This test item bank on graphic arts contains test questions based upon competencies found in the Missouri Offset Lithography 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. The tests cover the following 15…

A study examined the nature of functional literacy among 671 Moroccan children, aged 11-14, and the relationship of functional and classroom literacy to background factors and school experience. Students were assessed on a series of household literacy tasks sampling knowledge of spatial and monetary print conventions, specialized vocabulary, and…

Any systematic approach to the assessment of students' ability implies the use of a model. The more explicit the model is, the more its users know about what they are doing and what the consequences are. The Rasch model is a strong model where measurement is a bonus of the model itself. It is based on four ideas: (1) separation of observable…

Each year the New York State Mathematics League (NYSML) and the Atlantic Region Mathematics League (ARML) hold mathematics competitions for secondary school students. This document contains the questions used from 1973 to 1985, and the ARML questions used from 1976 to 1985. For each competition listed the book provides: (1) power questions; (2)…

This report summarizes the results of research designed to study the psychometric and technological feasibility of adaptive testing to assess spatial ability. Data was collected from high school students on two types of spatial items: three-dimensional cubes and hidden figure items. The analysis of the three-dimensional cubes focused on the fit of…

This module contains resource materials to help vocational education teachers construct effective written tests. (The materials supplement the videotape on "Written Test Construction.") Materials in the packet include guidelines for developing written tests in general and specific guidelines for the five major types of test items, brief…

This article presents the perspective that the quality of teacher-made, small classroom tests has not improved, and may have declined in recent years. This decline may be due to the fact that teachers have come to believe that the kinds of objective items used in national standardized tests are the only item types appropriate for classroom use.…

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…

This study investigated the diagnostic effectiveness of the Language Assessment Tasks (LAT) in differentiating language disordered students from nonhandicapped students. LAT was administered individually to two groups of subjects (experimental and control) matched for sex, race, and birthdate (ages 9-14 years). The performances of each group of…

For many years personalization of achievement testing has been impossible in all but the simplest forms. Recently, item response theory (IRT), or latent trait theory, has emerged as a valuable tool which brings far greater flexibility to the process than had previously been possible. The single parameter Rasch Model, a mathematical model developed…

This manual, which is provided as a resource for Illinois School Districts and which incorporates some of the materials in the Alaska Department of Education's Assessment Handbook, is designed to meet the requirements of Public Act 84-126 and to help practitioners develop student assessment plans of local usefulness. Areas covered in the…

This is a part of the Manitoba Mathematics Assessment Program 1987. Actual testing material and the manual for grade nine are provided. The test (77 items) plus two option sections in Part C requires 70 minutes to be taken. Calculators are permitted for Parts B and C only. The manual describes general testing instructions, administration, scoring…

This resource paper is a guide for planning and developing instructionally relevant tests of student learning at the classroom, building, or district level. It is based on a model of instruction and testing which systematically uses assessment information to support and facilitate instructional improvement. Course goals and objectives are first…

Monte Carlo simulation was used to investigate score bias and information characteristics of Owen's Bayesian adaptive testing strategy, and to examine possible causes of score bias. Factors investigated in three related studies included effects of item discrimination, effects of fixed vs. variable test length, and effects of an accurate prior…

This booklet contains the competencies, item specifications, and sample items for the mathematics competency tests developed by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction for administration at grades 3, 7, and 10. Commonly referred to as the "shelf tests," they will be available for the first time during the 1985-86 school year. Ten…