Diagnostic classification models (DCMs) classify examinees based on the skills they have mastered given their test performance. This classification enables targeted feedback that can inform remedial instruction. Unfortunately, applications of DCMs have been criticized (e.g., no validity support). Generally, these evaluations have been brief and…

A new vision of science learning described in the "Next Generation Science Standards"--particularly the science and engineering practices and their integration with content--pose significant challenges for large-scale assessment. This article explores what might be learned from advances in large-scale science assessment and…

The clue to what latent variable models are, and to a workable account of the basis for the traditional manifest/latent variable distinction, lies in a reconsideration of the indeterminacy property of linear factor structures. In this article, the authors contend that latent variable models are not detectors of unobservable latent structures,…