The Raven Advanced Progressive Matrices Test (APM) is a well-known measure of higher order general mental ability. The time to administer the test, 40 to 60 minutes, is sometimes regarded as a drawback. To meet efficiency needs, the APM can be administered as a 30-or 40-minute timed test, or one of two developed short versions could be used. In…

Various health and rehabilitative services staff participated in a four-day death education program. Participants in the program and a control group were given two equivalent forms of a knowledge test. The treatment group showed a higher gain score on the posttest than the control group. (RC)

Alternatives to a solitary testing format can involve students working in teams to arrive at the correct answer. We compared two group assessment methods, cooperative and competitive, to a solitary testing approach. In most comparisons examining the undergraduate respondents' (N = 77) performance, the two group-testing methods were equivalent.…

Reviews the administrative features, uses, development, standardization, reliability, and validity of the Multidimensional Aptitude Battery (MAB), a new group intelligence test designed to be a paper-and-pencil parallel to the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised (WAIS-R). (BL)

Because teachers' oral directions for group achievement tests assume that children understand numerous basic concepts, the construct validity of subtests assessing abilities other than language is questionable. Implications for teacher administration of primary level tests and suggestions for future test construction are described. (JD)

In the project described in this chapter, discussions during group exams were analyzed to gain insight into how students make group decisions for their answers and the implications of their decision-making methods for deepening student understanding.

Two groups of three students with moderate mental retardation were instructed using group procedures to compare static picture and video prompting simulation strategies. An alternating treatments design was used to compare individual student task acquisition and maintenance performances of purchasing and banking skills. The results indicated that…

Why do creative teachers who want to help all their students learn in meaningful ways have to use high-pressure testing methods that work against that goal? The authors propose a system of testing that serves the need for evaluation while contributing to students' intellectual and social growth. (Contains 7 endnotes.)

The present study investigates whether the Early Development Instrument (Offord & Janus, 1999) measures school readiness similarly across different groups of children. We employ ordinal logistic regression to investigate differential item functioning, a method of examining measurement bias. For 40,000 children, our analysis compares groups…

The most familiar models of item response theory are defined at the level of individual subjects. It is possible, however, to define such models for groups of subjects. This paper discusses group-level item response models, their uses, and their relationships to subject-level models. (Author/JKS)

The present study assessed the feasibility of using a widely recognized style measure, the Group Embedded Figures Test, with fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-graders. The results were generally favorable with respect ot the test's applicability to these age groups. (Author/PN)

A description is given of an experiment on methods of testing, conducted with a mathematics course at University of California - Davis. (PK)

Having all students in a group respond to every question, rather than addressing questions to one student at a time, resulted in better behavior and content achievement among third graders. (Editor)

Describes how a group oral final exam was designed and administered in a block of two teacher education courses taught within the social constructivist perspective. Advocates such group oral exam practices as consistent with valid assessment guidelines. Discusses limitations. (HB)

Examines the uses of observations generated during testing through (a) qualitative synthesis of available research literature, (b) a study of a national sample of children, and (c) a study of children referred for psychoeducational evaluations. Results demonstrate that behavioral and temperament qualities evaluated by test observations are related…