Testing
You know it, you love it,
and you can’t live
without it.
But do you really know
how it is supposed to
be conducted and
used?
A test of your optimism or pessimism
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Which do you like better?
– A. hamburgers
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What kind of grades do you get?
– A. good grades
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B. hot dogs
B. bad grades
Which do you like better?
– A. talking on the phone
– B. going to a movie
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How often do you go out to eat?
– A. less than five times a week
– B. more than five times a week
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Which color do you like best?
– A. orange
– B. blue
Validity
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A test is valid if it measures what it is
supposed to measure.
Was the test you just took a valid
measure of optimism/pessimism?
What are some more valid questions
to measure optimism/pessimism?
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Form groups of three and try to write
one valid question for each of the
categories that:
– Could be given to a CHS sophomore
– Could be scored quickly and accurately
– Would differentiate between subjects
who clearly understand the material,
somewhat understand the material, and
really does not understand the material
Standardization and Norms
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Read and answer the questions for
Part B on the back page.
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Is this all that there is to making a
good test?
Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale
WAIS-III
WAIS-III
WAIS-III
WAIS-III
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The WAIS-III is the 1997 revision of the test originally published in 1955 and first revised in 1981. The
WAIS-III contains the following scales:
Verbal Scales
1. Information: 28 items on a variety of information adults have presumably had opportunities to
acquire in our culture. No specialized or academic information included; however, some of the items
cover quite sophisticated information.
2. Comprehension: 18 items that require examinee to explain what should be done in certain
circumstances, the meaning of proverbs, why certain societal practices are followed, and so forth. The
test measures practical judgment, common sense, and the ability to understand and adapt to social
customs. Score on each item varies (0-2 pts) according to the degree to which the response describes
the most pertinent aspects of the question.
3. Arithmetic: 20 arithmetic problems similar to those encountered in elementary math courses.
Problems are administered orally and must be solved without paper and pencil. In addition to math
knowledge, test measures concentration and systematic problem-solving ability.
4. Similarities: 19 items requiring examinee to describe how two given things are alike. Score on each
item varies according to the degree to which the response describes a general property primarily
pertinent to both items in the pair. Measures concrete, functional, and abstract concept formation.
5. Digit Span: Two parts, Digits forward and digits backwards. Examinee required to repeat 3 - 9 digits
forward and 2 - 9 digits backwards. Measures short-term memory, attention, and concentration..
6. Vocabulary: 66 words of increasing difficulty are presented orally and visually. Examinee required
to define the words. Score (0-2) based on sophistication of definition. Measures verbal knowledge and
concept formation.
7. Letter-Number Sequencing (Optional Test): Examiner presents combinations of letters and
numbers, from 2 to nine letter-number combinations. Examinee must repeat each series by, first,
repeating the numbers in ascending order, then the letters in alphabetical order (e.g., 9-L-2-A; correct
response is 2-9-A-L). Measures "working memory," the ability to simultaneously recall and organize
stimuli of different, similar types. This also is a standard test on the Wechsler Memory Scale-III.
WAIS-III
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Performance Scales
8. Coding-Digit Symbol: Numbers 1 - 7 are paired with symbols on a key presented to examinee.
Examinee has 120 seconds to go through a grid of 90 numbers and place the correct symbol above
each number. Measures visual-motor speed and complexity, motor coordination. There are two
additional, optional extensions of the coding test that measure the examinees skills in learning the
coding process after completing the initial task.
9. Picture Completion: 25 cards, each containing a picture having a part missing. Examinee must
identify the missing part. Measures ability to observe details and recognize specific features of the
environment (I.e., whole to part discrimination). Also measures performance in deliberately focusing
attention.
10. Block Design: Perhaps the butt of more jokes than any other WAIS scale! Included in the test are
nine red and white square blocks and a spiral booklet of cards showing different color designs that
can be made with the blocks. The examinee must arrange the blocks to match the design formed by
examiner or shown on cards. In addition to being scored for accuracy, each item is scored for speed
as well. Measures spatial problem-solving and manipulative abilities, and part to whole organization.
11. Picture Arrangement: Eleven items. Each item consists of 3 to 6 cards containing pictures. The
examinee must arrange the pictures from left to right to tell the intended story. Again, both accuracy
and speed are scored. Partial credit is given for alternate, but less commonly given arrangements to
some items.
Measures nonverbal reasoning and sequencing skills, and grasp of social cause and effect (also
known as social intelligence).
12. Matrix Reasoning: A new test on the WAIS-III. Examinee is presented with a series of design
with a part missing. Examinee chooses the missing part that will complete the design, from five
choices. Measures nonverbal analytical reasoning.
13. Object Assembly (Optional Test): Four items, each item being a "cut up" object, like a puzzle.
Examinee must correctly assemble the parts of the puzzle. Measures visual-motor problem-solving
and organizational abilities, and visual anticipation skills.
14. Symbol Search (Optional test): Examinee must match one or two symbols shown on the left
column with the same symbol/s in the right column of each page in the supplemental test booklet.
Measures organization accuracy and processing speed
More Validity issues
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Face validity - Does the measure, on
the face of it, seem to measure what is
intended?
Construct validity - (the most important
aspect)
– criterion validity - consists of:
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convergent validity - does this test return
similar results to other tests which purport to
measure the same thing?
