The purpose of this study was to describe the Rasch model for measurement and apply the model to examine the relationship between raters, domains of written compositions, and student writing ability. Twenty raters were randomly selected from a group of 87 operational raters contracted to rate essays as part of the 1993 field test of the Georgia…

Setting performance standards on constructed-response assessments involving polytomously scored exercises presents a challenge for measurement practitioners. Some standard setting methods designed for use with multiple-choice, dichotomously scored assessments entail aggregating item performance estimates across a panel of experts. For these items,…

The objectives of this study were to determine whether student writing portfolios could be rated reliably by trained judges; study the effects on student ratings of the differential leniency of the judges; and ascertain the effects of writing-prompt difficulty and its interactions with rater leniency. Writing samples from 127 students in grades 3,…

The kit is designed for use by Australian classroom teachers of English as a Second Language (ESL) interested in more detailed diagnoses of their learners' needs for reading and writing instruction, from beginning to advanced levels. It can be used at the outset of or during a course of study to give a detailed assessment of the learner's reading…

Possible integrated and independent tasks were pilot tested for the writing section of a new generation of TOEFL® (Test of English as a Foreign Language™) examination. This study examines the impact of various rating designs as well as the impact of the number of tasks and raters on the reliability of writing scores based on integrated and…

A study compared the effects of retesting (with and without the benefit of short term instruction) on the scores of subjects in an upper-division university who had failed a writing test. Subjects who did not receive a passing score in their first attempt at the essay test were given the opportunity of attending a 4-hour workshop designed to…

This resource manual was developed for educators responsible for teaching grades 4, 5, 6, and beyond, concentrating on student literacy as it relates to written language. The manual focuses on helping educators apply a specific instructional strategy that is related to student needs identified in the "Writing Skill Arrays" and skills…

A study investigated possible reasons for the low performance in 2000 on the writing portion of the Delaware Student Testing Program (DSTP) by students, especially in grades 3 and 5. The study also investigated ways to improve classroom instruction in writing. A panel of teachers reviewed the anchor papers and the process of testing. Panel members…

This document discusses the Collegiate Assessment of Academic Proficiency (CAAP) and ASSET (developed for student advising, placement, and retention) tests that were conducted by Mid-Plains Community College Area (MPCCA) (Nebraska) on 190 students in April 2001. The purpose of the testing was to gather as many matched pairs of ASSET/CAAP scores…

The purpose of this guide is to assist teachers in preparing their students to write effectively in all contexts, including the Georgia Grade Five Writing Assessment. Teachers are encouraged to make optimal instructional use of the information in this guide by creating transparencies and handouts for students. The guide includes a revising/editing…

Writing fits well within the realm of outcomes suitable for observation by performance assessments. Studies of the reliability of performance assessments have suggested that interrater reliability can be consistently high. Scoring consistency, however, is only one aspect of quality in decisions based on assessment results. Another is…

The effects of prewriting, drafting, and revising in a large-scale writing assessment were studied, focusing on drafting and revision patterns exhibited by students during testing. A total of 465 students were selected for this study (113 in grade 3, 117 in grade 5, and 116 in grade 10). Each student's work included the prewriting, first draft,…

An essay test is now an integral part of the computer based Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL-CBT). This paper provides a brief overview of the current TOEFL-CBT essay test, describes the operational procedures for essay scoring, including the Online Scoring Network (OSN) of the Educational Testing Service (ETS), and discusses major…

North Carolina began administering its End-of-Course (EOC) tests to high school students in the 1985-1986 school year with the first administration of the Algebra test. Other tests have been added over the years, and the program now includes 10 multiple choice EOC tests aligned with the state's Standard Course of Study in each subject and one…

This packet assists teachers and students in preparing for the Michigan Communications Arts (Writing and Reading) portions of the High School Proficiency Test (HSPT). Sections of the packet are: Map of the Regional Network for Communications Arts (including local contacts); Calendar of Professional Development Events; Annotated Bibliography of…