Background: Standard methods for analysing data from large-scale assessments (LSA) cannot merely be adopted if hierarchical (or multilevel) regression modelling should be applied. Currently various approaches exist; they all follow generally a design-based model of estimation using the pseudo maximum likelihood method and adjusted weights for the…

This article provides an overview of the R package lsasim, designed to facilitate the generation of data that mimics a large scale assessment context. The package features functions for simulating achievement data according to a number of common IRT models with known parameters. A clear advantage of lsasim over other simulation software is that…