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Title And Contents- Licensure Testing: Purposes, Procedures, And Practices, James C. Impara, Linda L. Murphy

Licensure Testing: Purposes, Procedures, and Practices

Licensure Testing: Purposes, Procedures, And Practices

Contents

Dedication

Preface

SECTION ONE: Purposes and Policy Issues

1. What is Licensure?
Kara Schmitt

2. Legal and Professional Bases for Licensure Testing
William A. Mehrens

3. Policy Issues with Psychometric Implications
Michael Rosenfeld, Richard J. Tannenbaum, and Scott Wesley

SECTION TWO: Procedures

Overview of the Licensure Testing Process
James C. Impara

4. Practice Analysis: Building the Foundation for Validity
Joan Knapp and Lenora Knapp

5. Test Development: Systematic Item Writing and Test Construction
Anthony LaDuca, Steven Downing, and Thomas Henzel

6. Developing and Using Clinical Examinations
Jimmie Fortune and Ted Cromack

7. Basic …

Section Two: Overview Of The Procedures For Developing A Licensure Examination, James C. Impara

Licensure Testing: Purposes, Procedures, and Practices

There are a variety of strategies that may be employed in the development of a licensure examination. The following list of activities illustrates typical procedures. Depending on the needs and conditions of the particular occupation, certain variations in specific activities may take place or changes in the sequence may be appropriate. In addition to the procedures listed, many decisions will be made that may add activities. For example, the decision to use a computerized item bank or to enter into a computerized adaptive testing format will require procedures in addition to those described briefly below.

1. Conducting a job (or …

6. Developing And Using Clinical Examinations, Jimmie C. Fortune, Theodore R. Cromack

Licensure Testing: Purposes, Procedures, and Practices

INTRODUCTION

Generally, clinical examinations for licensing (sometimes called performance tests) involve the candidate completing one or more tasks (in licensing this is thought of as "services for a client") that have been selected from the supervised practice Gob analysis) of an occupation or profession. The clinical examination may exist in contexts (occupations) that do not require client interactions. Such contexts include building trades, automobile repair, accounting, etc. The tasks may range from fixing brakes, to preparing a body for burial, to wiring a house, or auditing a set of business interactions.

Other contexts require the candidate to perform services or …

7. Basic Psychometric Issues In Licensure Testing, Howard W. Stoker, James C. Impara

Licensure Testing: Purposes, Procedures, and Practices

INTRODUCTION

The number of people in the United States who carry some responsibility for the writing of examination questions and the construction of tests is unknown. In the Preface to The Construction and Use of Achievement Examinations, published by the American Council on Education in 1936, the authors indicated that the number probably exceeded a million. That number has certainly grown in the past 60 years. Questions are posed to students by teachers at all levels of education; the Armed Forces have people whose job it is to construct tests which are used in the promotion of personnel; over …

4. Practice Analysis: Building The Foundation For Validity, Joan E. Knapp, Lenora G. Knapp

Licensure Testing: Purposes, Procedures, and Practices

INTRODUCTION

A review of the literature associated with job analysis reveals two extremes of opinion as represented by the following provocative quotes:

Historically job analysis has been a relatively soporific area of industrial and organizational psychology, characterized by neither heated controversy nor prominent visibility in the research literature. (Harvey, 1991, p. 71)

Validation was once a priestly mystery, a ritual behind the scenes with the professional elite as witness and judge. Today it is a public spectacle combining the attraction of chess and mud wrestling. (Cronbach, 1988, p. 3)

Both our evaluation of practice analysis research and our professional experience …

2. Legal And Professional Bases For Licensure Testing, William A. Mehrens

Licensure Testing: Purposes, Procedures, and Practices

In this chapter the author presents the legal setting for licensure testing, I discusses the role of various professional standards and codes (i.e., the EEOC Uniform Guidelines, 1978, and the AERA/APA/NCME Standards, 1985), presents some of the pertinent rulings from several court decisions, and makes inferences about future changes in professional standards and their potential impact on licensure test development.

