The method of using person vectors in regression analysis to test repeated measures hypotheses or questions is discussed. These hypotheses involve designs with pre and post scores with one group and with multiple groups. Based on these analyses with person vectors, there are two major focuses of the paper: a proposed solution to the problem of…

Standardized testing plays an increasingly important role in the lives of today's students and educators. The U.S. No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) requires assessment in math and literacy in grades 3-8 and 10 and, as of 2007-08, in science once in grades 3-5, 6-9, and 10-12. Based on National Center for Education Statistics enrollment projections,…

The supplementary information on "Alberta Essay Scales: Models" presented here includes similar models to employ in grading essays, the background and development of the scales, and the rationale for developing two scales of English mechanics and style/content. A standard is presented for evaluating current writing achievement by…

A case study of the Florida Teacher Certification Examination (FTCE) program was described to assist others launching the development of large scale item banks. FTCE has four subtests: Mathematics, Reading, Writing, and Professional Education. Rasch calibrated item banks have been developed for all subtests except Writing. The methods used to…

Sullivan's Ethical Reasoning Scale contains three dilemmas with response pairs representing Kohlberg's stages of moral development. In Kohlberg's first three stages, goodness is equated with lack of punishment, usefulness, and approval, respectively. Good is seen as conformity to rule and ruler in stage four, and stage five comprises…

A computer simulation procedure was developed to reproduce the overall pattern of results obtained in the Educational Testing Service Growth Study. Then simulated data for seven sets of 10,000 to 15,000 cases were analyzed, and findings compared on the basis of correlations between estimated and true growth scores. Findings showed that growth was…

This report forms the background for some current efforts to develop computer-based scoring systems for One-Word Sentence Completion data. A general discussion of response grouping problems and a three-way frequency table for data reduction are included. In addition, six "structural" response variables are defined. The report concludes with an…

Estimates for the variance of empirically determined scoring weights are given. It is shown that test item writers should write distractors that discriminate on the criterion variable when this type of scoring is used. (Author)

The second section of a four-part technical report of Florida's statewide program for assessing reading-related skills in grades 2 and 4 provides statistical and scoring information. Item and student sampling, a test re-scoring study, reporting statewide assessment data (percentage of achievement, types of tables used), and standard error…

An elementary survey of item characteristic curve theory, centered around the problems of individualized (tailored) testing, is presented. Following the introduction, discussions are provided of the following: Test Theory for Itemized Tests; The Guttman Scale; Item Characteristic Curve Theory; An Alternative Model; Specialization, Application, and…

The two studies described here compare essays composed on word processors with those composed with pen and paper for a standardized writing assessment. The following questions guided these studies: (1) Are there differences in test administration and writing processes associated with handwritten versus word-processor writing assessments? (2) Are…

The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) was used in this study, which attempted to develop a new methodology for assessing the speededness of right-scored tests. Traditional procedures of assessing speededness have assumed that the test is scored under formula-scoring instructions; this approach is not always appropriate. In this study,…

This research attempted to interrelate several methods of producing option weights (i.e., Guttman internal and external weights and judges' weights) and examined their effects on reliability and on concurrent, predictive, and face validity. It was concluded that option weighting offered limited, if any, improvement over unit weighting. (Author/CTM)

Results of applying different aptitude-achievement discrepancy models for test scores were compared for 150 second, 150 third, 150 fourth, and 130 fifth graders in several school systems in the Southeast who had been referred for psychoeducational testing for learning disabilities to determine whether different groups of students were identified…

Exercises from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) third mathematics assessment are provided in this released exercise set. Exercises were administered to 9-year-olds, 13-year-olds, and 17-year-olds. Some exercises were administered to only one age group, others to two or more age groups. The set is divided into two parts: text…