Creative problem solving, collaboration, and technology fluency are core skills requisite of any nation's workforce that strives to be competitive in the 21st Century. Teaching these types of skills is an economic imperative, and assessment is a fundamental component of any pedagogical program. Yet, measurement of these skills is complex due to…

The validation of cognitive attributes required for correct answers on binary test items or tasks has been addressed in previous research through the integration of cognitive psychology and psychometric models using parametric or nonparametric item response theory, latent class modeling, and Bayesian modeling. All previous models, each with their…

Simulated data were used to demonstrate that groups formed by imposing cut-points based on either discrepancy or low-achievement definitions of learning disabilities (LD) are unstable over time. Similar problems were demonstrated in longitudinal data from the Connecticut Longitudinal Study, where 39% of the children designated as having LD in…

Two nested structural models are developed to determine whether test-session behaviors affect the manner in which intelligence is measured or influence the constructs being measured. Results indicate that test-session behaviors play a larger role influencing the mechanisms of measurement than on the constructs of intelligence. (Author/EMK)

FOUR COMMONLY USED INDIVIDUAL INTELLIGENCE TESTS ARE DESCRIBED. DESCRIPTIONS OF SUBTESTS ARE GIVEN, ALONG WITH EXPLANATION OF WHAT EACH TEST MEASURES. THIS INFORMATION IS PROVIDED TO ASSIST THE TEACHER IN IDENTIFYING SPECIFIC ABILITIES AND WEAKNESSES IN INDIVIDUAL CHILDREN. (JW)

A two-stage adaptive test and a conventional peaked test were constructed and administered on a time-shared computer system to students in undergraduate psychology courses. (The two-stage adaptive test consisted of a routing test followed by one of a series of measurement tests.) Comparison of the score distributions showed that the two-stage test…

Research to date on adaptive (sequential, branched, individualized, tailored, programmed, response-contingent) ability testing is reviewed and summarized, following a brief review of problems inherent in conventional individual and group approaches to ability measurement. Research reviewed includes empirical, simulation and theoretical studies of…

The research project presented in this article was set in the Swedish school context and carried out on a set of compulsory national tests for English, Swedish, and mathematics used at the end of compulsory school. The aims were: (a) to gain a deeper knowledge of the internal structure of the tests and (b) to separate individual performance from…

The concurrent validity of the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence (WPPSI) was assessed against the McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities in a sample of 39 Mexican-American preschool children from low socioeconomic status background. Results indicated some specific support for the WPPSI's concurrent validity. (Author/BS)

This research studied the interchangeability of individually administered and group administered cognitive tests. Seventy undergraduate students took the Hebrew version of the WAIS-R (Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised), and their IQs were measured. They also took the IPET (Israeli Psychometric Entrance Test) and their IPET scores were…

This paper reports on two studies that were designed to provide preliminary data on the psychometric properties of a new matrix test of referential communication and to explore the validity of the test as a predictor of both developmental level and socioemotional adjustment of normal and emotionally disturbed children. Referential communication is…

The sequence of development as hypothesized by Piaget has been confirmed for various groups of children by cross-sectional and longitudinal studies. Such consistency has increased interest in constructing scales based on Piaget's theory according to psychometric principles. Three major problems are discussed which present definite obstacles in the…

The emergence of computerized adaptive tests (CATs), which customize assessment for each individual, may mean more efficient testing. A CAT version of the Graduate Record Examination is in production. Critics have many questions about the technique, which is based on item response theory. (MSE)

This paper presents an explanation of the program design of the three separate Pascal-language programs which comprise UCLA's Diagnostic Testing Package "DX." The three parts of the DX test package are three closely interrelated programs--Editest, Runtest, and Summary. Editest serves the following functions: (1) the creation of a…

A conventional verbal ability test and a Bayesian adaptive verbal ability test were compared using a variety of psychometric criteria. Tests were administered to 550 Marine recruits, half of whom received two 30-item alternate forms of a conventional test and half of whom received two 30-item alternate forms of a Bayesian adaptive test. Both types…