The sampling errors of maximum likelihood estimates of item-response theory parameters are studied in the case where both people and item parameters are estimated simultaneously. A check on the validity of the standard error formulas is carried out. The effect of varying sample size, test length, and the shape of the ability distribution is…

The reliability of the Writing Skills Assessment Test (WSAT) given to all entering freshmen at the City University of New York (CUNY) is the subject of this monograph. The monograph states that although the WSAT is scored according to validated and widely-used holistic procedures, some CUNY faculty had expressed concern about aspects of the WSAT's…

The impact of admission criteria to teacher education programs in Alabama and the impact of a recently established exit examination required for certification were examined. Current admission criteria included: (1) completion of 60 semester hours of the approved general studies program with a grade point average (GPA) of at least 1.2 on a 3.0…

A conventional verbal ability test and a Bayesian adaptive verbal ability test were compared using a variety of psychometric criteria. Tests were administered to 550 Marine recruits, half of whom received two 30-item alternate forms of a conventional test and half of whom received two 30-item alternate forms of a Bayesian adaptive test. Both types…

A study assessed the applicability of the American Institutes for Research (AIR) procedures' Performance-Against-Standard form for use in personnel evaluation by the Ohio Cooperative Extension Service. The study also compared relevant test construction approaches identified in the literature to those used in the AIR study in attempting to confirm…

It has been suggested that training in altruistic behavior would last longer if the change were self-initiated. To compare methods of increasing altruistic behavior, 103 male college students were randomly assigned either to self-record their altruisitc behaviors, to read about helping and caring, or to a control group. All took the Minnesota…

In 1982-83, Riverside Unified School District (California) selected an achievement test to provide both norm- and criterion-referenced (dual objective) data for its achievement testing program. The test selection process was focused around eight evaluation aspects: prescreening of tests, content matching, instructional evaluation, processing…

The focus of this review is on observational measures of pupil classroom behaviors. Two issues are raised in connection with these measures. First, there is a survey of the types of observation schedules employed in recent classroom intervention research. Second, there is an evaluation of the validity of these behavioral measures. That evaluation…

The purpose of this paper is to report the research that took place during the development of the "ENRIGHT Diagnostic Inventory of Basic Arithmetic Skills." This is a criterion-referenced test designed to provide educators with information useful for changing instructional strategies based on known error patterns of students in grades 1 through 9.…

Intended for use by early childhood practitioners who select and use early childhood assessment instruments, this guide provides information needed to judge instrument appropriateness and technical quality. The guide focuses mainly on standardized, broadly available instruments. Criteria for selecting instruments include publication after 1979,…

In an assessment of the adequacy of the Gesell screening examination as a test instrument, a Gesell Screening Evaluation was given to 400 children semi-annually from their 4th to 6th year. The sample, which was stratified by parent occupation, included 40 girls and 40 boys at 5 age levels. The test battery corresponded with the Gesell Preschool…

The purpose of this paper is to compare the utility of the information yielded by the classical and latent trait psychometric models when they are used to examine the psychometric qualities of an instrument designed to assess school-related stress. The instrument, known as the School Situation Survey (SSS), is described, and efforts to determine…

Prompted by the increased use of behavior rating instruments in educational environments and evidence of confusion over the interpretation of labels designating behavior clusters, the present two-phase study analyzed 410 specific items contained in seven behavior rating instruments and investigated whether these items could be intuitively sorted…

In an effort to improve the reliability of the Noncognitive Questionnaire (NCQ), the instrument was revised and the revision's reliability and validity were examined examined with black and white college freshmen. The NCQ measures eight non-traditional or non-cognitive variables that relate to minority student retention. The revised NCQ is…

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) measures variations in normal personality. The validity of the measure has only recently been examined by analyses of the structure underlying MBTI responses; and these investigations have used exploratory factor analyses, rather than confirmatory factor analytic methods. A confirmatory factor analysis was…