Large-scale assessments often use a computer adaptive test (CAT) for selection of items and for scoring respondents. Such tests often assume a parametric form for the relationship between item responses and the underlying construct. Although semi- and nonparametric response functions could be used, there is scant research on their performance in a…

Establishing a cut score is a crucial aspect of the test development process since the selected cut score has the potential to impact students' performance outcomes and shape instructional strategies within the classroom. Therefore, it is vital for those involved in test development to set a cut score that is both fair and justifiable. This cut…

COVID-19 has disrupted higher education globally, and there is scarce information about the "learning loss" in university students throughout this crisis. The goal of the study was to compare scores in a large-scale knowledge diagnostic exam applied to students admitted to the university, before and during the pandemic. Research design…

English learners (ELs) comprise approximately 10% of kindergarten to Grade 12 students in US public schools, with about 15% of ELs identified as having disabilities. English language proficiency (ELP) assessments must adhere to universal design principles and incorporate universal tools, designed to increase accessibility for all ELs, including…

Purpose: Based on the general formula, which depends on the length and difficulty of the test, the number of respondents and the number of ability levels, this study aims to provide a closed formula for the adaptive tests with medium difficulty (probability of solution is p = 1/2) to determine the accuracy of the parameters for each item and in…

This study reviews and compares indicators that can serve to characterize numerically the nature of state sequences. It also introduces several new indicators. Alongside basic measures such as the length, the number of visited distinct states, and the number of state changes, we shall consider composite measures such as turbulence and the…

We developed the Physics Inventory of Quantitative Literacy (PIQL) to assess students' quantitative reasoning in introductory physics contexts. The PIQL includes several "multiple-choice-multipleresponse" (MCMR) items (i.e., multiple-choice questions for which more than one response may be selected) as well as traditional single-response…

In this investigation, we used real data to assess potential differential effects associated with taking a test in a test center (TC) versus testing at home using remote proctoring (RP). We used a pseudo-equivalent groups (PEG) approach to examine group equivalence at the item level and the total score level. If our assumption holds that the PEG…

The robustness of qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) results features high on the agenda of methodologists and practitioners. This article aims at advancing this debate on several fronts. First, in line with the extant literature, we take a comprehensive view on robustness arguing that decisions on calibration, consistency, and frequency…

Chiang Mai Rajabhat University Test of English Proficiency (CMRU-TEP) is a required English proficiency test for all CMRU students before graduation. Despite its meticulous design, there is an opportunity for students to improve their scores through focused efforts and targeted support. This study employs an explanatory sequential mixed-methods…

The use of accommodations is often recommended to remove barriers to academic testing among English Learners (ELs). However, it is unclear whether accommodations are particularly effective at improving ELs' test scores. A growing foundation of empirical work has explored this topic. We conducted a meta-analysis that examined several possible…

Low examinee effort is a major threat to valid uses of many test scores. Fortunately, several methods have been developed to detect noneffortful item responses, most of which use response times. To accurately identify noneffortful responses, one must set response time thresholds separating those responses from effortful ones. While other studies…

A necessary step in applying bi-factor models is to evaluate the need for domain factors with a general factor in place. The conventional null hypothesis testing (NHT) was commonly used for such a purpose. However, the conventional NHT meets challenges when the domain loadings are weak or the sample size is insufficient. This article proposes…

Indirect indices for faking detection in questionnaires make use of a respondent's deviant or unlikely response pattern over the course of the questionnaire to identify them as a faker. Compared with established direct faking indices (i.e., lying and social desirability scales), indirect indices have at least two advantages: First, they cannot be…

Researchers often have hypotheses concerning the state of affairs in the population from which they sampled their data to compare group means. The classical frequentist approach provides one way of carrying out hypothesis testing using ANOVA to state the null hypothesis that there is no difference in the means and proceed with multiple comparisons…