Trend scoring constructed response items (i.e. rescoring Time A responses at Time B) gives rise to two-way data that follow a product multinomial distribution rather than the multinomial distribution that is usually assumed. Recent work has shown that the difference in sampling model can have profound negative effects on statistics usually used to…

Many high-stakes examinations in the United Kingdom (UK) use both constructed-response items and selected-response items. We need to evaluate the inter-rater reliability for constructed-response items that are scored by humans. While there are a variety of methods for evaluating rater consistency across ratings in the psychometric literature, we…

As the use of diagnostic assessment systems transitions from research applications to large-scale assessments for accountability purposes, reliability methods that provide evidence at each level of reporting are needed. The purpose of this paper is to summarize one simulation-based method for estimating and reporting reliability for an…

Many innovative item formats have been proposed over the past decade, but little empirical research has been conducted on their measurement properties. This study examines the reliability, efficiency, and construct validity of two innovative item formats--the figural response (FR) and constructed response (CR) formats used in a K-12 computerized…

Will subscores provide additional information than what is provided by the total score? Is there a method that can estimate more trustworthy subscores than observed subscores? To answer the first question, this study evaluated whether the true subscore was more accurately predicted by the observed subscore or total score. To answer the second…

The current study examines how using a multidimensional battery of predictors (high-school grade point average (GPA), SAT/ACT, and biodata), and weighting the predictors based on the different values institutions place on various student performance dimensions (college GPA, organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs), and behaviorally anchored…

Standard setting methods such as the Angoff method rely on judgments of item characteristics; item response theory empirically estimates item characteristics and displays them in item characteristic curves (ICCs). This study evaluated several indexes of rater fit to ICCs as a method for judging rater accuracy in their estimates of expected item…

Sampling theory for the intraclass reliability coefficient, a Spearman-Brown extrapolation of alpha to a single measurement for each examinee, is less recognized and less cited than that of coefficient alpha. Techniques for constructing confidence intervals and testing hypotheses for the intraclass coefficient are presented. (SLD)

An approach is presented that can predict internal consistency of cognitively complex assessments on two dimensions, those of adding tasks with similar or different solution strategies and adding test takers with different solution strategies. Data from the 1992 National Assessment of Educational Progress mathematics assessment are used to…

Computer simulation indicated that reliability increased with the degree of similarity between underlying and observed distributions when the observed categorical distribution was deliberately constructed to match the shape of the underlying distribution of the trait being measured. Reliability also increased with correlation among variables and…

The scores on 2 distinct tests (e.g., essay and objective) are often combined to create a composite score, which is used to make decisions. The validity of the observed composite can sometimes be evaluated relative to an external criterion. However, in cases where no criterion is available, the observed composite has generally been evaluated in…

We determined the recommendations for preparing and scoring constructed-response (CR) test items in 25 sources (textbooks and chapters) on educational and psychological measurement. The project was similar to Haladyna's (2004) analysis for multiple-choice items. We identified 12 recommendations for preparing CR items given by multiple sources,…

Studied the appropriateness and implications of using a generalizability theory approach to estimating the reliability of scores from tests composed of testlets. Analyses of data from two national standardization samples suggest that manipulating the number of passages is a more productive way to obtain efficient measurement than manipulating the…

Two relatively simple methods for estimating the condition standard error of measurement (SEM) for nonlinearly derived score scales are proposed. Applications indicate that these two procedures produce fairly consistent estimates that tend to peak near the high end of the scale and reach a minimum in the middle of the raw score scale. (SLD)

Issues pertaining to the quality of performance assessments, including reliability and validity, are discussed. The relatively limited generalizability of performance across tasks is indicative of the care needed to evaluate performance assessments. Quality control is an empirical matter when measurement is intended to inform public policy. (SLD)