The computer-supported writing assessment (CSWA) has been widely used to reduce instructor workload and provide real-time feedback. Interpretability of CSWA draws extensive attention because it can benefit the validity, transparency, and knowledge-aware feedback of academic writing assessments. This study proposes a novel assessment tool,…

The "Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing" recommend an argument-based approach to validation that involves a clear statement of the intended interpretation and use of test scores, the identification of the underlying assumptions and inferences in that statement--termed the interpretation/use argument, and gathering of…

Kane's paper "Validating the Interpretations and Uses of Test Scores" is the most complete and clearest discussion yet available of the argument-based approach to validation. At its most basic level, validation as formulated by Kane is fundamentally a simply-stated two-step enterprise: (1) specify the claims inherent in a particular interpretation…

The reporting of scores on educational tests is at times misunderstood, misinterpreted, and potentially confusing to examinees and other stakeholders who may need to interpret test scores. In reporting test results to examinees, there is a need for clarity in the message communicated. As pressure rises for students to demonstrate performance at a…

The toal score concept is considered from the test user's point of views. The simples kind of total, obtained by adding raw scores on the tests, automatically assigns weights to the tests which are proportional to their standard deviation. When desired or appropriate, tests can be weighted equally in a total by transforming the raw scores on each…

Objective procedures for converting test data into counseling information are discussed and illustrated, with special attention being given to similarity scores and similarity score profiles. Local validity studies are needed to support data-information conversion procedures. Computer-based systems are also valuable. (Author)

Normal Curve Equivalents (NCEs), a new score system for standardized tests, are used by school districts in reporting results to federal funding agencies. The author uses a quiz format to answer questions on the use of NCE scores. (EGS)

It is shown that all obtained scores must meet the requirements for classical test-score theory with respect to definitions of true scores and errors of measurement if that frame of reference is to yield valid variance errors of measurement. (DG)

The booklet was designed to help each recipient of the California Achievement Test (CAT) reports to understand the general format of the reports, the abbreviations and symbols used, and the types of scores presented. It was also intended to assist in interpreting CAT results and using these results at each level of the educational process to best…

Thirty-two potentially significant clinical signs that may appear on children's Kinetic Family Drawings are presented in the form of an interpretive guide. Cautions and benefits of using such a guide are discussed briefly. (Author)

The MERMAC computer program is offered to the University of Wisconsin faculty for use in scoring and analyzing classroom tests. The characteristics of a good test are discussed; examples are given of the output of the MERMAC program; and the results are used to show how the quality of a test may be improved. Although the MERMAC Program is for…

When test-takers are offered a choice of essay questions, some questions may be harder than others. If the test includes a common portion taken by all test-takers, an adjustment to the scores is possible. Previously proposed adjustment procedures disregard the test-makers' efforts to create questions of equal difficulty; these procedures tend to…

The advantages of a rule assessment approach to interpreting achievement test results were demonstrated using an S-P chart with coded error types. The problems of similar total test scores resulting from completely different misapprehensions, as well as correct answers resulting from incorrect rules of operation, were addressed using simulated…