A guide to behavioral objectives for elementary school mathematics published in the Assyrian language contains the complete sequence of objectives for the first four levels, covering kindergarten and grade 1. The levels include the average number of objectives the student should cover in a specific time period. The program gives the child the…

In this study, simulated and actual Air Force test data were used to compare the different procedures for equating mental tests: conventional (equipercentile and linear), Item Response Theory (IRT), and strong true-score theory (STST); data collection designs used were single-group, equivalent-groups, and anchor test. Equating transformations were…

Students in a college introductory statistics class were evaluated with conceptual and computational tests and the relationship between their levels of knowledge on the two forms of testing was assessed. There were significant correlations between their abilities to perform computations and to answer more conceptual questions on individual tests…

A three-part correlational study examined the explanatory power of the Lexile theory of reading comprehension, which was based on the semantic and syntactic components of prose. Correlations were performed between the item difficulties of nine nationally normed reading comprehension tests and computer generated difficulties which were reported in…

The course in basic French for French-speaking Africa is intended for use by Peace Corps volunteers. It consists of lists of specific behavioral objectives for two proficiency levels and 20 lessons emphasizing grammar and vocabulary for everyday situations in Peace Corps work. Lessons contain a presentation of the basic material to be covered,…

The comparative effects of various sequences of test items were examined for over 900 graduate students enrolled in an educational research course at The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa. experiment, which was conducted a total of four times using four separate tests, presented three different arrangements of 50 multiple-choice items: (1)…

Issues related to the estimation of individuals' vocabulary size are discussed, including the rationale for vocabulary size research and the psychological, pedagogical, and quantitative approaches to vocabulary research and methodological problems associated with them. Some results from a large-scale assessment of Finnish comprehensive school…

The Reading Test for New York State Elementary Schools is designed to determine the most difficult prose text a student can read with comprehension. Test uses described include evaluating the student's current level of achievement; determining reading difficulty levels for instruction; measuring growth of comprehension; determining statewide…

The "Test Development Notebook" is a resource designed for the preparation of tests of literal comprehension for students in grades 1 through 12. This volume contains 200 multiple-choice cloze exercises taken from textbooks in science, and the accompanying answer key. Each exercise carries the code letter of the section to which it belongs. The…

A male bias in United States society persists in that power, competitiveness, and rational planning are rewarded while nurturing, cooperation, and intimacy are devalued. This pattern of societal "reinforcement" severely penalizes women. Social learning in childhood, particularly in games, much like on-the-job training in adulthood, has important…

This paper reports a multi-method approach for examining the cognitive level of multiple-choice items used in a medical pathology course at a large midwestern medical school. Analysis of the standard item analysis data and think-out-loud reports of a sample of students completing a 66 item examination were used to test assumptions related to the…

Each of the three studies in this report examines a different aspect of the basic question of what the four item types (analogies, antonyms, reading comprehension, and sentence completion) on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) verbal section are measuring and of whether a change in the relative emphasis on the various item types would enhance the…

Three studies of children at two developmental levels were made to assess subjects' understanding of the verbal terms "easy" (to do) and "hard" (to do). Such understanding was studied in the context of statements about personal competence at depicted activities. Behavioral criteria of levels of understanding were employed;…

The purpose of this article is to discuss the importance of student self-selecting literature and reading engagement in an elementary reading curriculum. The article discuses the use of self-selected reading in the context of child development, book difficulty, independent reading time accountability, and a supportive environment. The successful…

Replicating a 1978 study of methods of setting cut-off scores in standardized tests for student placement, the Rasch model was used to estimate ability levels and item difficulty for use in determining the probability of course success. Community college students were administered the New Jersey College Basic Skills Placement Tests and items were…