There necessarily is some minor overlap with the material in this chapter and some other chapters in this book. There is a brief discussion of the differences between licensure, certification. and employment testing and how those differences relate …

5. Systematic Item Writing And Test Construction, Anthony Laduca, Steven M. Downing, Thomas R. Henzel

Licensure Testing: Purposes, Procedures, and Practices

Standardized objective testing remains the most popular mode of licensure testing. Even where other types of tests are incorporated, it is often the case that they are provided as complimentary to standardized, multiple-choice (MC) tests. Moreover, scoring theories and standard-setting procedures have been developed over the years in the context of standardized MC testing. At the same time, critics have pointed to limitations of contemporary MC testing practices, including lack of fidelity to real-life challenges and emphasis on recall of factual minutiae. In our view, testing professionals should make conscientious attempts to modify test development procedures so as to address …

3. Policy Issues With Psychometric Implications, Michael Rosenfeld, Richard F. J. Tannenbaum, Scott Wesley

Licensure Testing: Purposes, Procedures, and Practices

Testing candidates with disabilities, testing repeaters, and coaching involve issues of fairness, the validity of the inferences made from test scores, and protection of the public. Licensing boards must develop policies to deal with each of these issues. It is interesting to note that although all three are of concern to licensing agencies, little of the research on these topics has been conducted in licensure settings. This chapter discusses the results of research conducted on each topic, considers the psychometric implications for policy of each, and suggests steps licensing boards can take when formulating policy.

TESTING CANDIDATES WITH DISABILITIES IN …

1. What Is Licensure, Kara Schmitt

Licensure Testing: Purposes, Procedures, and Practices

When most individuals hear the terms license and licensure, their first reaction is that these are easily understood and relatively simple words. Everyone knows what these terms mean. Or do they?

What is licensure? It is a multifaceted, complex governmental system of regulation with the stated purpose being public protection. According to Webster's dictionary (Guralnik, 1976), a license is defined as "a formal permission to do something: esp., authorization by law to do some specified thing (license to marry, practice medicine, hunt, etc.)." The term Licensure is then defined to mean "the act or practice of granting licenses, …

Section Three Emerging Practices

Licensure Testing: Purposes, Procedures, and Practices

No abstract provided.

8. Item Banking, Betty A. Bergstrom, Richard C. Gershon

Licensure Testing: Purposes, Procedures, and Practices

Item banks developed by licensure agencies range from a collection of items stored on index cards to highly sophisticated electronic databases. Regardless of the storage mechanism, most banks contain items that have been organized and referenced according to procedures established by the licensure agency. This chapter outlines useful practices for building and maintaining a computerized item bank. We address storage of item text, graphics, and statistical history. We deal with the creation of paper-and-pencil and computerized tests from an item bank and the use of Item Response Theory (lRT) to calibrate and equate item banks. New directions in item banking …

Subject Index

Licensure Testing: Purposes, Procedures, and Practices

Subject Index listed A-Z (8 pages)

A

a parameter: 299-300, 303, 305-306, 314
absolute standard procedure: 329
absolute standards: 222-223
accuracy of the inference: 150
Adaptive Mastery Testing (AMT): 298,305
advisory committee: 100-101 , 103-105,111- 112
AERA/APA/NCME Standards: 33,37-43, 53, 55 , 66, 68, 72, 84, 94, 11 4, 118, 122, 137-138,168, 170- 171,179,185, 236, 248, 254-255, 26 1, 281
all -in-one requirement: 155
alternate-choice: 120
alternate-choice multiple choice: 324
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA): 22-23, 43, 54-55, 60-6 1, 63, 65, 68-70, 297
amplified objective: 129,147
amplified objective method: 129
analysis of variance (ANaYA): 153
anchor items: …

12. Computerized Testing In Licensure, C. David Vale

Licensure Testing: Purposes, Procedures, and Practices

Computerized testing has come out of the laboratory and into the field. By rough estimates, over a million licensure and certification examinations are currently given by computer each year, and the number is rising. Computerized testing is not appropriate for every application, however. Computerized tests always result in significantly greater direct costs than paper-and-pencil tests. To justify their use, a computerized test must result in a net dollar saving. This means that something in the process of computerization must offer a cost reduction that more than offsets the direct cost of computerization. The purpose of this chapter is to identify …

Author Index

Licensure Testing: Purposes, Procedures, and Practices

Authors listed A-Z (8 pages)

A

Ader, H. 1. : 2 10,2 18
Ahluwalia, N. T.: 240, 25 1, 330, 344
Aitkin, M.: 262, 267, 282
AI-Dosary, I. M.: 28 1, 282
AI-Karni , A.: 27 1, 28 1, 282
Albanese, M. A.: 125, 138,324,341
Alexander, R. A.: 225, 250
Algin a, 1.: 256, 283
Allen, D. L.: 158, 164
American Counci l on Education: 167, 185
American Educational Research Association: 33,37,38,39,40, 41 , 42,43,53,55,66, 68,72,84,94, 11 4, 11 8, 122,137, 138, 168, 170, 17 1, 179, 185, 236, 248, 254, 255,26 1,28 1
American Psychological Association: 33, 37, 38,39,40, …

