This technical report describes a study that was undertaken to compare the content of two recent fourth-and eighth-grade assessments in science: the NAEP 2000 assessment and the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2003 assessment. Its aim is to provide information that will be useful for interpreting and comparing the…

The construction of parallel editions of conventional tests for purposes of test security while maintaining score comparability has always been a recognized and difficult problem in psychometrics and test construction. The introduction of new modes of test construction, e.g., adaptive testing, changes the nature of the problem, but does not make…

The purpose of this study was to compare the scores of students who were allowed unlimited retakes of a multiple-choice test with the scores of students who were limited to only four retakes (five trials) of the same test. The tests were each made up of 20 randomly drawn questions from a large pool of questions about research methods. Three…

To generalize test results beyond the particular test administration, an examinee's ability estimate must be independent of the particular items attempted, and the item difficulty calibrations must be independent of the particular sample of people attempting the items. This stability is a key concept of the Rasch model, a latent trait model of…

The degree to which laptop and standard-size desktop computers are likely to produce comparable test results for the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test was studied. Verbal, quantitative, and writing sections of a retired version of the GRE were used, since it was expected that performance on reading passages or mathematics items might…

The Developmental Indicators for the Assessment of Learning--Revised (DIAL-R) is a standardized developmental screening instrument designed to assess the motor, language (both receptive and expressive), and conceptual skill levels of children 2 to 6 years of age. The appropriateness of national norms for children in Kentucky was studied in a…

It has been proposed that the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) increase its efforts to gather and analyze data on student background, teachers, households, and schools. Adoption of this proposal would result in the inclusion in NAEP of additional background variables and subpopulations, to be defined by states. NAEP specification…

TEN TABLES, EACH WITH SEVERAL SUBDIVISIONS, WERE USED TO PRESENT THE VALUES OF "T" REPRESENTING THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN MEANS FOR JUNIOR AND SENIOR KINDERGARTEN GROUPS (1) IN MATCH 1, (2) IN MATCH 2, (3) IN MATCH 1, ISOLATED FOR LANGUAGE, (4) IN MATCH 2, ISOLATED FOR LANGUAGE, (5) IN MATCH 1, ISOLATED FOR FATHERS' EDUCATIONS, (6) IN…

The first comprehensive attempt to measure student achievement in art on a national scale at the elementary, junior high, and high school levels is described. The assessment was conducted during 1974-75 with groups of nine-, 13-, and 17-year-olds. This report examines four design and drawing exercises that measure art-production activities. Art…

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of teacher expectations on first-grade reading achievement. Rankings of reading readiness were collected from 26 classroom teachers before and after falsified reading readiness scores were presented to them. From 536 first graders, 32 high socioeconomic status with low reading readiness status…

The capability was studied of each of three models for producing indices that will reproduce school effectiveness rankings established a priori through simulation. The models used were a within-group regression technique, a regression model using individual scores, and a regression model using means. Data for 54 hypothetical schools on input, SES,…

A student's age, sex, aspiration, and ability were related to successful performance (50th percentile or higher) on the College Level Examination Program (CLEP) general examinations. Previous college credits and attendance status, as measured, did not seem to be important factors. Of the variables investigated, ability, as measured by the American…

This study investigated the relationship between instructor ratings of taped microteaching performance and achievement on multiple choice examinations. Thirty graduate students enrolled in a reading methods course served as subjects. An analysis of the data indicated that no significant correlation existed between the variables. The viability of…

Group vocational counseling has been criticized as being individual counseling in a group setting. All counseling has been criticized when goals are not set in the initial stages of counseling. The present investigation superimposed a group discussion process over a typical vocational counseling process in which the primary focus was on test…

The project attempted to discern the possible resulting effects on children and teachers from major structural changes in the design of classroom space. Three assumptions were tested: (1) children will assume greater initiative in resource use, (2) teachers get to know the children better, and (3) team teaching in open space classrooms contributes…