The question of tests

"The ACT and SAT requirements for student-athletes spark provocative discussions about standardized examinations."--Table of contents for issue.By Dr. Steven Osterlin

The Performance Effects of Word Locator Cues on the NAEP Reading Assessment

Beginning with the 2009 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reading assessment, a new subset of items will be introduced with the intent of measuring vocabulary in context. The assessment’s item format requires an examinee to locate a targeted word in the reading passage. It was reasoned that presenting these items along with ‘word locator cues’ might help reduce construct irrelevant variance due to students’ differential ability in searching the targeted word. Using a sample of 1323 fourth and eight grade students, this study investigated the effects of two such ‘word locator cues’ on student performance: numbering the lines of the passage, and printing targeted words in boldface type. The results indicated that various format conditions (with and without cues) do not influence student performance on the vocabulary items after controlling for reading comprehension. On the other hand, at both fourth and eighth grade, we detected interactions between format conditions and race/ethnicity, which suggested that word locator cues appear to hurt the performance of certain subgroups. Implications of these findings for NAEP’s future reading assessments are discussed. Accessed 11,314 times on https://pareonline.net from October 04, 2007 to December 31, 2019. For downloads from January 1, 2020 forward, please click on the PlumX Metrics link to the right

Offender outcomes of training dogs in prison : the Puppies for Parole program

Poster and abstract"Puppies for Parole" is a rehabilitation program based on human-animal interaction (HAI) in the prison. Puppies for Parole aims to reduce the number of homeless canines by producing loving, obedient, and adoptable dogs. Inmates may gain skills to support successful rehabilitation and community reentry

Constructing test item : multiple choice, contructed response, performance, and other formats, 2nd ed./ Osterlind

339 hal.: tab.; ill.: 28 cm

Constructing test item : multiple choice, contructed response, performance, and other formats, 2nd ed./ Osterlind

339 hal.: tab.; ill.: 28 cm

Constructing test item : multiple choice, contructed response, performance, and other formats, 2nd ed./ Osterlind

339 hal.: tab.; ill.: 28 cm

Constructing test item : multiple choice, contructed response, performance, and other formats, 2nd ed./ Osterlind

339 hal.: tab.; ill.: 28 cm

A Study of Blended Assessment Techniques in On-line Testing

Over the past few years, blended learning has become more and more popular for educators and students alike. However, assessment is slow to follow this trend – blended assessment has not yet gained the same status as blended learning. Traditional on-line testing using various types of multiple choice questions (MCQ) has some disadvantages compared to written assessments. Principle among these is that educator’s cannot be certain if students have demonstrated knowledge levels appropriate to their marks – guessing and looking for patterns are obvious tactics used. In this study, traditional methods of assessment are combined in an innovative way. Assessments used are primarily on-line MCQ-based, but for some key questions – written “follow-on” questions require written explanations on paper for choices made in the MCQ. For example, a student could be asked to identify the correct definition for a term from a list of possible answers given, and then asked to give an example in their own words of where the term is normally used. In this way, an educator can set an MCQ question and then ask for a further short explanation or description of an example that clearly illustrates student understanding. Assessment results are gathered over four semesters in a two year experiment. Both undergraduate and post-graduate students were assessed in this method. Student performance in MCQ tests featuring “follow-on” questions is compared with traditional MCQ-only assessments for the same groups. Tests results are also examined to see if students benefit from the “follow-on” questions, where tests results including and excluding the “follow-on” questions are compared. The key findings are that the method of blending assessment described is an effective way of combining MCQ-based questions with written questions in an assessment. A comparison of results in assessments that use MCQ tests featuring “follow-on” questions, versus traditional MCQ-only tests reveals that students’ benefited by getting higher marks in tests using “follow-on” questions

Blended Assessment in Small to Medium-sized Classes

Assessment is the process of establishing, usually in evidence-based and measurable terms, knowledge, skills, attitudes, and beliefs. While there are many different methods of assessment available to educators, they often choose to rely on simple methods for testing (such as an instrument composed of multiple choice questions) or by traditional methods (written examinations). But this, too, engenders discussion as educators have for a long time debated the merits of multiple-choice type assessments versus those of traditional “pencil-and-paper” assessments. The dilemma for educators is often deciding which method is best suited to a particular situation. Very often, the number of learners to assess dictates the chosen assessment method. When a large number of learners is to be appraised, a multiple-choice test is used even though it takes a lot of time to create one. After all, such tests require little time to assess and mark, especially if online assessment tools are used. When the assessment involves a smaller number of learners, the more traditional approach of setting essay-type questions works best for many educators, regardless of the fact that such questions require extended time for marking