This module contains a student manual and an instructor's manual for study of vocabulary for vocational education aimed at students with special needs. The student manual consists of quizzes that consist of matching and multiple-choice items that can be used to review the vocabulary of the unit as presented on a videotaped lesson. Answers to the…

This paper explores the comparability of item calibrations for three types of items: (1) text only; (2) text with photographs; and (3) text plus graphics when items are presented on written tests and computerized adaptive tests. Data are from five different medical technology certification examinations administered nationwide in 1993. The Rasch…

The strengths of item-response theory (IRT) are used to examine the degree of information individual test items provide, as well as to investigate how the individual item types contribute to the overall measurement accuracy of the Illinois Goal Assessment Program (IGAP) reading test. Using the graded-response model of Samejima (1969), the amount…

The robustness of a partial credit (PC) model-based computerized adaptive test's (CAT's) ability estimation to items that did not fit the PC model was investigated. A CAT program was written based on the PC model. The program used maximum likelihood estimation of ability. Item selection was on the basis of information. The simulation terminated…

A latent trait model is described that is appropriate for use with tests that measure more than one dimension, and its application to both real and simulated test data is demonstrated. Procedures for estimating the parameters of the model are presented. The research objectives are to determine whether the two-parameter logistic model more…

SCORIGHT is a very general computer program for scoring tests. It models tests that are made up of dichotomously or polytomously rated items or any kind of combination of the two through the use of a generalized item response theory (IRT) formulation. The items can be presented independently or grouped into clumps of allied items (testlets) or in…

This paper discusses the assumptions required by the item response theory (IRT) true-score equating method (with Stocking & Lord, 1983; scaling approach), which is commonly used in the nonequivalent groups with an anchor data-collection design. More precisely, this paper investigates the assumptions made at each step by the IRT approach to…

This paper focuses on the Non-Equivalent Groups with Anchor Test (NEAT) design for test equating and on two classes of observed--score equating (OSE) methods--chain equating (CE) and poststratification equating (PSE). These two classes of methods reflect two distinctly different ways of using the information provided by the anchor test for…

This book is written for coaches of secondary school students involved in mathematics contests. Benefits, of contests and suggestions for coaching mathematics contests are described. Sample questions are presented for the following contests: (1) Open categories, written competition; (2) Identified topics written competition; (3) Eight-person team…

The validity of the analysis of variance (ANOVA) of a split plot factorial design was investigated using a complex interaction contrast with matched two-group ability data for detecting biased items. The definition of a biased item by this method is: an item is biased if there is an item-by-group interaction when there is no group difference in…

In order to determine the effectiveness of multidimensional scaling (MDS) in recovering the dimensionality of a set of dichotomously-scored items, data were simulated in one, two, and three dimensions for a variety of correlations with the underlying latent trait. Similarity matrices were constructed from these data using three margin-sensitive…

This test item bank on welding contains test questions based upon competencies found in the Missouri Welding Competency Profile. Some test items are keyed for multiple competencies. These criterion-referenced test items are designed to work with the Vocational Instructional Management System. Questions have been statistically sampled and validated…

Two modification formulas are presented for the test information function in order to provide better measures of local accuracies of the estimation of "theta" when maximum likelihood estimation is used to provide the estimate of ability "theta." A minimum bound of any estimator, biased or unbiased, is considered; and Formula 1…

The purpose of this research was to reinvestigate the accuracy of three item bias detection procedures: (1) Linn and Harnisch's pseudo-IRT(Z) method; (2) Camilli's chi-square technique; and (3) Angoff's revised transformed item difficulty method. These methods are applied when the minority group sample size is too small to obtain stable estimates…

Attitude measures frequently produce distributions of item scores that attenuate interitem correlations and thus also distort findings regarding the factor structure underlying the items. An actual data set involving 260 adult subjects' responses to 55 items on the Love Relationships Scale is employed to illustrate empirical methods for…