Information on statistical detection of two different kinds of unethical activity associated with standardized testing is presented. The first is advance presentation of specific test items or excessive coaching using items very similar to those on a test. Cluster analysis is recommended for detection of aberrant vectors of percentages correct on…

This study examined how four commonly used test equating procedures (linear, equipercentile, Rasch Model, and three-parameter) would respond to situations in which the properties or the two tests being equated were different. Data for two tests plus an external anchor test were generated from a three parameter model in which mean test differences…

In 1972, the Oregon State Department of Education changed its standards relating to graduation requirements after a survey revealed concern that the high school diploma had lost its credibility. Parkrose School District developed a goal-based curriculum and measurement program to meet the new requirements. From the program's inception, District…

A study involving 29 teachers and 21 teacher educators was conducted to determine whether differences occur between the two groups on a cut-score study of the National Teacher Examination (NTE) Professional Knowledge Test. The 50 professionals were the judges for a validation and cut-score study prior to implementing use of the NTE for initial…

The purpose of this investigation was to identify item factors that may contribute to differential item functioning (DIF) for black examinees on Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) analogy items. Initially, items were classified according to several possible explanatory factors. Preliminary analyses identified several factors that seemed to affect DIF…

The purpose of these guidelines is to highlight proper and beneficial uses of College Board test scores and related data and to caution against uses that are inappropriate. The guidelines describe the College Board's responsibilities and those of users of the test scores. Other topics addressed include: use of test scores in counseling, recruiting…

Scores on standardized tests and high school grade point average are not always good predictors of the academic ability or potential success of students choosing to become teachers. An issue often overlooked when sampling the academic qualifications is the identification of students who are not education majors but who plan on becoming teachers.…

Candidates taking the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) are currently asked to supply several items of background information: birth date, sex, number of times TOEFL has been taken before, whether they are seeking status as undergraduate or graduate students, their native country and native language, and (for prospective graduate…

The Research and Evaluation Branch of the Los Angeles Unified School District presents a bulletin to help prepare students to do their best on achievement tests. The bulletin is divided into five sections. After an introduction, section 2, "Characteristics of Today's Standardized Achievement Tests" discusses test content, test format,…

Many researchers have suggested that the cause of differential item functioning (DIF) can in part be due to the misspecification of the supporting trait distribution (STD). This paper demonstrates how a unidimensional item response theory (IRT) calibration of response data, generated from a two-dimensional IRT model, results in DIF when the…

Standardized tests represent one way of obtaining assessment information. Yet in recent years educators and the public have voiced concerns about an overriding emphasis on tests and test scores. Pressure to "teach to the test" means that not enough time is spent on higher order thinking and literacy skills because minimal competencies…

This literature review examined the relationship between the type of mathematics courses taken and scholastic mathematics achievement. The paper concludes that there is a high correlation between types of mathematics courses taken and scholastic math achievement. Specifically, higher level mathematics courses enhance and foster analytical thinking…

This paper considers the problem of validating placement procedures or, more precisely, of determining their educational appropriateness. At issue is determining whether a test score serves the particular educational function it was designed to serve (for example, course placement), and whether it does so in an economical way. These determinations…

The development and use of item shells in the construction of a series of standardized tests of reading comprehension at the elementary school level are described. An item shell is an item that is devoid of specific content, but contains key words and a distinctive syntactic structure. The specific content of the item shell varies depending on the…

A study was conducted that focused on 5-year graduation as a criterion for success at a major Eastern university, and a set of predictors for use by those concerned with admissions policy was developed. The best predictors of 5-year graduation were persistence to the second year and first-year cumulative grade-point average. Among pre-college…