CONCURRENT VALIDITY OF THE INFORMATION REFERENCED TESTING FORMAT USING MCW-APM SCORING METHODS

The literature has reported many problems associated with the conventi onal forced-choice (R-W) test scoring system. The impact of guessing o n assessment is among the most serious problems cited in the literatur e. A Modified Confidence Weighted-Admissible Probability Measurement ( MCW-APM) scoring systems attempts to eliminate the impact of guessing on assessment by allowing the measurement of partial information. Sinc e this procedure is amenable to optical scoring it is especially suita ble for use in computer-based instruction measurement and mass testing by school organizations. The research literature, however, strongly s uggests that two dimensional, confidence weighted scoring systems sacr ifice test validity for test reliability. This study empirically exami nes a reproducible, two dimensional, test scoring procedure (MCW-APM) and finds that concurrent validity is enhanced - especially for diffic ult items or when tests are used with low and medium attaining student s. The findings of this study strongly suggest that the reproducible n ature of a scoring system used on a test might impact in a positive ma nner on both the validity and reliability of a test.