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Two types of classification error are possible in competency tests: erroneous classification of an individual as a "master" of the subject (Type II error), and erroneous classification of a master as a "nonmaster" of the subject (Type I). If steps are taken to minimize Type II errors, an artificially high number of true masters will be classified as nonmasters. The remedy for this problem is to empirically correct for incorrect answers caused by irrelevant factors (fatigue, lack of motivation, etc.). This is done by self-correction: administering the test, checking it, and resubmitting the incorrectly answered questions to the student. The examinee is allowed to correct those incorrect answers. The self-correction technique was used in testing some 4,000 third-grade students in 80 elementary schools in Israel. Forty-one open-ended mathematics questions were answered and corrected. Seventy percent of students with incorrect answers provided correct answers when retested. Based on this finding, the probability of misclassification of true masters as nonmasters (Type I error) was calculated to be 40%. Further analysis showed self-correction to increase the test's internal consistency and its replicability. Retesting two weeks later provided nearly identical results. (MGD)

1Boy Crusoe

By Allan Eric

Also published as" A Yankee Crusoe" . A 15 year old hard working and studious farm boy finds the lure of adventure on the seas as a merchant seaman more than he can resist. This is his story. " I was born in a little town in the State of Maine, near the close of the Civil War. My boyhood life did not differ materially from that of the average farmer's son in the remote country districts of New England--except, perhaps, that I read more and thought more. Hard work on the rugged soil, two terms each year in the little yellow country schoolhouse, a day's fishing now and then filled the early years of my life full to over-flowing. " What he gets is enough excitement and adventure to overflow his wildest dreams. How he experiences disaster and uses his wits and knowledge to overcome every problem makes for a great read. - Summary by Phil Chenevert