An application of Bayesian factor analysis for evaluation of scale reliability is discussed, which is developed within the framework of latent variable modeling. The method permits direct point and interval estimation of the reliability coefficient of multiple-component measuring instruments using Bayesian inference. The approach allows also point…

A Bayesian statistics-based approach is discussed that can be used for direct evaluation of the popular Cronbach's coefficient alpha as an internal consistency index for multiple-component measuring instruments, as well as for testing its identity to scale reliability. The method represents an application of confirmatory factor analysis within the…

This paper is concerned with the process of selecting between the increasingly popular bi-factor model and the second-order factor model in measurement research. It is indicated that in certain settings widely used in empirical studies, the second-order model is nested in the bi-factor model and obtained from the latter after imposing appropriate…

This article outlines a readily applicable procedure for point and interval estimation of the population discrepancy between reliability and the popular Cronbach's coefficient alpha for unidimensional multi-component measuring instruments with uncorrelated errors, which are widely used in behavioral and social research. The method is developed…

A variety of resources are available from which researchers can identify measurement instruments, including peer-reviewed journal articles, collections of technical information about published instruments, and electronic databases that are sponsored by universities, testing organizations, and other groups. Although these resources are widespread,…

It is demonstrated that the popular three-parameter logistic model can lead to markedly inaccurate individual ability level estimates for mixture populations. A theoretically and empirically important setting is initially considered where (a) in one of two subpopulations (latent classes) the two-parameter logistic model holds for each item in a…

In "Using Learning Progressions to Design Vertical Scales that Support Coherent Inferences about Student Growth" (hereafter ULR), Briggs and Peck suggest that learning progressions could be used as the basis of vertical scales with naturally benchmarked descriptions of student proficiency. They propose and provide a single example of a…

This article is a commentary of a paper by Derek C. Briggs and Frederick A. Peck, "Using Learning Progressions to Design Vertical Scales That Support Coherent Inferences about Student Growth," which describes an elegant potential framework for at least beginning to address three priorities in large-scale assessment that have not been…

In this rejoinder, the authors provide their thoughts on each of the commentaries of the seven respondents to their article. They find that the response of Kyngdon differs markedly from the others in questioning some basic elements of the methods of analysis that they propose for the construction of a "road map." The authors emphasize that they…

This article discusses the theoretical underpinnings of different types of income poverty measures--absolute, relative, and a National Academy of Sciences (NAS) "quasi-relative" one--and empirically assesses them by tracking their performance over time and across demographic groups. Part of the assessment involves comparing these measures to…