A good test used to measure student's knowledge and abilities is useful educationally even if it does not teach directly. Article based on address at American Society for Engineering Education's North Midwest Section Effective Teaching Institute, March 1969. (IR)

Author supports the credibility of the propositions that: (1) the true component of a score is proportional to the number of equivalent elements that contribute to it. And, (2) the error component of a score is proportional to the square root of the number of equivalent elements that contribute to it. (Author/MB)

An alternate-choice test item is a simple declarative sentence, one portion of which is given with two different wordings. For example, "Foundations like Ford and Carnegie tend to be (1) eager (2) hesitant to support innovative solutions to educational problems." The examinee's task is to choose the alternative that makes the sentence…

The suggestion that multiple-choice items can be converted to true-false items without essentially changing what the item measures and with possible improvement in efficiency is investigated. Each of the 90 four-choice items in a natural science test was rewritten into a pair of true-false items, one true, one false. The resulting 180 items were…

True-false achievement test items written by typical classroom teachers show about two-thirds of the discrimination of their multiple-choice test items. This is about what should be expected in view of the higher probability of chance success on the true-false items. However, at least half again as many true-false items as multiple-choice items…

The basic rationale for using objective tests is that they are relevant and reliable measures of the most important kind of learning that schools and colleges seek to foster. Measurement of student achievement in learning is necessary, if educational excellence is to be achieved. (Author/SJL)

A study designed to compare the reliabilities of multiple choice and true-false tests that were constructed to measure the same objectives was conducted. The impetus for this study came from the research reported by Ebel (1971) on the same topic. Subjects were selected from six public high schools. Three phases of testing were required for…

A multiple true-false item is one where a testee has to identify statements as true or false within a cluster (of two or more) of such statements. Clusters are then scored as items. This study showed such a procedure to yield less reliable results than traditional true-false items. (JKS)

Examines six areas of controversy surrounding testing--test validity, the role of affective objectives, criterion-referenced tests, test bias, IQ tests, and the effect of competition. (IRT)

This issue of Measurement in Education is presented in the form of a dialogue between Dr. Robert L. Ebel, Distinguished Professor of Educational Measurement at Michigan State University, and Dr. Samual A. Livingston, Program Research Scientist at the Educational Testing Service. Alternative views on some aspects of the use of tests in assessing…

Giving tests and assigning grades are stated to be important aspects of teachers' responsibility for facilitating student learning. Opposition to testing is discussed, objections are criticized, and beneficial consequences of evaluation are listed. It is maintained that tests do not cause cheating, or excessive discouragement, competition, or…

In a discussion of the value of standardized tests and their implications for effective teaching, the author contends that such tests are useful in keeping those concerned with the learning process focused on the main target. In addition, standardized tests serve to (1) reveal variations in the effectiveness of different instructional procedures…