A decision consistency (DC) index is an estimate of the consistency of a classification decision on an exam. More specifically, DC estimates the percentage of examinees that would have the same classification decision on an exam if they were to retake the same or a parallel form of the exam again without memory of taking the exam the first time.…

This article examines the risk of crossover contamination in individual-level randomization, a common concern in experimental research, in the context of a large-enrollment college course. While individual-level randomization is more efficient for assessing program effectiveness, it also increases the potential for control group students to cross…

This study aimed to examine the effect of four types of assessment on overall student success in an online college-level climate change course. Quizzes, midterms, lab assignments, and a capstone project as well as knowledge check questions were used to assess different aspects of student learning, consistent with Bloom's taxonomy hierarchy.…

This action research project sought to understand how giving students a choice in how to demonstrate mastery of a reading would affect both grades and evaluations of the instructor, given that assessment choice might increase student engagement. We examined the effect of student assessment choice on grades and course evaluations, the two…

Why has large-scale standardised testing attracted such a bad press? Why has pedagogic benefit to be derived from test results been downplayed? The paper investigates this question by first surveying the pros and cons of testing in the literature, and goes on to examine educators' responses to standardised, large-scale tests in a sample of low…

Literature in the United States provides many examples of no difference in student achievement when measured against the mode of test administration i.e., paper-pencil and online versions of the test. However, most of these researches centre on "regular" students who do not require differential teaching methods or different evaluation…

Questionnaire instruments are routinely translated to digital administration systems; however, few studies have compared the differential effects of these administrative methods, and fewer yet in authentic contexts-of-use. In this study, 326 university students were randomly assigned to one of two administration conditions, paper-based (PBA) or…

The structure of two-tier testing is such that the first tier consists of a multiple-choice question and the second tier requires justifications for choices of answers made in the first tier. This study aims to evaluate two-tier tasks in "proportion" in terms of students' capacity to write and select justifications and to examine the effect of…

Prompted by a previous study investigating the effects of pacing on the academic testing performance of college students with AD/HD, we further explored our preliminary findings, which suggested that a computerized testing environment enhanced the testing performance of college students with AD/HD. We compared the effects of a computerized vs.…

This study examined the feasibility of administering GED Tests using a computer based testing system with embedded accessibility tools and the impact on test scores and test-taker experience when GED Tests are transitioned from paper to computer. Nineteen test centers across five states successfully installed the computer based testing program,…

Examined equivalence of mode of administration of the Career Decision-Making System, comparing paper-and-pencil version and computer-based version. Findings from 61 undergraduate students indicated that the computer-based version was significantly more reliable than paper-and-pencil version and was generally equivalent in other respects.…

Twelve structural models of similarity were fitted to data from conventional and computer adaptive test (CAT) batteries measuring the same aptitude in a double cross-validation design. Three of the 12 models, including a multiplicative structure model, performed well, providing support for using CATs as replacements for conventional tests. (NSF)

Compared the test scores of high and low anxious subjects when the Wechsler Adult Intelligence scale was administered by a trained examiner or mechanically. Findings indicated that performance was influenced by test administration procedures. There was a trend to score higher on the test given by an examiner. (Author/JAC)

The process of determining test norms and of using them realistically is discussed. This process involves putting meaning into a single test score by relating it to other test scores achieved by other pupils or by the same pupil at other times. The focus of attention is on the meaning of test norms; it is not on the meaning of types of test…

A pictorial-rating-scale sociometric instrument was administered to 91 middle-socioeconomic status first- and third-grade children two times, four weeks apart under two conditions, using a three-step and a five-step rating scale. No significant overall differences in reliability was found between the three-step and the five-step scale. However, in…