Compares Angoff and Nedelsky methods for setting passing scores on tests. Using one of the methods, 84 college students were taught to estimate their probable scores on a vocabulary test. Estimates were compared to their later actual scores. The Nedelsky method was considerably less accurate under certain conditions, and both methods…

This article presents confidence interval methods for improving on the standard F tests in the balanced, completely between-subjects, fixed-effects analysis of variance. Exact confidence intervals for omnibus effect size measures, such as or and the root-mean-square standardized effect, provide all the information in the traditional hypothesis…

Although comparative judgment methods have a number of distinct advantages over ratings, they share one common problem: On the basis of comparative judgments, it is not possible to recover the origin of item evaluations. One item may be judged more positively than another, but this result does not allow any conclusions about whether either of the…

Person-fit statistics test whether the likelihood of a respondent's complete vector of item scores on a test is low given the hypothesized item response theory model. This binary information may be insufficient for diagnosing the cause of a misfitting item-score vector. The authors propose a comprehensive methodology for person-fit analysis in the…

The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children--Third Edition (D. Wechsler, 1991; WISC-III) is often used to identify subtest-based cognitive strengths and weaknesses that are subsequently used to generate interventions. Given that intelligence is presumed to be an enduring trait, cognitive strengths and weaknesses identified via subtest analysis…

The present study was conducted to ascertain the extent to which three alternative perspectives on identity development (self-construction, eudaimonistic self-discovery, and agentic personality) relate to various indices of identity consolidation drawn from Erikson, identity status, and identity capital. A total of 183 participants (21% males; 78%…

A reliability generalization of the Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale (RCMAS) was conducted using the normative sample. The RCMAS consists of a Total Anxiety scale as well as four subscales. Results suggest that the Total Anxiety scores are typically reliable (median across 48 samples = .81). Subscale scores were less reliable: The median…

It is argued that assessment discourses are essentially local discourses. Assessment warrants, such as certificates and diplomas, are essentially local creations. They ought not to be treated as valid and reliable descriptions of general achievement. The case is developed by distinguishing between three forms of assessment and arguing that…

Researchers often have one or more theories or expectations with respect to the outcome of their empirical research. When researchers talk about the expected relations between variables if a certain theory is correct, their statements are often in terms of one or more parameters expected to be larger or smaller than one or more other parameters.…

The practice of science as a mode of discovery is subject to change. This paper examines the "sciences" practiced by G. Stanley Hall in his "Adolescence" of 1904 and by contemporary researchers who study youth in 2004. After briefly reviewing the nature of Hall's empiricism, we draw on a representative sample of articles (n=182) published between…

This article discusses the research reported in this special issue with respect to implications for policy, practice, and future research. The discussion focuses on the functions of research in reporting, enlightenment and conceptualization, short-run empiricism, and testing for replication. The article concludes by calling for systematic and…

The purpose of this report is to provide an update on the state of the research on testing accommodations, as well as to identify promising areas of research to further clarify and enhance understanding of current and emerging issues. The research described encompasses empirical studies of score comparability and validity studies, as well as…

Assessment reform has been on the educational agenda of many countries for at least two decades. In this article - which begins by charting what lies behind the calls for a paradigm shift in assessment and what is being proposed instead - classroom assessment is explored in detail in relation to its links with teacher and student assessment, as…

Compelling arguments for reform of statistical practices have been made in many disciplines, in some cases over several decades, but achieving reform has proved difficult. We discuss how reform has progressed--or not progressed--in psychology, medicine, and ecology and describe case studies of attempts by pioneering journal editors to change…

The assessment for learning framework in education has become big business: huge quantities of time, money and energy have been invested in England, Wales and more recently the USA. This article shows that the assessment for learning theory is inefficient and often contradictory. Black and Wiliam's earlier work provides much of the theoretical…