If elementary science education is to be improved, elementary teachers must be willing to devote more time and energy to the curriculum. Increased self-efficacy and outcome expectancy beliefs were predicted antecedents to the behavior change. This study was designed to provide a valid and reliable measure of the teacher self-efficacy of preservice…

This report summarizes findings on 26 National Teacher Examination specialty area tests provided by faculty reviewers from five Oregon institutions of higher education. Reviewers were asked to judge tests on the basis of: (1) whether students at the reviewer's institution would have the opportunity to acquire the knowledge measured in test items;…

This fastback concentrates on writing technically correct test items that are compatible with the teacher's instructional objectives. The introductory chapter touches on some of the problems associated with preparing classroom tests. The second chapter outlines five steps in preparing a test according to the "Plan-Write" System: (1) prepare a…

In an effort to improve the ways in which words are learned, the Johnson O'Connor Research Foundation (JOCRF) is attempting to determine the difficulty level of all non-technical words in the English language. This item banking project entails: (1) identifying words that should be calibrated; (2) writing a test item for each word; (3) testing the…

Computerized adaptive testing procedures (CATPs) based on the graded response method (GRM) of F. Samejima (1969) and the partial credit model (PCM) of G. Masters (1982) were developed and compared. Both programs used maximum likelihood estimation of ability, and item selection was conducted on the basis of information. Two simulated data sets, one…

Factors affecting a lower-bound estimate of internal consistency reliability, Cronbach's coefficient alpha, are explored. Theoretically, coefficient alpha is an estimate of the correlation between two tests drawn at random from a pool of items like the items in the test under consideration. As a practical matter, coefficient alpha can be an index…

A review of the National Teacher Examinations (NTE) has focused on the Commons Examinations component. The Commons, now named the National Teacher Examinations Core Battery, tests general knowledge, communication skills, and professional knowledge in three separate tests. Users may select portions of the tests that best suit their needs at various…

The Mantel-Haenszel procedure (MH) is a practical, inexpensive, and powerful way to detect test items that function differently in two groups of examinees. MH is a natural outgrowth of previously suggested chi square methods, and it is also related to methods based on item response theory. The study of items that function differently for two…

In latent trait theory the latent space, or space of the hypothetical construct, is usually represented by some unidimensional or multi-dimensional continuum of real numbers. Like the latent space, the item response can either be treated as a discrete variable or as a continuous variable. Latent trait theory relates the item response to the latent…

This study analyzed the relationship between selecting critical errors (choices that would be dangerous to patients) and conventional test scores on a medical school certifying examination that included three item formats: regular and weighted multiple-choice questions and patient management problems. Data from a Clinical Certifying Examination…

A study examined the relationship of native language and level of English proficiency to the structure of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Using all of the information provided by various responses to the test's items (the four alternatives, omitted, and not reached), the items' interrelations were analyzed by three-way…

The determination of appropriate cut scores is a critical step in the development of licensing and certification examinations. Passing point methodologies based on the estimation of item difficulties are underlain by the estimation of the probability of a correct response to items by a hypothetically minimally competent candidate. The Angoff…

This study was designed to investigate the empirical consequences of building tests for which the size of the difference in average scores between Black and White examinees is made to be as large and as small as possible within certain constraints. Test forms for two item types were developed that maximized or minimized the differences in average…

Chemistry 30 is a 12th-grade science course for students in Alberta, Canada. This document is the final test for the course. Intended for administration during January 1988, it contains 56 multiple-choice questions and three written-response questions. Two-and-one-half hours are allowed for completing the test. No answer key is included since…

Physics 30 is a 12th-grade science course for students in Alberta, Canada. This document is the major examination for the course. Both English and French versions are provided. Intended for administration during January 1988, it contains 56 multiple-choice questions and three written-response questions. Two-and-one-half hours are allowed for…