This article describes the 2-5-8 Assessment Plan, an assessment process based on Bloom's taxonomy that allows students to choose test items to complete. Test items are given 2, 5, or 8 points depending on difficulty and students must choose any assignments that total ten points. Grading the assessments is discussed. (Contains one reference.) (CR)

Describes the process and discourse stances of a team of teachers involved in deriving a rating scale for writing ability. Focuses on instances during the process where actions of the participants or their use of the data sample could be shown to influence the criteria potential for variation within the two test method characteristics of "scale…

Developed a multidimensional scale of adolescents' satisfaction with mental health services with items derived from qualitative interviews about their experiences in services. Results from 180 adolescents indicate the psychometric qualities of the scale. Discusses the four-factor structure and scale reliability. (SLD)

Uses data from two different medical examinations to study how to collect enough information about candidates with minimal measurement error and reasonable confidence without asking examiners for redundant ratings. Results, using the FACETS program show the feasibility of using analytic ratings of clinical skills rather than holistic ratings. (SLD)

The Parent and Youth Vanderbilt Functioning Indexes are functioning problem indexes for children and adolescents that require neither clinicians nor trained raters. Their low cost of administration permits adequate sample sizes in outcome evaluations of large numbers of students. The development of these instruments is described. (SLD)

Highlights some of the psychometric results reported by National Evaluation Systems in their study of the Massachusetts Educator Certification Test and identifies characteristics of this test that are inconsistent with the "Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing." Comments also on an Alabama class action lawsuit dealing with…

Describes the activities of the Center on Rehabilitation Effectiveness at Boston University and explains how the Center will meet challenges that include the demand for pediatric rehabilitation assessments that are conceptually grounded in rehabilitation theory and that are short but sensitive enough to detect meaningful disability restrictions…

The development and initial validation of a new Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory--2 (MMPI-2) scale designed to determine infrequent responding with psychopathological populations are described. Results with 1,179 subjects show that the Infrequency-Psychopathology Scale (F p ) may be useful in settings with high base rates of…

An automated item selection procedure for selecting unidimensional scales of polytomous items from multidimensional data sets is developed for use in the context of the item response theory model of monotone homogeneity of R. J. Mokken. The procedure is based on the selection procedure proposed by Mokken (1971). (SLD)

This collection of essays by measurement specialists addresses a variety of important issues in educational and psychological testing. Although not all of the "rules" are new, many topics of contemporary interest are discussed, some in detail that exceeds what the psychologist and educator really need to know. (SLD)

Presents conclusions of an independent measurement expert that the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) was constructed according to acceptable professional standards and tests curricular material considered by the Texas Board of Education important for graduates to have mastered. Also supports the validity and reliability of the TAAS and…

Study aims to extend previous research by evaluating the treatment sensitivity of items on a measure of child behavior, the Parent-Elementary form of the Social Skills Rating Scale using a clinical rather than experimental sample. Results reveal that scales formed with the subset of change-sensitive items demonstrate larger effect sizes than the…

Gives concrete examples of examinations in which Computer Algebra Systems (CAS) can be used. Discusses the need to link the construction of the examination and evaluation of the exam scripts in terms of an existing classification scheme for mathematical tasks, the MATH Taxonomy. (Author/MM)

Explains and demonstrates a procedure that is commonly used to determine the reliability of a test in such a way that a person who has modest arithmetical skills can carry out the same analysis on a classroom test or examination. (ASK)

Investigated the reliability, validity, and practicality of a controlled production measure of vocabulary, consisting of items from five frequency levels and using a completion-item format. Two equivalent test forms were compared. The test was found to be useful in distinguishing between different proficiency groups. (Author/MSE)