Sources of Invalidity
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Response sets - psychological bias
toward answering in a particular way
– Acquiesence - tendency to agree
– Social desirability - tendency to portray
oneself in a positive light
– Faking bad - purposely saying ‘no’ or
looking bad if there is a ‘reward’ (i.e.,
attention, compensation, social welfare,
etc.)
Sources of Invalidity, cont’d.
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Bias
– Cultural bias - does the psychological
construct have the same meaning from
one culture to another; how are the
different items interpreted by people
from different cultures
– Gender bias?
Reliability - extent to which a test is
repeatable and yields consistent scores
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Some people score quite differently on
a valid test when they take it twice.
Test-retest reliability - administer a
newly created test to a sample group
of people and then wait a period of
time until it seems likely that the
people cannot recall the specific test
questions. Then you administer the
test again to see if the scores are
similar.
Reliability, cont’d.
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Split-half reliability - Create a test with
several questions that ask about the
same information. Then score each
half of the questions separately and
compare the scores.
Equivalent forms reliability - Create
two versions of the test. Form A would
have a variety of questions that would
be matched, question-by-question,
with similar items on Form B.
Reliability, cont’d.
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Inter-rater reliability - Different people
score the same test. Compare the
scores they gave the same
questions/answers.
Internal consistency - The greater the
number of similar items, the greater
the possibility of having internal
consistency. (This is why some
scales/questionnaires ask so many
seemingly similar questions.)
8th Grade Final Exam:
Salina , KS - 1895
Grammar (Time, one hour)
1. Give nine rules for the use of capital letters.
2. Name the parts of speech and define those that
have no modifications.
3. Define verse, stanza and paragraph
4. What are the principal parts of a verb? Give
principal parts of 'lie,''play,' and 'run.'
5. Define case; illustrate each case.
6 What is punctuation? Give rules for principal
marks of punctuation.
7 - 10. Write a composition of about 150 words and
show therein that you understand the practical use
of the rules of grammar.
Arithmetic (Time,1 hour 15 minutes)
1. Name and define the Fundamental Rules of Arithmetic.
2. A wagon box is 2 ft. deep, 10 feet long, and 3 ft. wide. How
many bushels of wheat will it hold?
3. If a load of wheat weighs 3,942 lbs., what is it worth at
50cts/bushel, deducting 1,050 lbs. for tare?
4. District No 33 has a valuation of $35,000. What is the
necessary levy to carry on a school seven months at $50 per
month, and have $104 for incidentals?
5 Find the cost of 6,720 lbs. coal at $6.00 per ton.
6. Find the interest of $512.60 for 8 months and 18 days at 7
percent.
7. What is the cost of 40 boards 12 inches wide and 16 ft. long at
$20 per metre?
8. Find bank discount on $300 for 90 days (no grace) at 10
percent.
9. What is the cost of a square farm at $15 per acre, the distance
of which is 640 rods?
10. Write a Bank Check, a Promissory Note, and a Receipt.
U.S. History (Time, 45 minutes)
1. Give the epochs into which U.S. History is divided
2. Give an account of the discovery of America by
Columbus .
3. Relate the causes and results of the Revolutionary
War.
4. Show the territorial growth of the United States
5. Tell what you can of the history of Kansas .
6. Describe three of the most prominent battles of the
Rebellion.
7. Who were the following: Morse, Whitney, Fulton ,
Bell , Lincoln , Penn, and Howe?
8. Name events connected with the following dates:
1607, 1620, 1800, 1849, 1865.
Orthography (Time, one hour)
1. What is meant by the following: alphabet, phonetic,
orthography, etymology, syllabication
2. What are elementary sounds? How classified?
3. What are the following, and give examples of each: trigraph,
subvocals, diphthong, cognate letters, linguals
4. Give four substitutes for caret 'u.'
5 Give two rules for spelling words with final 'e.' Name two
exceptions under each rule.
6. Give two uses of silent letters in spelling Illustrate each.
7. Define the following prefixes and use in connection with a
word: bi, dis, mis, pre, semi, post, non, inter, mono, sup.
8. Mark diacritically and divide into syllables the following, and
name the sign that indicates the sound: card, ball, mercy, sir,
odd, cell, rise, blood, fare, last.
9. Use the following correctly in sentences: cite, site, sight, fane,
fain, feign, vane , vain, vein, raze, raise, rays
10. Write 10 words frequently mispronounced and indicate
pronunciation by use of diacritical marks and by
syllabication.
Geography (Time, one hour)
1. What is climate? Upon what does climate depend?
2. How do you account for the extremes of climate in Kansas?
3. Of what use are rivers? Of what use is the ocean?
4. Describe the mountains of North America
5. Name and describe the following: Monrovia , Odessa ,
Denver , Manitoba , Hecla , Yukon , St. Helena, Juan
Fernandez, Aspinwall and Orinoco.
6. Name and locate the principal trade centers of the U.S.
7. Name all the republics of Europe and give the capital of
each.
8. Why is the Atlantic Coast colder than the Pacific in the
same latitude?
9. Describe the process by which the water of the ocean
returns to the sources of rivers.
10. Describe the movements of the earth. Give the inclination
of the earth.