From 1985-86, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) conducted a special survey of reading and mathematics performance of language minority Asian American, Hispanic American, and Native American children to determine the progress of these children at grades 3, 7, and 11. The study also sought to identify whether the differences in…

The composite of Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) subtests used to select applicants for entry-level training in Army clerical schools was evaluated by correlating composite scores with training performance scores. Comparisons were made between the multiple R for this optimal set of predictors and that for the composite of…

In spring 1986 Anglo students received higher scores than Blacks or Hispanics on the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS), on all subtests and at all grade levels in the Denver (Colorado) Public Schools. This study, by attempting to locate patterns of item response, seeks to identify items in the ITBS that suggest differential pupil achievement by…

The Florida Teacher Certification Examination (FTCE) is based upon selected competencies that have been identified as minimal entry-level skills for prospective teachers. A description is given of the four subtests which make up the FTCE: (1) writing--essay on general topics; (2) reading--multiple choice "cloze" procedure on general…

The Florida Teacher Certification Examination (FTCE) is based upon selected competencies that have been identified as minimal entry-level skills for prospective teachers. A description is given of the four subtests which make up the FTCE: (1) writing--essay on general topics; (2) reading--multiple choice "cloze" procedure on general…

The family of Weibull distributions was investigated as a model for the distributions of response times for items in computer-based criterion-referenced tests. The fit of these distributions were, with a few exceptions, good to excellent according to the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. For a few relatively simple items, the two-parameter gamma…

A study was conducted to determine the teacher competencies needed in order to develop valid and effective occupational learning experiences for educable mentally retarded (EMR) students based on available diagnostic test data and information. Four-member teams were selected from each participating school (four secondary and two postsecondary…

Debate on criteria for assessing sex fairness in occupational interest inventories has centered on four issues: (1) whether interpretational material should stress the prospect of social change or the reality of present occupational segregation by sex; (2) the appropriate form for reporting scores (raw, pooled sex norms, or separate sex norms);…

This study was conducted to determine the usefulness of a general global reading test, a cloze test, and a vocabulary test as predictors of success, as well as the effects of an extended required study skills program on success and achievement, for students in mechanics programs at Keewatin Community College in Manitoba, Canada. The three criteria…

This study examines the hypothesis that the French used by a large number of Franco-Ontarians represents a linguistic system (or several systems) that differs from Standard French. In addition, a review of previous research leads to the inverse hypothesis, that Ontarian French represents a body of different systems or sub-systems that are more or…

This primer is an introduction to item response theory (also called item characteristic curve theory, or latent trait theory) as it is used most commonly--for scoring multiple choice achievement or aptitude tests. Written for the testing practitioner with minimum training in statistics and psychometrics, it presents and illustrates the basic…

The issue of using language proficiency or language dominance to assess programs for high school students with limited English speaking backgrounds is addressed. The development and initial analyses of the Competency Based Oral Language Assessment (COLA) are discussed. Three components of oral language are rated separately: semantics; syntax and…

This document describes the research activities of the Syracuse University Evaluation and Research Center for the year September 1, 1966 through August 31, 1967. This final report is organized on the basis of six research projects, which have been abstracted under the following titles and numbers: (1) Experiments in Grammatical Processing in…

The ninth report of the Michigan Educational Assessment Program contains the technical information needed to evaluate the instruments and techniques used to measure and report the status of student achievement and attitude. This report is intended for people with expertise in psychometrics. The Program is described in the first section of the…

Traditionally, local school boards have had the power to assign students to classes and to set standards for promotion and graduation; with this authority has gone the discretion to decide what role pupil testing will play in the local schools. Courts have been reluctant to interfere with school board decisions on methodology, of which they…