Construction Versus Choice in Cognitive Measurement: Issues in Constructed Response, Performance Testing, and Portfolio Assessment

352 Pages·1993·5.017 MB·English

by  William C. Ward (editor), Randy Elliot Bennett (editor)

CONSTRUCTION VERSUS CHOICE
IN COGNITIVE MEASUREMENT:
Issues in Constructed Response,
Performance Testing,
and Portfolio Assessment

CONSTRUCTION VERSUS CHOICE
IN COGNITIVE MEASUREMENT:
Issues in Constructed Response,
Performance Testing,
and Portfolio Assessment
Edited by
Randy Elliot Bennett
William C. Ward
Educational Testing Service
RO Routledge
UTLEDG Taylor &. Francis Group
E
NEW YORK AND LONDON
First Published by
Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc., Publishers
365 Broadway
Hillsdale, New Jersey 07642
Transferred to Digital Printing 2009 by Routledge
270 Madison Ave, New York NY 10016
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN
Copyright © 1993, by Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of the book may be reproduced in
any form, by photostat, microform, retrieval system, or any other
means, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Construction versus choice in cognitive measurement: issues in
constructed response, performance testing, and portfolio assessment
/ edited by Randy Elliot Bennett, William C. Ward.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and indexes.
ISBN 0-8058-0964-3
1. Educational tests and measurements-United States-Evaluation-
Congresses. 2. Examinations—United States—Design and
construction —Congresses. 3. Examinations — United States—Validity —
Congresses. I. Bennett, Randy Elliot, 1952- II. Ward,
William C, 1939-
LB3050.5.C66 1993
371.2’6’013-dc20 92-31274
CIP
Publisher’s Note
The publisher has gone to great lengths to ensure the quality of this reprint
but points out that some imperfections in the original may be apparent.
For
Norman Frederiksen
in recognition of more than 40 years of contributions
to what are today’s innovative methods of assessment.

CONTENTS
Preface ix
1 On the Meanings of Constructed Response
Randy Elliot Bennett I
2 On the Equivalence of the Traits Assessed by Multiple-
Choice and Constructed-Response Tests
Ross E. Traub 29
3 Construct Validity and Constructed-Response Tests
Richard E. Snow 45
4 Trait Equivalence as Construct Validity of Score
Interpretation Across Multiple Methods of Measurement
Samuel Messick 61
5 A Framework for Studying Differences Between Multiple-
Choice and Free-Response Test Items
Robert J. Mislevy 75
vii
viii CONTENTS
6 Item Construction and Psychometric Models Appropriate
for Constructed Responses
Kikumi K. Tatsuoka 107
7 Constructed Response and Differential Item Functioning:
A Pragmatic Approach
Neil J. Dorans and Alicia P. Schmitt 135
8 Item Formats for Assessment in Mathematics
James Braswell and Jane Kupin 167
9 The Place of Portfolios in Our Changing Views
of Writing Assessment
Roberta Camp 183
10 Assessment as an Episode of Learning
Dennie Palmer Wolf 213
II Performance Assessment and Educational Measurement
Drew H. Gitomer 241
12 Innovation and Reform: Examples from Teacher Assessment
Carol Anne Dwyer 265
13 The Federal Role in Standardized Testing
Terry W. Hartle and Peter A. Battaglia 291
14 The Politics of Multiple-Choice Versus
Free-Response Assessment
Sharon P. Robinson 313
Author Index 325
Subject Index 331
PREFACE
The multiple-choice question is the mainstay of standardized testing programs
in the United States. The format has achieved this position because it per
mits inexpensive and apparently objective scoring; because such questions
can be answered quickly, allowing broad content coverage within a testing
session; and because a sophisticated statistical technology has evolved to sup
port the analysis and interpretation of test results.
The reliance on multiple-choice questions, however, is increasingly criti
cized. Many have argued that tests and, in particular, test formats significantly
influence education. Multiple-choice assessments are said to encourage the
teaching and learning of isolated facts and rote procedures at the expense
of conceptual understanding and the development of problem-solving skills.
It is believed that, for education reform to occur, the methods used to meas
ure attainment must themselves be transformed.
To address the limitations of the multiple-choice format, many educators
and psychologists have advocated increased use of constructed-response tasks.
These tasks may be as simple as producing a numerical answer to an arith
metic question or as extensive as producing the numerous drafts that cul
minate in a finely honed essay or planning and conducting a series of scientific
experiments. Proponents argue that constructed-response assessments, es
pecially those that require extended problem solving and yield complex
productions, measure different skills and promote deeper learning than do
multiple-choice measures.
The use of such tasks, however, raises several critical concerns. If the an-
IX