The Preschool Early Numeracy Skills Test--Brief Version (PENS-B) is a measure of early numeracy skills, developed and mainly used in the United States. The purpose of this study was to examine the factorial validity and measurement invariance across gender of PENS-B in the Greek educational context. PENS-B was administered to 906 preschool…

In Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), item response theory (IRT) scaling is used to examine the psychometric properties of items and scales and to provide comparable test scores across participating countries and over time. To balance the comparability of IRT item parameter estimations across countries with the best possible…

In this digital ITEMS module, Dr. Roy Levy describes Bayesian approaches to psychometric modeling. He discusses how Bayesian inference is a mechanism for reasoning in a probability-modeling framework and is well-suited to core problems in educational measurement: reasoning from student performances on an assessment to make inferences about their…

Recent advances have enabled diagnostic classification models (DCMs) to accommodate longitudinal data. These longitudinal DCMs were developed to study how examinees change, or transition, between different attribute mastery statuses over time. This study examines using longitudinal DCMs as an approach to assessing growth and serves three purposes:…

Examinees' thinking processes have become an increasingly important concern in testing. The responses processes aspect is a major component of validity, and contemporary tests increasingly involve specifications about the cognitive complexity of examinees' response processes. Yet, empirical research findings on examinees' cognitive processes are…

Drawing valid inferences from modern measurement models is contingent upon a good fit of the data to the model. Violations of model-data fit have numerous consequences, limiting the usefulness and applicability of the model. As Bayesian estimation is becoming more common, understanding the Bayesian approaches for evaluating model-data fit models…

The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) is an important international study of 15-olds' knowledge and skills. New results are released every 3 years, and have a substantial impact upon education policy. Yet, despite its influence, the methodology underpinning PISA has received significant criticism. Much of this criticism has…

Simulation studies are fundamental to psychometric discourse and play a crucial role in operational and academic research. Yet, resources for psychometricians interested in conducting simulations are scarce. This Instructional Topics in Educational Measurement Series (ITEMS) module is meant to address this deficiency by providing a comprehensive…

Diagnostic classification models (aka cognitive or skills diagnosis models) have shown great promise for evaluating mastery on a multidimensional profile of skills as assessed through examinee responses, but continued development and application of these models has been hindered by a lack of readily available software. In this article we…

This article presents the author's observations on Neil Dorans's NCME Career Award Address: "The Contestant Perspective on Taking Tests: Emanations from the Statue within." He calls attention to some points that Dr. Dorans made in his address, and offers his thoughts in response.

Views on testing--its purpose and uses and how its data are analyzed--are related to one's perspective on test takers. Test takers can be viewed as learners, examinees, or contestants. I briefly discuss the perspective of test takers as learners. I maintain that much of psychometrics views test takers as examinees. I discuss test takers as a…

Psychometric properties of item response theory proficiency estimates are considered in this paper. Proficiency estimators based on summed scores and pattern scores include non-Bayes maximum likelihood and test characteristic curve estimators and Bayesian estimators. The psychometric properties investigated include reliability, conditional…

By analyzing the Fisher information allotted to the correct response of a Rasch binary item, Huynh (1994) established the response probability criterion 0.67 (RP67) for standard settings based on bookmarks and item mapping. The purpose of this note is to help clarify the conceptual and psychometric framework of the RP criterion.

The historic origins of measurement are traced, and the basic requirements for fundamental measurement are outlined. Studying the history of social science measurement shows specific pitfalls the researcher must avoid. Applications of item response theory to social science measurement are discussed. (SLD)

This brief history traces the development of item response theory (IRT) from concepts originating in 19th-century mathematics and psychology to present-day principles drawn from statistical estimation theory. Connections to other fields and current trends in IRT are outlined. (SLD)