The purposes of the present investigation are to evaluate a new, adaptive procedure for assessing multiple dimensions of self-concept for children younger than 8 years and to examine related theoretical issues. The multidimensional, hierarchical structure of self-concept is well established for older children, but there is a paucity of research…

In 1980-82, the Second International Mathematics Study (SIMS) was conducted in 20 countries, including Japan. This study was conducted by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA). This paper constitutes a summary of the research relating to the level of mathematics achievement of Japanese students. The…

The College Outcome Measures Program (COMP) and the Collegiate Assessment of Academic Proficiency (CAAP) examinations were evaluated as measures of the effectiveness of the general education program of the University of Tennessee (Knoxville). The criteria used to evaluate these examinations focused on their construct validity. The data were…

Student achievement test scores were compared and equated, using three different testing methods: paper-administered, computer-administered, and computerized adaptive testing. The tests were developed from third and sixth grade mathematics item banks of the California Assessment Program. The paper and the computer-administered tests were identical…

The purpose of this booklet is to provide social studies teachers with student writing samples that exemplify the criteria used to score students' responses on the June 1987 Alberta (Canada) Social Studies 30 Diploma Examination. Students choose one of two possible essay questions that required writing a defense of individual initiative in…

Meta-analytic research techniques were used to compare the General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB) validities of blacks and non-minorities. The sample consisted of 7,854 black and 15,769 non-minority subjects from 113 Specific Aptitude Test Battery (SATB) validation studies analyzed since 1972. The first approach was to compare average validities…

Since the emergence of the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) there have been calls for improved methods of assessing economics. Oral assessment has been suggested as a possible technique and this study investigated whether it might be used to allow students to demonstrate achievement in GCSE economics. The empirical study compared…

College seniors--129 who were 25 years of age or older, and 734 younger students were administered the objective portion of the American College Testing (ACT) College Outcomes Measures Project (COMP) test. The total COMP scores and subscores were compared for the two groups, as well as their entering ACT scores and grade-point averages using…

The Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (K-ABC) is purported to be less culturally biased than other, traditional measures of intellectual ability. The present study was designed to investigate three specific research questions: (1) Are there overall performance differences between Native American and non-Native American children on the WISC-R…

The advantages of computerized adaptive testing are discussed, and an example illustrates its use in sixth grade mathematics. These tests are administered at a computer terminal, and the test items to be administered are selected according to the difficulty level appropriate to the individual's ability. Tailoring increases the psychometric…

The Speech Reception Test was developed to measure an individual's ability to hear and understand conversational speech. The equipment used to record the test is described in detail, and data are given for the results of the test given to 100 normal-hearing college students. Other data describe the results for 55 military veterans with known…

An apparent discrepancy between building level scores in basic skills produced by Pennsylvania's state assessment program (EQA) and building summary scores, generally a grade equivalent, provided by commercial standardized achievement tests is investigated. The impetus for the study came from occasional reports by school administrators that their…

Some of the technical issues associated with legislation to regulate testing and one alternative to test scores in the admissions and student selection process are discussed. Technical issues that must be addressed in order to accommodate full and public disclosure include equating, test administration, scoring, and score reporting. The need to…

A research project carried out by the Southwestern Cooperative Educational Laboratory attempted to define and describe characteristic learning styles and related environmental factors of children of 2 minority groups in the Southwest. Students of Spanish American and Indian descent were subjected to specific tests, and comparative analyses were…

This report examines how selection fairness is influenced by the characteristics of a selection instrument in terms of its distribution of item difficulties, level of item discrimination, degree of item bias, and testing strategy. Computer simulation was used in the administration of either a conventional or Bayesian adaptive ability test to a…