DIFFERENCES IN INSTRUCTIONAL SENSITIVITY BETWEEN ITEM FORMATS AND BETWEEN ACHIEVEMENT TEST ITEMS

Building achievement tests which are sensitive to the instructional effects of school programs concerns both practitioners and researchers in education. To produce such tests, empirical procedures to guide item selection are needed. In this paper, an operational framework and a set of empirical procedures for this task are presented. Within this framework, item sensitivity is linked to instructional implementation. A simple components of variance model has been used to provide actual estimates of instructional sensitivity. These procedures are illustrated using data from a comparative study of alternative item formats for a criterion-referenced test. Even when items were closely matched to instructional content specifications, important differences in instructional sensitivity emerged. These differences were found between the same items presented in different formats as well as between different items presented within the same format. Implications of these results for developing criterion-referenced achievement tests are discussed.     

Who's in Charge? School Counseling Supervision in North Carolina

Survey results of school counseling supervisors in North Carolina are summarized. Responses show that the majority of school counseling programs in the state are supervised by noncounseling personnel, usually supervisors of curriculum, instructional programs, or other educational areas. Supervisors' educational backgrounds, professional memberships, opinions about counselor certification issues, dominant supervisory functions, and staff development activities are described. The survey results give impetus to recommendations for future AACD and ACES directions regarding counseling supervision.     

CACREP Accreditation Intentions

The authors discuss results of a national survey, conducted by the AACD Committee for Standards Review, of counselor preparation programs regarding their intentions related to CACREP accreditation. Programs were separated into four groups: Group 1—programs that held CACREP accreditation; Group 2—programs with definite intentions of seeking CACREP accreditation; Group 3—programs that were uncertain whether they would pursue CACREP accreditation; and Group 4—programs that did not anticipate seeking CACREP accreditation. Data were analyzed for patterns of response across groups. Size and type of program and reasons central to program decisions concerning accreditation provided focus for the study. Implications of the findings are discussed.     

EFFECTS OF VIOLATING ITEM CONSTRUCTION PRINCIPLES1

Two forms of a social studies achievement test were constructed with half the items for each form containing a cue, grammar, or length fault. Faults were found to make the items easier, which was supported by confidence intervals for the differences. However, validity coefficients with achievement and intelligence criteria, as well as the reliability coefficients, were virtually unchanged. The results agreed with those of Dunn and Goldstein (1959), even though the methodology differed. A suggested measure of test-wiseness for groups is presented.     

Faculty-Student Relationships: The Dual Role Controversy

This study assesses faculty and student perceptions regarding dual relationships in mentoring, friendships, monetary interactions, informal social interactions, and romantic-sexual relationships. Results indicate faculty-student and gender differences.