This study investigated whether equating accuracy improves with an anchor test that is more representative of its corresponding total test and whether such content effect depends on the particular equating method used. Scoring outcomes of a professional examination for a medical specialty were used. A total of 1,092 examinees took one form, and…

The purpose of this paper is to clarify the seemingly discrepant views of test theorists and test developers about terminology related to the evaluation of test content. The origin and evolution of the concept of content validity are traced, and the concept is reformulated in a way that emphasizes the notion that content domain definition,…

This paper makes the case that mandated tests, such as those administered through a state's accountability system, can best meet the goal of curricular reform by making their domains of learning targets transparent to users. Test maps are proposed as an effective device to accomplish that goal. A test map describes the content of the test and how…

Many testing programs include a section of optional questions in addition to mandatory parts of a test. These optional parts of a test are not often truly parallel to one another, and groups of examinees selecting each optional test section are not equivalent to one another. This paper provides a general method based on missing-data methods for…

A qualitative study investigated the test-taking behaviors, knowledge, and perceptions of 20 urban, adult basic education students reading at third to fifth grade equivalency levels. The entire reading comprehension subtest of the Test of Adult Basic Education, levels E and M, was administered under standardized conditions. A combination of…

The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Third Edition (WISC-III) is an individually administered test of intelligence for assessing children aged 6 through 16 years, 11 months. The WISC-III consists of several subtests, each classified into a verbal or performance scale. The child's performance on these measures is summarized in three…

Assessing complex teaching performance in the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) has caused the Educational Testing Service to wrestle with fundamental scoring issues that are both conceptual and technical. This report reviews the challenges encountered, how they are being addressed, and what the NBPTS effort has learned…

Preliminary data was gathered to guide subsequent research that will shape training procedures and scoring practice for performance assessment activities that integrate multiple content areas. Content area integration is a key feature of many of the tasks in the Maryland School Performance Assessment Program (MSPAP), a large-scale assessment of…

The Detroit Tests of Learning Aptitude, 3rd Edition (DLTA-3) is a battery of 11 subtests that measure different but interrelated mental abilities. These are clinically assessed by the battery, which further attempts to delineate the factors that contribute to Spearman's factor for general intelligence. The DLTA-3 has age norms expressed for test…

Credentialing agencies that use multi-test examinations (MTEs) should be concerned with the quality of pass/fail outcomes as well as with the proportion of candidates passing. This study addressed three questions: (1) the effects on passing rate of MTE reliability, number of tests comprising a MTE, and correlations between pairs of component…

The major goal of this study is to apply the essential unidimensionality statistic of W. Stout and the corresponding computer program (DIMTEST) to a hierarchical level mathematics achievement data set and to determine the extent to which the undimensional assumption can be accurately applied to mathematics achievement data. The study also…

The Singer-Loomis Inventory of Personality (SLIP) was developed by two Jungian analysts to allow examination of personality from the perspective of Jung's typology and to solve problems perceived with the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, based on Jungian dichotomies. The SLIP is designed to clarify and describe the user's personality based on the…

The Values Scale (VS) is a self-report inventory of 106 scored items yielding 21 separate scales for the individual assessment of upper elementary school and middle school students as well as adult members of semi-skilled, skilled, clerical, managerial, and professional occupations. The VS, available in seven languages, measures several intrinsic…

The Career Beliefs Inventory (CBI) is a counseling tool with the purpose of identifying beliefs as they relate to occupational choice and the pursuit of a career. The inventory can be administered individually or to a group ranging in age from grade 8 to adult. The CBI is a 96-item paper-and-pencil test written at an eighth-grade reading level.…

The Career Interest Inventory is a paper-and-pencil, self-report career guidance instrument that is designed to assist students in grades 7 through 12 and adults with career decisions. It can be administered to individuals or groups and alone or in combination with the Differential Aptitude Test. It is available in machine-scored and hand-scorable…