Studies carried out over a 12-year period addressed fundamental questions on the use of Rasch-based item banks. Large field tests administered in grades 3-8 of reading, mathematics, and science items, as well as standardized test results were used to explore the possible effects of many factors on item calibrations. In general, the results…

In examining why performance scores on writing tests so often fail to improve in neat positive intervals for individuals and groups, testers have sought the answer in differences in test conditions on progressive retestings. Two other sources of performance variation are possible: the U-shaped learning curve or phenomenon of apparent regression…

Measurement disturbances, such as guessing, startup, and plodding, often result in an examinee's ability being either over- or under-estimated by the maximum likelihood estimation employed in latent trait psychometric models. Several authors have suggested methods to lessen the impact of unexpected responses on the ability estimation process. This…

Sixty subjects, 30 males and 30 females, grades 7-9, were given an estimation and comparison mathematics test consisting of high and low difficulty level problems. Performances as measured by total error scores were compared as functions of sex and anxiety separately for high and low difficulty problems. There was a significant main effect of…

The "Test Development Notebook" is a resource designed for the preparation of tests of literal comprehension for students in grades 1 through 12. This volume contains 425 multiple-choice cloze exercises taken from textbooks in reading and literature, and the accompanying answer key. Each exercise carries the code letter of the section to which it…

In 1983, four screening tests for assigning students to the appropriate levels of the Stanford Achievement Test, Seventh Edition, were developed with a national sample of hearing impaired students. While students are normally assigned to one of six test level booklets according to grade, this is inappropriate for certain students. This paper…

A computerized adaptive testing model was assessed in a technical training system. The model, a modification of Lord's flexilevel paradigm, consisted of: the sequencing of test items in a difficulty hierarchy, adaptive entry of students into the test at a difficulty level appropriate to their predicted score, and systematic movement of students…

The Emory Word Analysis Skill Inventory (EWASI) was developed to diagnose individual word analysis skill abnormalities exhibited by students enrolled in private tutoring in the Emory University (Georgia) Reading Center. In the EWASI, 13 subscales contain three broad categories--consonants, vowels, and word structure. The goal, however, is to…

A study was designed to determine the effects of various ball sizes on children's catching ability and to examine the results as a between- and within-group factor. It was believed that the use of the two-test design would help to establish the validity of past and future tests of this nature. The between-subjects design group consisted of 48…

Volunteer college students were assigned to one of six computer administered vocabulary tests, one half with immediate knowledge of results (KR) after responding to each item, and the other half without knowledge of results. The six tests were designed to be at one of three levels of difficulty and consisted either of 50 preselected items…

An empirical review of test items is described as an essential step in criterion-referenced test development. The concept of test items' instructional sensitivity is introduced, and research is briefly reviewed which describes four theoretical contexts in which instructional sensitivity indexes have been observed: criterion-referenced; classical…

Various operational definitions of test bias are discussed including those which involve rater judgment, statistical methods which use an external criterion, and statistical methods in which no external criterion is used. It is concluded that the Rasch model provides a theoretically acceptable method for detecting item bias. The Rasch Model is…

This study examined the effect of two ways of question phrasing as related to three styles of expository writing on the test performance of elementary school children. Multiple-choice questions were developed for sets of passages which were written using three different syntactic structures; and which had different levels of difficulty. The…

Ten prominent cognitive styles are discussed in a literature review. The review of each style includes an overview of the research literature; a review and evaluation of assessment instruments; and identification of styles which seem most relevant for application to Air Force Technical training. The cognitive styles covered are: (1)…

After reading a passage from a text which explained the deep and surface approaches to learning, ninety Swedish teenagers and adults with varying levels of formal education were asked to discuss their own learning in terms of this distinction. Surprisingly, sixty-one subjects considered both approaches applicable to their own learning. After…