The appropriate selection of standardized tests is integral to establishing an accurate early diagnosis and providing timely treatment to optimize language outcomes in young children. However, clinicians sometimes utilize tests that are not validated for this specific purpose. This applied dissertation was designed to investigate the validity of…

The current study used principles of high-quality measurement design including domain specification, item generation, expert review, and piloting to develop two versions of a morphological awareness measure to be administered to 63 primarily English-speaking second grade students: the "Static Morphological Awareness Assessment (StMA)"…

The emergence of digital-first assessments is prompting reconsideration of, and innovation in, aspects of psychometrics, test validation, and test use. Using the Duolingo English Test (DET) as an example, this three-paper series seeks to address issues concerning the estimation of classification consistency and the reporting of results for such…

With this study I investigate the consequential validity of a state English language proficiency (ELP) assessment, following Messick's (1989) expanded theory on validity. I examined intended and unintended consequences of the Texas English Language Proficiency Assessment System (TELPAS) through stakeholder perceptions. TELPAS is a federally…

Pragmatic competence has been increasingly recognized as a component of academic language proficiency assessment (Youn, 2018). However, the practicality of administering L2 pragmatic competence assessments involving interlocutors remains problematic (e.g., high labor cost) (Ikeda, 2017). The pandemic makes it even more difficult to administer…

Recent research in the areas of second language testing and learner corpus research has provided increased insight into linguistic features of various score levels and into the meaning of a test score (Cushing, 2017; Knoch & Chapelle, 2018). However, language testing researchers have asserted the need to select linguistic features that are…

Existing methods used to validate self-report questionnaires in foreign language teaching effectiveness have relied on Classical Test Theory (CTT). However, the use of CTT approaches limits the reliability and validity of self-report instruments. The Rasch Model, which is based on the principles of objective measurement, addresses some of the…

Achieving sufficient proficiency in academic writing is critical in university level setting. It is not surprising hence, that the admission to English speaking universities is usually conditioned not only by a particular total score from Standardized tests of English proficiency, e.g., TOEFL or IELTs but also a specific band score in writing. To…

For test scores that rely on the accurate estimation of ability via an IRT model, their use and interpretation is dependent upon the assumption that the IRT model fits the data. Examinees who do not put forth full effort in answering test questions, have prior knowledge of test content, or do not approach a test with the intent of answering…

Latinx dual language learners (DLLs) are an enormous and growing student body that faces educational adversities and inequities. One of the most salient findings to emerge from decades of educational research is that DLLs who close the gap with their monolingual peers and have the best long-term academic performance are those who develop strong…

Assessment is an integral part of learning as it is used to gather information about a test-taker. Those in the field of academia, such as educational policy makers, instructors, and administrators are able to use information gathered from tests to further instruction and learning decisions (Baker, 2006; Drianna, 2007; Kasper & Ross, 2013;…

Elicited Imitation (EI) is an assessment approach that uses sentence imitation tasks to gauge the oral proficiency level of test takers. EI tests have been created for several of the world's languages, including English, Spanish, Japanese, French, and Mandarin. Little research has been conducted for using the EI approach with learners of Russian.…

Rater variation in performance assessment can impact test-takers' scores and compromise assessments' fairness and validity (Crooks, Kane, & Cohen, 1996). Rater variation can also undermine a test's validity and fairness; therefore, it is important to investigate raters' scoring patterns in order to inform rater training. Substantial work has…

This quasiexperimental single group design study investigated the validity of the Vocabulary Levels Test (VLT) to identify fourth and fifth grade students who are at-risk in vocabulary development. The subjects of the study were 88 fourth and fifth grade students at one elementary school in Washington State. The Group Reading Assessment and…

Few classroom measures of English language proficiency have been evaluated for reliability and validity. This research examined the concurrent and predictive validity of an oral language test, titled A Developmental English Language Proficiency Test (ADEPT), and the relationship to the California English Language Development Test (CELDT) in the…