testing are discussed. (Author/CB)