In this article, the author outlines and describes eight assessment tips for language thematic Units. The tips include: (1) Knowing where you are going (creation of appropriate assessment tools); (2) Having a Plan (setting your communication and language goals); (3) Mapping it Out (teaching in the same way you will assess students); (4) Testing…

Determining the extent of consistency between distinct concepts has become increasingly important in current theorizing about the development and organization of cognitive structure. This paper discusses several conceptual and measurement issues that must be addressed in analyses of interconcept consistency: the distinction between connectivity…

Essay tests, despite their limitations, have a number of strengths and, therefore, appropriate uses in higher education, as long as users are aware of the limitations. Essay questions (extended response and restricted response) are designed to assess student learning. There is considerable agreement in the educational measurement literature about…

In a review of relevant literature, it is argued that correction for guessing formulas should not be used. It is contended that such formulas correct for guessing that does not really exist in a noticeable amount, penalize those students who have low self-esteem and self-confidence, correct for errors that are not necessarily errors, benefit risk…

While standard setting procedures are typically discussed in terms of deriving a reasonable cutting score for a given form of a test, the situation may be structured such that the standard has been mandated without regard to the test form itself. This situation may result either through legislative or policy actions and may be a fait accompli by…

This paper details how memory protocols obtained in individual interviews may be translated to scores on several dimensions suggested by White. White's nine dimensions are: (1) extent, (2) precision, (3) internal consistency, (4) accord with reality, (5) variety of types of element, (6) variety of topics, (7) shape, (8) ratio of internal to…

The booklet was designed to help each recipient of the California Achievement Test (CAT) reports to understand the general format of the reports, the abbreviations and symbols used, and the types of scores presented. It was also intended to assist in interpreting CAT results and using these results at each level of the educational process to best…

A common problem in practical educational research is that of perfect scores which result when latent trait models are used. A simple procedure for managing the perfect and zero response problem encountered in converting test scores into measures is presented. It allows the test user to chose among two or three reasonable finite representations of…

A description of the difficulties encountered in constructing a criterion-referenced test to assess end-of-year skills as part of a program evaluation is presented. The problems encountered in preparing the customized test are described in humorous detail. The first problem involved the listening test obtained from a publisher without…

Research indicating that different cut-off points result from the use of different standard-setting techniques leaves decision makers with a disturbing dilemma: Which standard-setting method is best? This investigation of the reliability and validity of 10 different standard-setting approaches was designed to provide information that might help…

In the standard scoring procedure for multiple-choice exams, students must choose exactly one response as correct. Often students may be unable to identify the correct response, but can determine that some of the options are incorrect. This partial knowledge is not captured in the standard scoring format. The Coombs elimination procedure is an…

The ways in which standard-setting procedures are carried out in the medical specialty certification area are described. Three experiments that have been conducted with alternatives to currently used normative standards are examined, and reasons why these experiments have had limited success are suggested in this speech. The defensibility of…

It is suggested that for checking purposes, "Questions and Answers" should accompany, in the form of a class work blank, the study of a given text. Justification is given, possible objections refuted. An example shows how such work can be quickly corrected and evaluated. (Text is in German.) (IFS/WGA)

The four scoring strategies compared were: lamda coefficients, chi-square weights, and two applications of multiple discriminant analysis. No significant differences were found when applied to the Kuder Occupational Interest Survey. (RC)