All children born in Manitoba in 1984 were tracked for 18 years to assess their grade-12 performance on a provincial examination according to a student's socio-economic status. The proportion of youths in families receiving social assistance judged to have passed their language arts exam dropped from 80 per cent to 12 per cent, depending on…

The purpose of this essay is to describe the principles of educational measurement proposed by B. Wood during the 1920s in his dissertation, written under the direction of E. L. Thorndike, and later published as "Measurement in Higher Education" (1923). These principles were selected because they illustrate one of the earliest and most complete…

Comprehension tests (a short article on a topic of scientific interest followed by a series of test questions) and data tests (collection of data followed by questions) are being used more frequently. These tests are described and examples are given. (RH)

Taking exams by teams results in more group interaction with increased learning and reduction in anxiety. (Author/PG)

Sources of test bias are discussed and steps to prevent or reduce bias in tests are listed. Test bias can occur because of the way test materials are written, the conditions of administration, and the interpretations given the results. Steps to prevent or reduce bias arising in the test development process include: (1) using heterogeneous sets of…

The purpose of this project was to provide information on the appropriate uses of educational tests and interpretations of test results to citizen groups. The major audiences were parents, legislators, school board members, lawyers, journalists and others who would be interested in and profit from training related to educational testing. Nero and…

Since 1960, an increasing number of books have been written on the theme of test-taking. Prior to that time, such information was found primarily in books concerned with learning and studying. Thirty-five referecnes related to test-taking are described in chronological order beginning with the most recent publication data. (DE)

Historically, England's attempts at evaluation have been seen to distort educational aims within schools and have been rejected. (IRT)

A specified minimum performance level can be translated into a minimum passing score for the written test by measuring the performance of students whose written test scores are near the desired cutoff score. Stochastic approximation methods accomplish this purpose. The up-and-down method and the Robbins-Monro process are compared. (Author/RL)

Reviews research on whether students should change answers or let first answers stand on objective tests. Finds that the odds are over two to one that a student's score will be raised, rather than lowered, if he or she changes answers. Offers three suggestions for improving students' test-taking strategies. (SR)

Provides a brief historical review of construct validity and discusses the current state of validity theory, emphasizing the role of arguments in validation. Examines the application of an argument-based approach with regard to the distinction between performance-based and theory-based interpretations and the role of consequences in validation.…