The effects of students taking different levels of the same standardized achievement test were assessed by administering two levels of the same test to each student. The functional level of the test was taken by all students. The second level of testing was randomly assigned at the adjacent higher or lower level of the test. Functional level…

The selection, administration and results of a statewide school readiness test in South Carolina are described in this report. As one component of South Carolina's Basic Skills Assessment Program, the "Cognitive Skills Assessment Battery" (CSAB) was chosen to distinguish those children who are ready for the formal first grade curriculum…

Brief guidelines for the selection of norm referenced tests are offered. Four considerations in selecting an appropriate test are: (1) appropriateness of test content; (2) appropriateness of the norm group; (3) test reliability; and (4) ease of administration. (MH)

Guidelines for evaluating criterion-referenced tests and test manuals are proposed and applied to a sample of popular commercially published tests. The well-known Test Standards published by a joint committee of professional societies is helpful, though not completely applicable, and was used together with other sources in the preparation of an…

DURING THIS PERIOD FROM SEPTEMBER 1 THROUGH NOVEMBER 30, 1966, 35 FIELD CONSULTANTS COMPLETED ANALYSIS OF THEIR INDIVIDUAL TRADE AND TECHNICAL CURRICULUMS. THESE ANALYSES WERE DEVELOPED INTO AN OUTLINE TO SERVE AS A GUIDE FOR DEVELOPING ACHIEVEMENT TESTS. THE FINAL OUTLINE WAS DIVIDED INTO AS MANY DIFFERENT AREAS AS THE CONSULTANTS FELT NECESSARY…

This guidebook puts testing in proper perspective as one aspect of evaluation and leads the test user through a practical discussion about selecting and developing valid, reliable tests. Its primary purpose is to assist classroom teachers, reading consultants, and school administrators in making decisions about measuring student reading…

Student evaluations of an instructor who uses objective tests exclusively are here compared to evaluations of the same instructor using classroom tests which combine objective and subjective test formats. Class size and hour and manner of instruction were held constant; students were chosen at random by the computer registration process. The…

Psychological testing as an area has perhaps evoked more controversy and heated emotion than has any other area within the fields of psychology and counseling. Part of the reason for this has to do with the inherent complexity and difficulty of the task of assessing human abilities, emotions and achievements. But beyond this basic issue, an…

On March 1, 1971, Arkansas State University publicly announced its policy on credit-by-examination through the College Level Examination Program (CLEP). Preceding this announcement institutional research was conducted to determine appropriate cut-off scores for awarding credit on the CLEP General Examinations and certain subject examinations. This…

This study is phase one of a 4-year project. It was aimed at examining the predictive validity of six preschool screening instruments on later academic achievement. The six instruments were (1) the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Test, (2) the Sprigle School Readiness Screening Test, (3) the Anton Brenner Developmental Gestalt Test of School…

This annotated bibliography contains a list of tests in Spanish and other languages and nonverbal tests for children in bilingual programs. Included are an alphabetical list of tests showing language and grade range, and further sources of information on assessment for bilingual programs. Attached to the bibliography is an announcement pertaining…

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…

This paper presents guidelines for valid and effective test preparation and presentation. Working on the assumption that teacher secrecy about tests and the subsequent student test-fear are pointless and harmful, this paper outlines some tools for test preparation, such as pretests, teacher file cards as to items covered in class and clearly…

DIVERGENT THINKING TESTS, WHICH MEASURE THE ABILITY TO PRODUCE DIVERSE RESPONSES TO PROBLEMS THAT HAVE NO SINGLE ANSWER, AND CONVENTIONAL TESTS OF CONVERGENT THINKING WERE COMPARED TO DETERMINE IF THE TWO TYPES OF TESTS REPRESENTED MORE THAN ONE DOMAIN OF PSYCHOLOGICAL APTITUDE. ALL STUDENTS IN A GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY COURSE WERE TESTED, AND COMPLETE…

Item-test correlations are compared to item test-retest correlations as measures for selecting items in test construction. The author concludes that the item test-retest method is superior for item analysis which aims at getting shorter tests while maintaining test stability. (Author/JKS)