Analyzes the practice of race norming (adapting test scores on the basis of race/ethnicity) and its justification. Outlines the background of the Civil Rights Act of 1991, which prohibited race norming, and considers future implications for recruitment and selection. (SK)

Discusses a full-information maximum likelihood method for fitting a multidimensional latent variable model to a set of ordinal observed variables. Also discusses estimating the model, scoring persons on the latent dimensions, and goodness of fit. Applies the method to a data set of attitudes of 392 respondents toward technology. (SLD)

Two studies examined methods for arriving at cutscores in school districts, including the Angoff (W. Angoff, 1971), borderline, and contrasting groups methods and two new methods, one based on course enrollment and the other based on expert expectations. Results from a 10th grade algebra test and a test of third grade reading show the viability of…

Investigates how experienced and inexperienced raters score essays written by English as a Second Language (ESL) students on two different prompts. Shows that the inexperienced raters were more severe than the experienced raters on one prompt but not on the other prompt, and that differences between the two groups of raters were eliminated…

Discusses an approach to analyzing performance assessments that identifies potential reasons for misfitting items and uses this information to improve on items and rubrics for these assessments. Illustrates the approach through a 53-item mathematics performance assessment completed by approximately 500 middle school students. (SLD)

Discusses assessment as an element in the teaching and learning process of adult learners. Topics include the instructor's role; the importance of assessment to the educational process; student-centered assessment philosophy and learner-centered teaching; alternative assessments to encourage authentic learning; grading rubrics; and journal…

Provides teaching suggestions for metric units incorporating humor. Includes teaching suggestions and rubrics. Also includes connections to other subject areas in literature, science, and mathematics. (MM)

Bases for individual acceptance and cultural integration of gays and lesbians were investigated by assessing qualities of personality among four participant groups: Heterosexual females, heterosexual males, homosexual females, and homosexual males. Personality was operationally defined as personal qualities and characteristics associated with…

Imagine administering an online standardized test to an entire class of 11th-grade students when, halfway through the exam, the server holding the test hits a snag and throws everyone offline. Imagine another scenario in which an elementary school has very few computers so teachers must bus their students to the local high school for a timed test.…

While there are many factors that affect the quality of teacher education programs, one specific related factor, a culture of accountability, will be addressed in this reflection of Haberman's work. A systematic review of faculty performance with specific rubrics and increasing expectation based on earned faculty rank is a necessary step in…

While the constructs of protean and boundaryless careers have informed career theory for years, rigorous empirical examinations of these career models have lagged behind. This study seeks to redress this situation by constructing and developing four new scales to measure protean and boundaryless career attitudes. The scales related to protean…

With the rising trend toward childhood obesity and increasing costs of health insurance, quality physical education programs play a critical role in educating children on the benefits of physical activity. What must be done first in any physical education program is to review the curriculum to ensure that it reflects best practices. This article…

In cut score setting processes, subject matter experts are asked to make judgments about the likely performance of examinees at a targeted skill level. When cut scores are used in K-12 settings to separate students who have and have not mastered certain skills, the target examinee may be characterized as the barely proficient or barely master…

Develops activities based on pedagogical research that indicate that student engagement and comprehension are enhanced by methodologies that promote active participation, critical thinking, and an interdisciplinary, contextualist approach to teach evolutionary theory to students in an upper-division, capstone course. Provides critical thinking…

Standards-based score reports interpret test performance with reference to cut scores defining categories like "below basic," "proficient," or "master." This article first develops a conceptual framework for validity arguments supporting such interpretations, then presents three applications. Two of these serve to introduce new standard-setting…