The purpose of the present study was to examine a common practice in some areas of program evaluation, the retrospective pretest, and to present recommendations regarding its use. The authors review literature to emphasize first, that bias is likely in both prospective and retrospective ratings, and second, that under some circumstances,…

Since 2000, the General English Proficiency Test, a newly developed test of English, has been phased in by the Language Training and Testing Center in Taiwan. It has become the most universally used test of English in Taiwan, a fact that can be evidenced by its aggregate number of registered test takers. This article first describes the…

The authors examined the confidence of teachers from Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, and the United States (N = 1,375) to address civic topics with their students. The authors also used differential item functioning models to examine responses to items from the Teacher Confidence Scale of the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational…

The purpose of the study was to determine the extent to which indicators on the language and literacy and mathematical thinking domains of a curriculum-embedded performance assessment functioned differently for urban, African American and White male students. A sample of 852 first-grade male students in a large urban school district, located in…

The authors center their presentation of material around a conceptual understanding of psychometric issues, such as validity and reliability, and on purpose rather than procedure, the "why" rather than the "how to." Their goal is to introduce psychometric principles at a level that is deeper and more focused than found in introductory…

To evaluate the value of computer-administered interviews and rating scales, the following topics are reviewed in the present article: (a) strengths and weaknesses of structured and unstructured assessment instruments, (b) advantages and disadvantages of computer administration, and (c) the validity and utility of computer-administered interviews…

This study examined the gender-related differential predictive validity of five subscales of the Institutional Integration Scale (IIS) with regard to college student withdrawal. Differential functioning of the IIS across genders was assessed using an item response theory (IRT)-based framework of differential item and test functioning. The results…

The review by Black and Wiliam of national systems makes clear the complexity of assessment, and identifies important issues. One of these is "balance": balance between local and central responsibilities, balance between the weights given to various purposes of schooling, balance between weights for various functions of assessment, and balance…

Studies in the field of personality have systematically found gender differences in two of the three dimensions of the Eysenck model: neuroticism and psychoticism. This study aims to analyze these differences in the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire--Revised (EPQ-R) scales using differential item functioning (DIF) techniques to determine whether…

This study investigated whether African American high school freshman students experience stereotype threat when taking a test that is seen as a predictor of their success on a high-stakes test. The authors conceptually replicated a previous study by Kellow and Jones (2005) using a true experimental design, as opposed to a quasi-experimental…

The study investigated the use by school psychologists of procedures for nondiscriminatory assessment of handicapped students. Ss were surveyed via the School Psychologists' Use of Nondiscriminatory Assessment (SPUN). Results indicated that Ss never used most of the techniques during evaluation described in SPUN. Further, Ss indicated they they…

The connection between item bias and test scores was investigated using a simulation approach. Two samples of hypothetical examinees were simulated using an item response theory model. The two samples were identical, except that the mean theta value 1 sample was 5 less than the other. The simulated tests consisted of 50 items with characteristics…

This paper reviews 12 Title VII court cases litigated since 1978 to assess implications of recent professional and legal guidelines regarding criterion-related validity of paper and pencil tests used by employers to prove job relatedness. Major topics important to an understanding of predictor criterion, including procedural, and data analysis and…