Of the four language skills, reading is probably tested most often, and it may seem to be the easiest to test. However, testing reading proficiency has its difficulties, and the test constructor must be aware of several issues. Reading involves a number of skills, and the number and complexity of these must be recognized. Choosing the text to test…

Computerized adaptive (CA) testing uses an algorithm to match examinee ability to item difficulty, while self-adapted (SA) testing allows the examinee to choose the difficulty of his or her items. Research comparing SA and CA testing has shown that examinees experience lower anxiety and improved performance with SA testing. All previous research…

An examination of the content and level of mastery required of students taking statewide mathematics achievement tests was conducted to provide clues about the kind and level of mathematics valued in the United States. Proposals for voluntary national tests also contributed to the rationale for the study. In particular, this study: (1) examined…

A study assessed the cognitive level of academic challenges incorporated into courses offered in the College of Agricultural Sciences at the Pennsylvania State University. Eleven faculty members from nine departments provided copies of all academic challenges used in their courses. They were categorized by type: activities, problem sets, written…

While native and non-native English-speakers may approach scientific English differently, the same features cause difficulty for both groups. The difficulties generally occur more with grammar and the complex relationships between terms than with vocabularly, and may be classified in seven categories: interlocking definitions, technical…

As second language teaching moves away from traditional graded exercises to instruction in which communicative competence is the primary focus, exercises have become practice- and task-based, and systematic grading and diagnostic testing have disappeared. Students are sometimes being asked to perform tasks with which they would have difficulty in…

Four classroom activities for second language learning are described. They include games and other exercises designed to enhance vocabulary development, review grammatical structures, encourage conversation on a variety of topics, and introduce cultural elements into instruction. All use materials that are readily available, and all are intended…

How data gathered through item response theory (IRT) analysis can be used to give immediate diagnostic information without a computer is explained. The Kidmap, developed by B. D. Wright and others (1980), provides clear information in a visual manner. Its major problem lies in the need for a computer and suitable software to construct a Kidmap.…

Tables of specifications are used to guide test developers in sampling items and maintaining consistency from form to form. This paper is a generalizability study of the American College Testing Program (ACT) Achievement Program Mathematics Test (AAP), with the content areas of the table of specifications representing multiple dependent variables.…

Delaware's state standards for modern foreign language curricula are designed to assist school districts in designing curricula in all languages. Introductory sections describe the evolution of the standards and the philosophy underlying foreign language instruction in the state, and offer general suggestions to the teacher for using the standards…

A series of three experiments was conducted for the purposes of (1) clarifying problems of previous research on the relationship between working memory capacity and performance on figural analogy tasks, and (2) exploring developmental issues concerning executive strategies, working memory capacity, and perceptual processing. Directly manipulating…

After reviewing criticisms of the exclusive use of readability formulas to evaluate text difficulty and describing successful efforts to broaden the traditional readability formula approach, this report presents a 20 item checklist for determining text comprehensibility based on four criteria: (1) specific objectives or outcomes expected from the…

College teachers often use norm-referenced classroom tests which are too easy for distinguishing adequately among levels of student achievement, yet they are reluctant to adopt more difficult tests. We explored the basis for current practices concerning test difficulty through informal interviews and questionnaires completed by faculty members and…

The Netherlands' secondary education system is highly differentiated, with four different school types for four scholastic ability levels. Final examinations must accommodate these four levels, and require a test-independent definition of the intended final ability levels as well as a sample-free evaluation of the range of ability levels at which…

Although perfectly scalable items rarely occur in practice, Guttman's concept of a scale has proved to be valuable to the development of measurement theory. If the score distribution is uniform and there is an equal number of items at each difficulty level, both the elements and the eigenvalues of the Pearson correlation matrix of dichotomous…