We present an automatic text generation system (ATG) developed for the generation of natural language text for automatically produced test items. This ATG has been developed to work with an automatic item generation system for analytical reasoning items for use in tests with high-stakes outcomes (such as college admissions decisions). As such, the development and implementation of this ATG is c...

Why are some behaviors governed by strong social conventions while others are not? We experimentally investigate two factors contributing to the formation of conventions in a game of impure coordination: the continuity of interaction within each round of play (simultaneous vs. real-time) and the stakes of the interaction (high vs. low differences between payoffs). To maximize efficiency and fai...

Games: An Experiment with Nation-Wide Representative Subjects Tsu-Tan Fu Center for Survey Research and Institute of Economics, Academia Sinica, Nankang, Taipei 115, Taiwan Wei-Hsin Kong Institute of Industrial Economics, National Central University C.C. Yang* Institute of Economics, Academia Sinica, Nankang, Taipei 115, Taiwan Department of Public Finance, National Chengchi University, Wenshan...

Existing evidence suggests that high stakes exams result in little increased learning among students (Amrein & Berliner, 2002; Klein, Hamilton, McCaffrey, & Stetcher, 2000; Koretz, Mitchell, & Stetcher, 1996). Yet, given the federal mandates for greater accountability, such as No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation and Race to the Top policies, and the “pervasive testing culture” (Moses & Nann...

Context. The theme of the 2003 annual meeting is "accountability for educational quality". The emphasis on accountability reflects the increasing need for educators, students and politicians to demonstrate the effectiveness of educational systems. As part of the growing emphasis on accountability, high stakes achievement tests have become increasingly important and a student's performance on su...