A general process for testing the feasibility of applying alternative mathematical or statistical models to the solution of a practical problem is presented and flowcharted. The system is used to compare five models for test equating: (1) anchor test equating using classical test theory; (2) anchor test equating using the one-parameter logistic…

A rating scale was developed that could be used to test Raynor's construct of perceived instrumentality--that the perceived importance of a particular achievement (such as a good grade) to the student's future (career) influences the student's efforts to achieve the goal. The scale was developed to study the perceived importance of learning French…

THE DRAW-A-PERSON AND THE BENDER-GESTALT TESTS WERE ADMINISTERED TO A GROUP OF SIBLINGS PARTICIPATING IN A STUDY OF LEARNING DISABILITY. THE SIBLINGS WERE DIVIDED INTO FOUR GROUPS OF SUBJECTS--EDUCATIONALLY HANDICAPPED (EH), SUCCESSFUL ACADEMIC (SA) CONTROLS, EDUCATIONALLY HANDICAPPED SIBLINGS (EHS), AND SUCCESSFUL ACADEMIC SIBLINGS (SAS)…

A project was undertaken to develop and validate a method of assessing teacher competence through the use of pupil performance tests. Teachers were given a list of specific, operationally defined objectives for a particular topic and directed to teach the objectives. Teacher competence was judged in relationship to the way their students performed…

A STUDY EXAMINED THE VALIDITY OF TWO BRIEF INTELLIGENCE SCALES, THE PEABODY PICTURE VOCABULARY TEST (PPVT) AND THE COLUMBIA MENTAL MATURITY SCALE (CMMS), TO SEE IF THESE TESTS OVERESTIMATED THE INCIDENCE OF INTELLECTUAL RETARDATION AMONG POVERTY AREA CHILDREN. THESE TWO TESTS AND AN EXPERIMENTAL MEASURE OF INTELLIGENCE, THE JOHNS HOPKINS…

A neurological examination has been developed to discover children with physiologically based learning problems who do not manifest asymmetrical functioning. This study attempts to determine the validity of this examination by its accuracy in predicting the performance of children in a summer Head Start program. Validity was determined by…

A matrix test was devised to assess cognitive skills associated with inferential reasoning. The format of the test requires the subject to choose, from among four alternatives, a figure which is related to other given figures on the basis of appearance, content, or spatial position in the matrix. The test consists of three perceptual matching…

Some of the problems unique to evaluation research, in particular to the evaluation of longitudinal studies of social programs, are presented. A working model found to be useful in structuring compensatory education program evaluation activities is also offered. Since the goals of social programs such as Head Start are dynamic rather than static,…

The implications of a mathematical model of test scores are explored where the data are limited to a random sample of items without replacement from an indefinitely large population or item domain in which items are scored either zero or one. The purpose is to obtain an unbiased estimate of a student's proportion of items correct in the item…

This manual supplements previous guides to the use of the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE). It provides sufficient detailed information about the GREs to permit measurement specialists and institutional researchers, as well as faculty members and administrators, to understand the development of the tests and to evaluate their usefulness.…

An analysis was made of quality ratings of elementary level standardized tests. Applying multidimensional scaling to intercorrelations of quality ratings, it was found that the criterion of content and construct validity was a central element in the evaluation of elementary tests. In addition, several types of validity and reliability were found…

The three research papers in this document concern open admissions and student success in the classrooms of Bronx Community College. Together, these projects capture much of what is involved in a comprehensive open admissions program. The first research report explores the technical characteristics, and therefore, the feasibility for use with…

The United States Training and Employment Service General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB), first published in 1947, has been included in a continuing program of research to validate the tests against success in many different occupations. The GATB consists of 12 tests which measure nine aptitudes: General Learning Ability; Verbal Aptitude; Numerical…

The Productive Thinking Program (PTP), consisting of 16 programmed lessons designed to develop productive thinking skills, was used as the basis of a program conducted with 546 fifth graders in 21 classes in four upstate New York school districts. One hundred and twenty students from one of these districts were involved in a modified Solomon Four…

A procedure for predicting categorical outcomes using categorical predictor variables was described by Moonan. This paper describes a related technique which uses prior probabilities, updated by joint likelihoods, as classification criteria. The procedure differs from Moonan's in that the outcome having the greatest posterior probability is…