10. Establishing Passing Standards, Craig N. Mills

Licensure Testing: Purposes, Procedures, and Practices

INTRODUCTION

When tests are used to determine eligibility for a license, a passing standard or cut score must be established that divides the test scores into two categories: eligible for license or not. Standard setting has been widely researched and there are many reviews available (see, for example, Jaeger, 1989; Mills & Melican, 1988; Berk, 1986; Hambleton, 1980; Hambleton & Eignor, 1980; and Shepard, 1980a, 1980b), yet there is limited practical advice available for conducting standard setting studies and establishing standards. The one available resource (Livingston & Zieky, 1982) is somewhat dated. The purpose of this chapter is to provide …

9. Differential Item Functioning In Licensure Tests, Barbara S. Plake

Licensure Testing: Purposes, Procedures, and Practices

When test scores are used to make important decisions, as is typically the case with licensure tests, the validity of test score interpretations is extremely critical. The validity of the decision (e.g., pass or fail the licensure examination) relies heavily on the validity of the test score that is used in making the licensure decision. So, although validity is always a critical component in test score interpretation, it has increased importance when the score is used in high-stakes decision situations such as licensure testing.

Issues in validity for licensure tests have been addressed in Chapter 4 of this volume. The …

13. Future Psychometric Practices In Licensure Testing, Steven S. Nettles

Licensure Testing: Purposes, Procedures, and Practices

New technologies continue to emerge each year, and influence testing practices. In particular, in the last 10 years the personal computer has evolved from a curious and minimally useful tool to an indispensable partner in many certification and licensure testing programs. It is involved in every aspect- including candidate scheduling, test assembly, test administration, test scoring and analysis, and score reporting. Initially, it is used to determine the content to be included in the job analysis instrument, and later, to analyze the returned surveys. After the job analysis is completed and test specifications prepared, it can be used to bank …

11. Equating, Judy A. Shea, John J. Norcini

Licensure Testing: Purposes, Procedures, and Practices

INTRODUCTION

Testing programs nearly always need examinations that measure the same thing, but are composed of different questions (i .e., alternate forms of the same test). When different questions are used, however, there is no assurance that scores on the forms are equivalent; different sets of items might be easier or harder and, therefore, produce higher or lower scores. Equating is used to overcome this problem. Simply stated, it is the design and statistical procedure that permits scores on one form of a test to be comparable to scores on an alternate form.

A hypothetical example will help explain why …

Licensure Testing: Purposes, Procedures, And Practices [Complete Work], James C. Impara, Linda L. Murphy

Licensure Testing: Purposes, Procedures, and Practices

Licensure Testing: Purposes, Procedures, and Practices (374 pages)

Copyright © 1995 by Buros Institute of Mental Measurements All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, by photostat, microfilm, retrieval system, or any other means, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

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The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information Sciences-Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48-1984.

Consumer-Directed Advertising Of Contraceptive Drugs: The Fda, Depo-Provera, And Product Liability, William Green

Faculty Research at Morehead State University

Pharmaceutical manufacturers have advertised prescription drug products to the public for over a decade. These consumer-directed advertisements often are promoted, like those for other consumer products, with appeals to vanity, insecurity, and pain. Prescription drug advertisements possess certain unique features, most notably a statement that consumers must visit their doctor before purchasing the product. These advertisements also encourage consumers to obtain more detailed information from the manufacturer, often by using 800 numbers to phone in requests for free video tapes, brochures, and information packets. Depo-Provera is one of these prescription drugs.

Negotiating The Future: Nlra Paradigm And The Prospects For Labor Law Reform, William C. Green

Faculty Research at Morehead State University

Japan's rising economic prowess in the 1980's and its penetration of the North American automobile marketplace produced a major economic restructuring. Seven Asian automobile assembly plants, along with four Japanese-Big Three joint ventures, and GM's Saturn were built across the industrial heartland of the United States and Canada.' This common experience, accompanied by a transformation in industrial production methods and the reorganization of work defined in terms of Japanese lean production techniques and cooperative labor relations, created a crisis for the Fordist regime of industrial production, its system of labor-management relations, and organized labor. Lean production has also created a …

Does Service-Learning Have A Future?, Edward Zlotkowski

New England Resource Center for Higher Education Publications

Until very recently the service-learning movement has had an "ideological" bias; i.e., it has tended to prioritize moral and/or civic questions related to the service experience. Such a focus reflects well the movement's past but will not guarantee its future. What is needed now is a broad-based adjustment that invests far more intellectual energy in specifically academic concerns. Only by paying careful attention to the needs of individual disciplines and by allying itself with other academic interest groups, will the service-learning movement succeed in becoming an established feature of American higher education.

