The Effects of Ceiling Rules on the Internal Consistency Reliability of a Mathematics Achievement Test

Abstract

This study compared the estimates of reliability made using one, two, three, four, five, and unlimited consecutive failures as ceiling rules in scoring a mathematics achievement test. The total score for each individual became the sum of the correct responses prior to the point described by the ceiling rule. The results of this study indicated that the estimate of reliability using two, three, four, and five consecutive failures as the ceiling rules were an improvement over the methods using one and unlimited consecutive failures.