Unfolding item response theory (IRT) models are important alternatives to dominance IRT models in describing the response processes on self-report tests. Their usage is common in personality measures, since they indicate potential differentiations in test score interpretation. This paper aims to gain a better insight into the structure of trait…

With the number of new and revised nonverbal and language-reduced tests of cognitive ability, selection and interpretation of appropriate measures can be complicated. Seven nonverbal or language-reduced tests with normative data collected within the last 15 years were evaluated. Besides evaluating technical adequacy, other variables affecting test…

Testing is a means of obtaining information about people and their status. Too often tests and testing govern us as educators rather than being governed by us. Reviews the problem and offers some suggestions. (Editor)

TESTING MATERIALS IN BOTH SPANISH AND ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDITIONS WERE REVISED AND NEW MATERIALS CREATED IN THIS PROJECT. THE NEW SERIES OF TESTS INCLUDED ADMINISTRATION, AND ITEM ANALYSIS OF THE COOPERATIVE INTER-AMERICAN TESTS. DATA FOR THE ENGLISH EDITIONS WERE GATHERED FROM SUBJECTS DRAWN FROM AMERICAN SCHOOLS, AND DATA FOR THE SPANISH EDITIONS…

A computer program generating question series for achievement examinations was presented and the relative reliability of computer-generated and instructor-selected items was investigated. To provide validity for examinations generated by an original computer program, representative processes of construction and sampling were operationally defined.…

In response to Ebel's article (TM 508 146) the author points out that, in emphasizing what a test is intended to measure, the vital question of what should be measured is set aside. While explicit specifications for a test should be encouraged, questions of worth ought to be prominent in designing and selecting tests. (Author/LC)

Two kinds of WISC-R short forms, item reduction and subtest reduction, are reviewed in terms of their ability to meet these criteria of adequacy: a significant correlation between the full scale IQ and the short form IQ, a non-significant difference between the full and short form mean IQ, a low percentage of IQ classification changes resulting…

A series of questions designed to challenge school administrators to reconsider the purposes, selection, use, and interpretation of tests and test results in their school programs. (Author/DN)

Determines whether kind of test used in personality assessment is an important factor in influencing the extent to which subjects accept the interpretation made by a psychologist and clarifies the importance of the status of the test-interpreter by eliminating a status-experimenter confound contained within the Snyder and Larsen (1972) study.…

States that to demonstrate that a test is not biased for any given use, it is sufficient to show that it is equally valid for different groups. Although an examination of criterion-related validity can indicate bias, it is not ordinarily sufficient to indicate lack of bias, for which explorations of its construct validity regardless of use are…

Four conceptually different variables in reading: (1) knowledge gained (new information), (2) amount comprehended (degree of understanding), (3) reading aptitude (differences between individuals), and (4) reading improvement (within individual changes as a result of treatment) are discussed. Existing measures of reading comprehension are evaluated…

The discussion on criterion-referenced (CRT) and norm-referenced achievement tests (NRT) is divided into two parts: definitions and use. The authors contrast CRTs, tests which compare an individual's performance to some specified behavioral criterion of proficiency, and NRTs, tests which compare an individual's score to scores of others. They also…

This manual sets forth comprehension guidelines and procedures for selecting instruments to measure educational growth, achievement, and outcomes. The necessary criteria are presented in a checklist format, permitting local district personnel to evaluate the worth of testing instruments before adoption. A subset of the criteria are defined as…

A list of 11 important characteristics of interest inventories is presented. Comparisons between interest inventories are difficult to make, and those responsible for making choices between inventories must be well-informed about the entire system. Therefore, the points are discussed in the order that a system is developed--from the item pool,…