The Registered Holistic Scoring Method, which has been used for one year to score the ninth grade writing test of the New Jersey High School Proficiency Test, is described. Registered Holistic Scoring was developed from the previous holistic approach in order to provide more reliable scoring guidelines year after year. Two trained evaluators…

The present monte carlo simulation study was designed to examine the effects of multidimensionality during the administration of computerized adaptive testing (CAT). It was assumed that multidimensionality existed in the individuals to whom test items were being administered, i.e., that the correct or incorrect responses given by an individual…

These five papers describe the methods, results, and implications of a multimethod approach to the establishment of standards for the three subject areas of the Alabama High School Graduation Examination (AHSGE). James E. McLean introduces the problems and methods involved by identifying three general approaches to scoring procedures found in the…

Since fall 1982, on the recommendation of a collegewide task force on student assessment, a mandatory assessment and voluntary placement program has been operating at Victor Valley College (VVC). Assessment testing takes place 3 weeks before registration and also on a continuous basis throughout the semester. The 2-hour testing period is followed…

On July 8, 9 and 10, 1981 the National Institute of Education (NIE) sponsored a "hearing" on minimum competency testing (MCT). The hearing, which was to clarify issues related to MCT, was modeled after adversarial and judicial evaluation approaches. The Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory was responsible for the overall evaluation…

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…

The use of item response theory (IRT) is a prerequisite to successful use of computerized test systems. In item response models, as opposed to classical test theory, the abilities of the examinees and the properties of the items are parameterized separately. Therefore, when measuring the abilities of examinees, the model implicitly corrects for…

The consequences of the minimum competency testing movement may bring into question the basic assumptions, goals, and expectations of our school system. The intended use of these tests is the assessment of students; the unintended consequence may be the assessment of the school system. There are two ways in which schools may fail in the context of…

The development of a Spanish computerized adaptive placement test at Brigham Young University (Utah) is described. The test is based on an approach that locates an examinee's ability along a continuum of latent ability rather than determining the degree to which an individual's ability differs from the abilities of others taking the test, as in…

This report describes the structure, format, and processes of Iowa's General Educational Development (GED) test center structure and presents the results, conclusions, and recommendations from an evaluation of that structure. The major purposes of the evaluation were to assess the effectiveness of Iowa's new statewide GED structure, determine…

Educational and psychological measurement has been a main area of work for the Australian Council for Educational (ACER) since its inception. The theoretical and practical contributions of latent trait measurement and commentary on the relatively recent use of these models in Australia were the focus of a seminar celebrating the 50th anniversary…

This report describes the procedures followed in scoring the October 1978 Florida Minimal Writing Production Skills Assessment and reports the results of that assessment. The assessment was conducted on a sample of Florida public school students in grades 3, 5, 8, and 11. Sections include descriptions of the rating scale and scorer's guide as well…

The South Carolina Basic Skills Assessment Program (BSAP), a testing program, presents information to determine how successfully children in individual school districts are achieving the minimum basic skills required by South Carolina law. Each year BSAP tests are given to children entering the first grade and to children in grades 1, 2, 3, 6, 8,…

The performance of baccalaureate nursing school graduates on the new National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) was compared to graduates' performance on the old examination, the State Board Test Pool Examination (SBTPE). Data were gathered for 287 graduates who took the SBTPE between 1979-1981 and 175 graduates who took the NCLEX in 1982 and…

A study was conducted to determine whether informal group assessment instruments could be used effectively to provide the same type of reading achievement information as that secured from informal individual instruments. The researchers developed group instruments comparable to individual instruments, including a group reading inventory for grades…