Two basic requirements for the successful initiation of a program for test assembly are the development of detailed item content classification systems and the delineation of the professional judgements made in building a test from a pool of items to detailed content, ability, and statistical specifications in terms precise enough to be translated…

The TITA (Totally Interactive Testing and Analysis) System algorithm for the repetitive construction of domain-referenced tests utilizes a compact data bank, is highly portable, is useful in any discipline, requires modest computer hardware, and does not present a security problem. Clusters of related keyphrases, statement phrases, and distractors…

Although methods for estimating item difficulty are abundant, little attention has been given to the psychological processes involved when a student responds to a single test item. Mastery of educational objectives is not proven when a student supplies the correct answer to items intended to test these objectives. The student's problem solving…

Matching test (MT) construction techniques were compared. These included: (a) MT instruction that limit the number of times responses can be selected to once, rather than more than once; (2) MTs that are organized in groups of five premises, or stems, rather than in groups of ten premises; and (3) MTs designed to measure knowledge, rather than a…

One of the most critical elements in the adaptation of productivity analysis to education is the adequacy of the instruments for measuring program output or achievement. Various aspects of standardized test construction make them less than desirable measures of productivity. The Test Development Notebook which the New York State Department of…

A computer program which generates randomly sequenced problems for testing the abilities of students to add, subtract, and multiply one-digit numbers is described. Appendices provide tables of random sequences with directions for using the tables. The 54-statement FORTRAN program which can be used in generating additional sequences is also…

This paper describes research in progress to define and measure the operational manifestations of five sociological functions of schooling proposed by William Spady: selection, custody/control, instruction, socialization, and evaluation/certification. The paper briefly presents the theoretical framework, describes the elaboration of this theory…

A battery of criterion referenced Job Task Performance Tests (JTPT) was developed because paper and pencil tests of job knowledge and electronic theory had very poor criterion-related or empirical validity with respect to the ability of electronic maintenance men to perform their job. Although the original JTPT required the use of actual…

This paper will discuss the results of a series of computer simulations comparing the Rasch logistic model to a series of models departing to various degrees from its assumption of equal discrimination power for all items. The results have implications for test construction and test scoring, indicating how closely the conventional raw score…

A multi-dimensional construct of self-esteem has been proposed and subjected to initial testing through design of a self-report instrument. Item clusters derived from Rao's canonical and principal axis factor analyses are consistent with the hypothesized construct and have substantial internal reliability. Factor analysis of item clusters produced…

In order to assess the relationship between knowledge of language structure and reading comprehension, the English Language Structure Test was constructed. In this test, students had to reconstruct scrambled sentences of controlled complexity. The English Language Structure Test and the Stanford Reading Test were administered to 202 junior high…

The affective domain defines levels of behavior that pertain to feelings, emotions, attitudes, and values. The affective domain is important in the educational process because the way a child feels about himself as a learner may have a greater impact on his future development than his mastery of a particular skill or set of skills. Because the…

A criterion-referenced test is one that is used to identify an individual student's status with respect to an established standard of performance. This standard of performance, a performance objective, describes the expected student behavioral changes and the conditions and criteria under which these changes will occur. The specificity of the…

This study was designed to investigate the construction of a new measure for assessing reading performance which would prove to be a more sensitive and useful instrument for measuring the achievement growth induced by reading programs than the usual standardized tests. This report outlines the procedures followed in generating the model and…

The reading test forms in this booklet are to be used primarily for determining students' reading grade level. In expanded forms, they can also serve as diagnostic tools for some reading and learning disabilities. All teachers should be able to administer these tests with relative accuracy and, when applicable, discover narrow areas which will…