A test of curiosity is being constructed with a view to item-content appropriateness for a population of unselected adults. Curiosity may be defined as specific or diversive. It was felt that the two were not synonymous and there was a need to differentiate between them; the test of specific curiosity under construction aims to identify the…

This progress report describes the method used in acquiring the verbal behavior of teachers during class time. The method of acquiring this data is an important part of the larger study concerned with the evaluation and standardization of coding categories for use as an observation and research tool in analyzing teacher behavior. In fact, the…

The domain-referenced approach to assessment results in a set of tests that are closely linked to theoretical propositions about aspects of reading comprehension. In this paper, the definition, validation, and use of domains are described, and one strategy for developing domain-referenced measures is proposed. The strategy involves identifying a…

This paper describes three classification criterion tasks and the rationale for their selection. A set of parameters is defined and then used to describe the item format for the test. The test format and content domain are presented and discussed. Sample testing directions and materials are appended. (Author)

The purpose of this paper is to help teachers develop a table of specifications for use in classroom testing. The common elements of tables of specifications are presented and explained. Special emphasis is placed on content-process validity. There are 12 tables of specifications in the appendix. The tables serve as examples and are representative…

This report gives the basic definition and purpose of competency-based teacher education (CBTE) cut-off scores. It describes the basic characteristics of CBTE as a yes-no dichotomous decision regarding the presence of a specific ability or knowledge, which necesitates the establishment of a cut-off point to designate competency vs. incompetency on…

In developing tests for the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) survey, methodological problems arose in three areas: curriculum, communication, and culture. Efforts to identify the core of common objectives and the penumbra of distinctive, sometimes partly shared but sometimes unique, goals operated…

AUTOQUEST is a computer aid to independent study. It presents ordinary text to a student at a computer terminal, a paragraph at a time. Using a pattern-matching approach, the system generates a question based on one of the sentences of the text and grades the student's answer. If the student's answer does not match the words of the text, the…

The purpose of this bulletin is to help the teacher derive the full value from the classroom test as an important educational tool. Principles of good test construction are explained and illustrated. Concrete examples of good procedure and poor procedure are offered. A checklist is presented of the salient points to keep in mind when preparing a…

This is a diagnostic test to determine the student's ability to answer certain questions concerning Hispanic American Culture, Language, and History. The test contains nine questions, all of which are in both Spanish and English, as are the instructions to the student. (DB)

A new, more specific language for describing work activities, based upon the duty module (clusters of tasks that tend to go together occupationally and organizationally in meaningful ways) is being designed for the Army. The purpose is to improve communications between resource and requirement planners and program operators. The paper proposes two…

A study was conducted to measure the facility of kindergarten pupils in using optically scannable response sheets. Three types of response boxes were tested. It was concluded that pupils are able to handle a ten-item two-sided test with minimal practice and directions. (Author)

The Echoic Response Inventory for Children (ERIC) is part of a test battery which includes the Expressive Vocabulary Inventory (EVI) and the Children's Auditory Discrimination Inventory (CADI), designed to assess language skills of disadvantaged children. These tests also seek to provide data that can help determine what changes in language…

Three major points covered by this report are (1) What are the demands for reading assessment and how have the demands increased?; (2) How adequately do present standardized reading tests meet these demands?; and (3) What possible approaches exist for developing assessment procedures which meet these demands? An extreme interest in finding out how…

Studies showing that even though certain factual questions are directly related to information in passages they are also easier to answer without reference to the passage are the basis for this study which attempted to define qualities of relationship which might be responsible for the ease of answerability. Three Tests of Acquisition of…