Despite the popularity of traditional fit index cutoffs like RMSEA [less than or equal to] 0.06 and CFI [greater than or equal to] 0.95, several studies have noted issues with overgeneralizing traditional cutoffs. Computational methods have been proposed to avoid overgeneralization by deriving cutoffs specifically tailored to the characteristics…

The agreement between raters is examined within the scope of the concept of "inter-rater reliability". Although there are clear definitions of the concepts of agreement between raters and reliability between raters, there is no clear information about the conditions under which agreement and reliability level methods are appropriate to…

Researchers across many fields have called for greater attention to heterogeneity of treatment effects--shifting focus from the average effect to variation in effects between different treatments, studies, or subgroups. True heterogeneity is important, but many reports of heterogeneity have proved to be false, non-replicable, or exaggerated. In…

Writing assessments often consist of students responding to multiple prompts, which are judged by more than one rater. To establish the reliability of these assessments, there exist different methods to disentangle variation due to prompts and raters, including classical test theory, Many Facet Rasch Measurement (MFRM), and Generalizability Theory…

This study examined the exchangeability of total scores (i.e., intelligent quotients [IQs]) from three brief intelligence tests. Tests were administered to 36 children with intellectual giftedness, scored live by one set of primary examiners and later scored by a secondary examiner. For each student, six IQs were calculated, and all 216 values…

Although federal regulations require testing students with severe cognitive disabilities, there is little guidance regarding how technical quality should be established. It is known that challenges exist with documentation of the reliability of scores for alternate assessments. Typical measures of reliability do little in modeling multiple sources…

Broadly conceived, reliability involves quantifying the consistencies and inconsistencies in observed scores. Generalizability theory, or G theory, is particularly well suited to addressing such matters in that it enables an investigator to quantify and distinguish the sources of inconsistencies in observed scores that arise, or could arise, over…

In recent years, demand for performance assessments has continued to grow. However, performance assessments are notorious for lower reliability, and in particular, low reliability resulting from task specificity. Since reliability analyses typically treat the performance tasks as randomly sampled from an infinite universe of tasks, these estimates…

Critics of standardized testing have recommended replacing standardized tests with more authentic assessment measures, such as classroom assignments, projects, or portfolios rated by a panel of raters using common rubrics. Little research has examined the consistency of scores across multiple authentic assignments or the implications of this…

The Mayer, Salovey, & Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT) has been reported to provide reliable scores for the four-branch ability model of emotional intelligence [Mayer, J. D., Salovey, P., & Caruso, D. R. (2002). "Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT). User's manual." Toronto, Canada: Multi-Health…

Where the accuracy of a measurement is important, whether for scientific or practical purposes, the investigator should evaluate how much random error affects the measurement. New research may not be necessary when a procedure has been studied enough to establish how much error it involves. But, with new measures, or measures being transferred…

These analyses suggest that if a criterion-referenced test had a reliability (defined in terms of internal consistency) below 0.5, a simple a priori procedure would provide better estimates of students' universe scores than would individual observed scores. (Author/LMO)

As performance-based assessments have gained wider use, there are increasing concerns about their dependability. This study is a synthesis of existing studies regarding the reliability or generalizability of performance assessments. The meta-analysis involves summarizing, examining, and evaluating research findings. Articles on the dependability…

The reliability of criterion-referenced tests (CRTs) used in health program evaluation can be conceptualized in different ways. Formulas are presented for estimating appropriate standard error of measurement (SEM) for CRTs. The SEM can be used in computing confidence intervals for domain score estimates and for a cut-score. (Author/LMO)

Data from performance measures that were part of two foreign language teacher certification examinations were used in a generalizability study of the quality of their performance ratings. A total of 775 examinees from the Spanish K-12 and 192 examinees from the French K-12 subject area tests of the Florida Teacher Certification Examinations were…