A model for the measurement of reading skills was used as the basis for the development of the Decoding Skills Test. The model emphasizes that decoding skills are based on one of two processes: word recognition through phonic/linguistic decoding or through basal word recognition. Word lists appropriate for the elementary grades were used to…

To test the effect of clinically relevant multiple-choice item content on the validity of statistical discriminations of physicians' clinical competence, data were collected from a field test of the Emergency Medicine Examination, test items for the certification of specialists in emergency medicine. Two 91-item multiple-choice subscales were…

Educational assessment tools are used for accountability; selection and licensure, and to measure the effects of instruction for student diagnosis and treatment. Psychometric instruments currently in use are flawed in two ways: they attempt to rank people on fundamentally multidimensional traits, and the problem of the validity of these…

Part One of this guide explores issues in English proficiency testing. Tests are discussed in terms of the aspect of language tested, and of different kinds of test tasks. The following kinds of test task defects are treated: (1) tests that required literacy skills, (2) tasks that reduce to a vocabulary test, and (3) errant notions of linguistic…

A study was undertaken to determine if the removal of black English dialect as oral reading errors would influence the scores obtained on three oral reading diagnostic tests: the Gray Oral Reading Test, the Gilmore Oral Reading Test, and the Spache Diagnostic Reading Scales. In addition, the study investigated whether there were differences in the…

The trend of student evaluation of college faculty performance is documented, and implications for humanization of the university are considered. Research in the area of teacher evaluation is cited, and it is proposed that reviews of the literature on student evaluations indicate by and large that student ratings are reliable and valid, even…

The enthusiasm for competency testing poses a contradiction, for it comes at a time when questions and criticisms are being increasingly raised about tests and their use. In three sections, this paper explores the competency testing movement: 1) main features and basic issues in the competency testing movements; 2) observations on the politics of…

With the intent of spurring discussion and raising important issues about the topic of test standards, this circular serves primarily as a resource document for member organizations of the National Consortium on Testing (NCT). Additionally, it identifies the broad changes which have evolved since 1953 regarding ethical and technical standards for…

In an effort to comply with bilingual instruction requirements, school districts throughout California will soon be involved in testing vast numbers of children to determine language proficiency and language dominance. Many language tests will require a child to repeat a sentence or a phrase in exactly the same manner that is stated by an examiner…

GOALS OF THIS STUDY WERE TO DETERMINE THE INTERACTIONS BETWEEN EACH OF FOUR PERSONALITY CHARACTERISTICS (ANXIETY, COMPULSIVITY, CREATIVITY, AND EXHIBITIONISM), SEX, INTELLIGENCE, AND ACHIEVEMENT (BASED ON COMBINED TEST SCORES OF RECALL, TRANSFER, AND GENERATION OF HYPOTHESES) FROM PROGRAMED INSTRUCTION AND CONVENTIONAL INSTRUCTION. A YEAR OF…

DATA FROM THE PARAGRAPH ORGANIZATION PORTION OF THE CEEB ENGLISH COMPOSITION TEST (ECT) WERE CONVERTED TO THE ORIGINAL RANK-ORDER AND WERE THEN RESCORED BY THREE SYSTEMS USING SPEARMAN'S RHO TO DETERMINE WHICH METHOD YIELDED SCORES THAT CORRELATED BEST WITH TOTAL ESSAY SCORES. TWO OF THE METHODS INVESTIGATED, ONE IN WHICH THE NUMBER OF SCORES WAS…

A SCALE TO MEASURE THE LEVEL OF OCCUPATIONAL ASPIRATION (LOA) OF SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS AS A PREDICTIVE TOOL IN FUTURE OCCUPATIONAL CHOICE IS PRESENTED AND EXTENSIVELY EVALUATED IN THIS MONOGRAPH. THE OCCUPATIONAL ASPIRATION SCALE IS AN EASILY ADMINISTERED INSTRUMENT WHICH FOCUSES ON IDEALISTIC AND REALISTIC EXPRESSION LEVELS AS WELL AS ON…

THIS MANUAL DESCRIBES PROPOSED SCORING PROCEDURES FOR THE MINNESOTA TEST OF CREATIVE THINKING AND WRITING. TEST FORMS FOR SIX VERBAL TASKS AND THREE NONVERBAL TASKS ARE PRESENTED. FOR MOST TASKS, THIS SCORING MANUAL HAS EXTRACTED FROM THE TEST PROTOCOLS FOUR SCORES TO REPRESENT FOUR ABILITIES OF CREATIVE THINKING-- FLUENCY, FLEXIBILITY,…

FOURTEEN STUDIES IN THE AREA OF READING READINESS ARE SURVEYED. MUCH OF THE RESEARCH IS DIRECTED AT THE CHILD WHO NEEDS A PERIOD OF READINESS, PARTICULARLY THE CULTURALLY DISADVANTAGED CHILD. THE VALIDITY OF READINESS TESTS, THE IMPORTANCE OF SEX DIFFERENCES, AND BEGINNING READERS ARE OTHER TOPICS DISCUSSED. REFERENCES ARE GIVEN. THIS ARTICLE IS…

AN INVESTIGATION WAS MADE OF THE MINNESOTA VOCATIONAL INTEREST INVENTORY (MVII) PATTERNS AND VOCATIONAL ENROLLMENT TO AID IN THE SELECTION AND COUNSELING OF STUDENTS. OVER 1,000 HIGH SCHOOL BOYS IN THE 9TH AND 12TH GRADES WERE TESTED. A VARIETY OF VARIABLES WERE TESTED INCLUDING ETHNIC DISTRIBUTION. THE MVII WAS FOUND VALID IN SOME AREAS AND…