Sixteen item statistics recommended for use in the development of criterion-referenced tests were evaluated. There were two major criteria: (1) practicability in terms of ease of computation and interpretation and (2) meaningfulness in the context of the development process. Most of the statistics were based on a comparison of performance changes…

In three experiments subjects (college and high school students) read passages which described psychological principles and answered either adjunct application or factual questions while reading. Questions were presented either before, after, or both before and after the parts of the passage that answered the questions. Subsequently subjects took…

The three-, two- and one-parameter (Rasch) logistic item characteristic curve models are compared for use in a large multi-section college course. Only the three-parameter model produced clearly unacceptable parameter estimates for 100 item tests with examinee samples ranging from 594 to 1082. The Rasch and two-parameter models were compared for…

The ability of the Rasch model to provide item difficulties and achievement test scores which are invariant is studied. Data for the study were obtained from students in grades 3 through 7 who took the Sequential Tests of Educational Progress (STEP III) Reading and Mathematics Concepts tests during a spring norming study. Each test contained 50…

The Rasch model is described as a latent trait model which meets the five criteria that characterize reasonable and objective measurements of an individual's ability independent of the test items used. The criteria are: (1) calibration of test items must be independent of particular norming groups; (2) measurement of individuals must be…

A study examined the effects of manipulating the representation and organizational features of mathematical problems on students' abilities to solve them. Subjects for the study were 238 high school students who had demonstrated ability in computing percentages in a nonproblem solving format. The data analyzed in the study were student responses…

A series of six experiments was conducted to increase understanding of human performance on diagnostic tasks, and in the process to investigate the feasibility of using context-free computer-based simulations to train troubleshooting skills. Three simulated diagnostic tasks were developed: a simple context-free task, a complex context-free task,…

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of different tasks on behavior in mother-child interactions. Five tasks, varying in degree of structure and difficulty, were used in mothers' interactions with their children at 24 and 36 months of age. Subjects were Mexican-American mothers and their children. All were participants in an…

The Department of Defense directed that the military services move toward the use of a common aptitude battery for satisfaction of their personnel selection requirements. The content of existing service classifications were studied during the initial phase of battery redesign. Elements from the Army Classification Inventory, the Navy Vocational…

This document contains one of two assessment tools developed by Project Proud Option, which developed and field-tested a set of student- and job-assessment instruments that provide a strategy for determining (1) the vocational skills required on a particular job; (2) the functional skill levels of a particular student; (3) a process to determine…

Undergraduate students using an imagery mnemonic mediating technique involving "keywords" to learn definitions of thirty unfamiliar words performed better on a 1-week delayed comprehension test, on at least half of the definitions, than those who read and copied definitions. Mnemonic mediating strategies worked better than nonmediating strategies…

A method for establishing minimal acceptable performance levels for criterion referenced multiple choice examinations is described and two procedures for evaluating its validity are discussed. The method involves assigning a priori item difficulties based on the similarity between the distractor and the correct response. In estimating the validity…

This study investigates the effect of mode of expression on the syntactic complexity of writing produced by third-grade children. Approximately 200 samples of writing in the modes of argumentation, exposition, narration, and description were collected from 50 third graders in the Atlanta school district. Syntactic complexity, as measured by length…

These two papers concentrate on criteria for judging nonprofessional jobs or new careers for the poor, steps in developing a career advancement plan, and the systems approach to manpower development in the human services. Attention is given to the need for meaningful and challenging assignments, flexibility in recruitment and program planning,…

The problems of teaching poetry in the elementary classroom are (1) the choice of poems and (2) the way in which the teacher presents the poems. Becuase good poetry can encourage the child's imagination, a teacher should avoid the mediocre "children's poems" generally found in textbooks and should present students with worthwhile poems from other…