A motivational approach to student learning that has been implemented in several courses at Wright University in Ohio consists of six efforts: (1) to instill in students the knowledge of motivation, both from within and without; (2) to make students members of cohesive work groups; (3) to apply theory learned; (4) to demonstrate achievement of…

With the increasing emphasis on teacher competency testing, it is important to examine the usefulness of the currently available paper and pencil tests. At least 40 states in the United States now have, or are planning to have, teacher tests for initial certification. Some states have tests for career advancement, and 20 mandate tests for…

Senior medical students at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences were surveyed regarding the value of a program providing regression based predictions of their individual Day 1, 2, 3, and Total Federation Licensure Examination (FLEX) scores and the probability of passing the FLEX for subsequent Arkansas licensure. The prediction formulas…

Based on the increased public pressure of the governors in Missouri, Tennessee, and Kentucky for higher education to make significant strides in "outcomes assessment," a national survey of the 361 colleges and universities identified in the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication directory as having undergraduate…

Materials are provided for two competency-based educational courses in Typing I and II for the community college level. The first course covers the touch method operation of the typewriter; the second covers the extension of the touch method and develops such skills as production of business letters, manuscripts, carbon copies, tabulation, tables,…

The history of a statewide effort to improve student learning in Missouri by adopting the concept of an Instructional Management System (IMS) with desired learned outcomes determining both instruction and testing was suggested to local school districts in 1980. In 1985, legislation provided funds and authority to engage large groups of teachers in…

The reliability of criterion referenced tests, which are often used to evaluate health education programs, may be conceptualized in different ways. Classical conceptualizations of test reliability have limited usefulness when applied to health-related criterion referenced tests. When a cutting score is set, test reliability can be represented as…

Sample class profile record sheets, student profile record sheets, and diagnostic and mastery tests are included for level 3 of the Mountain View School District Bilingual Diagnostic-Prescriptive Mathematics Program. (MN)

Conventional mastery tests designed to make optimal mastery classifications were compared with fixed-length and variable-length adaptive mastery tests. Comparisons between the testing procedures were made across five content areas in an introductory biology course from tests administered to volunteers. The criterion was the student's standing in…

Six essays on technical measurement problems in criterion referenced tests and four essays by psychometricians proposing solutions are presented: (1) "Criterion-Referenced Measurement" and Other Such Terms, by Marvin C. Alkin which is an overview of the first six papers; (2) Selecting Objectives and Generating Test Items for Objectives-Based…

As the basis for developing a criterion referenced test (CRT) construction manual for the Army and for identifying potential research areas, a study was conducted which included a review of the technical and theoretical literature on criterion referenced testing and a survey of CRT applications at selected Army installations. It was found that the…

In 2000, the state of Nebraska passed legislation requiring the assessment of student performance on content standards, but its requirements were very different from those of any other state. Nebraska created what has come to be known as STARS (School-based Teacher-led Assessment and Reporting System). Under STARS, each of Nebraska's nearly 500…

Mastery learning can combine the strengths of direct instruction with the strengths of discovery learning. This paper describes how mastery learning is being used in Missouri schools to enhance the quality of instruction in science at all grade levels. In addition, the dramatic results in student science achievement that have occurred within the…

This study explores the test-retest consistency of computer adaptive tests of varying lengths. The testing model used was designed as a mastery model to determine whether an examinee's estimated ability level is above or below a pre-established criterion expressed in the metric (logits) of the calibrated item pool scale. The Rasch model was used…

The Texas Educational Assessment of Minimum Skills (TEAMS) test was administered to pupils in grade 1 for the first time, at state level, in April 1986. Students with certain disabilities and those with limited English proficiency were exempted from this testing cycle. This 84-item test measured 21 objectives: 8 for mathematics, 9 for reading, and…