Policymakers and school administrators have embraced value-added models of teacher effectiveness as tools for educational improvement. Teacher value-added estimates may be viewed as complicated scores of a certain kind. This suggests using a test validation model to examine their reliability and validity. Validation begins with an interpretive…

The traditional approach to scale modified-Angoff cut scores transfers the raw cuts to an existing raw-to-scale score conversion table. Under the traditional approach, cut scores and conversion table raw scores are not only seen as interchangeable but also as originating from a common scaling process. In this article, we propose an alternative…

This article reviews three topics from test theory that continue to raise discussion and controversy and capture test theorists' and constructors' interest. The first topic concerns the discussion of the methodology of investigating and establishing construct validity; the second topic concerns reliability and its misuse, alternative definitions…

This article provides general procedures for obtaining unbiased estimates of variance components for any random-model balanced design under any bootstrap sampling plan, with the focus on designs of the type typically used in generalizability theory. The results reported here are particularly helpful when the bootstrap is used to estimate standard…

Standard-setting methods are widely used to determine cut scores on a test that examinees must meet for a certain performance standard. Because standard setting is a measurement procedure, it is important to evaluate variability of cut scores resulting from the standard-setting process. Generalizability theory is used in this study to estimate…

Estimating standard errors of estimated variance components has long been a challenging task in generalizability theory. Researchers have speculated about the potential applicability of the bootstrap for obtaining such estimates, but they have identified problems (especially bias) in using the bootstrap. Using Brennan's bias-correcting procedures…

The testing of English language learners (ELLs) is, to a large extent, a random process because of poor implementation and factors that are uncertain or beyond control. Yet current testing practices and policies appear to be based on deterministic views of language and linguistic groups and erroneous assumptions about the capacity of assessment…

This paper discusses the benefits of using generalizabilty theory in lieu of classical test theory. Generalizability theory subsumes and extends the precepts of classical test theory by estimating the magnitude of multiple sources of measurement error and their interactions simultaneously in a single analysis. Since classical test theory examines…

In assessment programs where scores are reported for individual examinees, it is desirable to have responses to performance exercises graded by more than one rater. If more than one item on each test form is so graded, it is also desirable that different raters grade the responses of any one examinee. This gives rise to sampling designs in which…

Studied the appropriateness and implications of incorporating a testlet definition into the estimation of procedures of the conditional standard error of measurement (SEM) for tests composed of testlets. Simulation results for several methods show that an item-based method using a generalizability theory model provided good estimates of the…

This overview of the role of error and tolerance for error in measurement asserts that the generic precision associated with a measurement procedure is defined as the root mean square error, or standard error, in some relevant population. This view of precision is explored in several applications of measurement. (SLD)

The main purpose of this study is to examine the content structure of the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE) using the "table of specifications" model from the perspective of multivariate generalizability theory. Specifically, using MBE data collected over different years (six administrations: three from the February test and three from July test),…

As performance-based assessments have gained wider use, there are increasing concerns about their dependability. This study is a synthesis of existing studies regarding the reliability or generalizability of performance assessments. The meta-analysis involves summarizing, examining, and evaluating research findings. Articles on the dependability…

Khuri's and Satterthwaite's methods of obtaining confidence intervals of variance components are compared. The article discusses that Khuri's method may be applied to obtain confidence intervals for the variance components and other linear functions of the expected mean squares used in generalizability theory. (Author/JAZ)

Presents solutions for the problem of maximizing the generalizability coefficient under a budget constraint. Shows that the Cauchy-Schwarz inequality can be applied to derive optimal continuous solutions for the number of conditions of each facet. Illustrates the formal similarity between optimization problems in survey sampling and…