I Never Knew I Could Stand Up To The System: Families' Perspectives On Pursuing Inclusive Education, Elizabeth Erwin, Leslie C. Soodak

Department of Teaching and Learning Scholarship and Creative Works

The purpose of this study was to investigate the experiences encountered by parents committed to inclusive education for their children with disabilities. In-depth interviews of nine study participants were analyzed to identify common themes related to their experiences and perceptions. Results revealed that parents desired inclusive education, because they viewed it as a fundamental right for their children. Most importantly, findings indicated that parents employed numerous strategies to obtain inclusive education for their children, often seeking assistance from the courts and media. These findings suggest the need for meaningful family and school collaboration.

Parents, Professionals, And Inclusive Education: A Call For Collaboration, Leslie C. Soodak, Elizabeth Erwin

Department of Teaching and Learning Scholarship and Creative Works

No abstract provided.

Sabbatical Leave Proposal, Connie Russell Hosier

Sabbaticals

The following weaknesses are in the part-time teaGhing area of the CCS Program:

• 2 to 5 new part-time teachers are hired each year
• Most part-time teachers have no college level teaching experience
• No part-time teachers with college comprehension teaching experience
• No part-time teachers with study skills teaching experience
• An annual teacher turnover with no trained replacements
• There is limited time available to train staff adequately.

I propose to research, design, and videotape 20 to 25 teacher training videos for all three developmental levels of CCS including, but not limited to, reading comprehension methods and study skills. Instructional videos are a …

Reading Instruction In First-Grade Classrooms: Do Basals Control Teachers?, James V. Hoffman, Sarah J. Mccarthey, Debra Bayles, Debra Price, Bonnie Elliott, Mark Dressman, Judy Abbott

Faculty Publications

This study describes first-grade teachers beliefs and practices about reading instruction. Drawing from interview and observational data, 16 teachers from four districts were placed on a continuum from skills-based to literature-based in relationship to their use of the basal. Only 2 teachers were found to rely solely on the basal, while 3 teachers enhanced the basal with literature, and 4 teachers used only literature in their reading instruction. Six teachers enhanced their basal use with additional skills and 1 teacher relied on skills only in her reading instruction. This diversity' of teaching beliefs and practices was corroborated by questionnaire data …

A Focus On Learning : Wuality In Teaching & Learning : The Proceedings Of The Teaching & Learning Forum, Edith Cowan University, Perth, February 1995, Laurie Summers (Ed.)

Research outputs pre 2011

These papers represent the proceedings of the fourth Teaching and Learning Forum conducted in Perth from February 7-9, 1995. Curtin University hosted the first two Forums and we at Edith Cowan University the third and fourth. In 1996 the honour (and the hard work) transfers to Murdoch.

The Forum's objectives were:

• To bring together people in higher education who are interested in practical teaching issues (Lecturers, managers, administrators, students, support, general and technical staff).

• To share ideas, information and practices in a variety of mutually supportive, friendly and co-operative ways.

• To celebrate quality in teaching and learning …

Wild Beasts And Other Curiosities: West Australian Research, Issues And Innovations In Early Childhood Education, Martyn Wild (Ed.)

Research outputs pre 2011

Editorial Is it true that young children need to play more, that perceptual-motor programs don't work, or that schools can learn lessons from child care? Do you know how to turn children into 'greenies', help them express the wild beast within, or use computers to develop vital skills? If you're unsure, outraged, confused or curious, then this book is for you! Practitioners and academics in early childhood have written these papers for the Edith Cowan Memorial Conference for Early Childhood in 1996. The chapters are diverse in style and topic, but are linked by the authors' deep interest in the …

I'D Like To Use Essay Tests, But..., Marilla Svinicki

Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education: Archives

The "Writing Across the Curriculum" movement of several years ago urged instructors in all departments to help their students learn to write more coherent prose, whether it be in papers or essay tests, not just to improve student writing but to encourage more complex thinking. Having to explain an answer in prose format requires more from the student in the way of deep processing of the material than is usually the case on objectively scorable exam questions.

Many instructors across campus subscribed to these ideas enthusiastically, but were stymied when it came to putting them into practice in their classes. …

What Did I Do Right In One Freshman Seminar? What Did I Do Wrong In Another? What Will I Do Next Time?, Richard L. Schoenwald

Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education: Archives

An essay from a university instructor answering the questions: What did I do right in one freshman seminar? What did I do wrong in another? What will I do next time?