This study used generalizability theory and other statistical concepts to assess the application of the Angoff method to setting cutoff scores on two professional certification tests. A panel of ten judges gave pre- and post-feedback Angoff probability ratings of items of two forms of a professional certification test, and another panel of nine…

A major issue facing the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Writing Assessment is its relationship with the most frequently encountered measurement practices among State Education Agencies (SEAs) and Local Education Agencies (LEAs). Should NAEP conduct its assessments in a fashion that represents how things should be, or reflect…

In a question and answer format, this guide for parents discusses important issues about standardized reading tests, including the following: (1) scoring systems are obscure; (2) grade level equivalency scores are educationally inaccurate and misleading to child and parent; (3) standardized reading tests are meant to compare groups and not to…

This paper deals with test fairness regarding a test consisting of two parts: (1) a "common" section, taken by all students; and (2) a "variable" section, in which some students may answer a different set of questions from other students. For example, a test taken by several thousand students each year contains a common multiple-choice portion and…

A methodology for investigating the influence of correction-for-guessing directions and formula scoring on test performance was studied. Experts in the test content field used a judgmental item appraisal system to estimate the knowledge of the minimally competent candidate (MCC) and to predict those items that the MCC would omit on the test under…

This report describes a diagnostic instrument designed for school districts to use in assessing the training needs of bilingual staff. The construction and trial administration of the instrument involved several stages. Among these were the development of a pool of subscaled questions, questionnaire forms, and a pool of instrument questions. The…

The research leading to the decisions to revise the Graduate Record Examination Aptitude Test (GRE) (beginning in October 1981) is reviewed. The issues discussed include the format of the test (the timing of each section and the number of sections, the content of the sections--especially the analytical section), the scoring procedure for the GRE,…

This study was conducted to: (1) determine the validity of five Educational Testing Service (ETS) tests as measures of the knowledge and academic skills required for specific endorsements of professional public school personnel in Arkansas; and (2) formulate recommendations on minimum qualifying scores for tests that are valid to use for…

A discussion of foreign language education, evaluation, and communication in the context of the Finnish comprehensive school focuses on communication as a "graded" property that can be achieved at various levels of accuracy. Problems in designing summative tests for mixed-ability groups and shortcomings in the existing system are…

A method of sex-fair performance evaluation is presented which can be used in coeducational secondary school physical education classes. This method tallies specific skill areas associated with athletic activities, disregarding such concepts as student improvement, level of competition, participation, effort, and exact skill measurement.…

The Alberta Essay Scales were developed to assist teachers in the grading of essays. They represent a standard based on written compositions at the 12th grade level in 1964 to be compared with current composition writing achievement. A scale for mechanics in English and one for writing style and content are defined through model essays and…

The SCOPE test battery has been developed by the Department of Education so that Northwest Territories teachers can have a tool to measure classroom learning. SCOPE is based on a criterion-referenced approach to testing, meaning the tests are designed to determine each pupil's mastery of the skills embodied in the objectives of the Northwest…

The analysis of fit of data to a measurement model for graded responses is described. The model is an extension of Rasch's dichotomous model to formats which provide more than two levels of response to items. The model contains one parameter for each person and one parameter for each "step" in an item. A dichotomously-scored item…

The Regents Competency Program has two basic purposes: (1) to assure the early identification of students who need help in developing reading, writing, and mathematics skills and (2) to assure that students have acquired adequate competency in these skills before receiving a high school diploma. The New York State Preliminary Competency Test in…

A comparison was made of Durrell Analysis of Reading Difficulty and informal reading inventory (IRI) independent and instructional level designations for 15 children, aged 9 to 11 years, who had been referred to a diagnostic clinic for reading assessment. The children's reading performance was first scored according to procedures outlined in the…