In recent years, educators, administrators, policymakers, and measurement experts have called for assessments that support educators in making better instructional decisions. One promising approach to measurement to support instructional decision-making is diagnostic classification models (DCMs). DCMs are flexible psychometric models that…

Appropriate placement into courses at postsecondary institutions is critical for the success of students in terms of retention and graduation rates. To reduce the number of students who are misplaced, using multiple measures in placing students is encouraged. However, in practice most postsecondary schools utilize only a few measures to determine…

We describe an approach to characterizing and diagnosing complex professional competencies (CPCs) for the field of Intrapreneurship, i.e. activities of an entrepreneurial nature engaged by employees within their existing organizations. Our approach draws upon prior conceptual, empirical, and analytical efforts by researchers in Germany. Results…

In this ITEMS module, we provide a didactic overview of the specification, estimation, evaluation, and interpretation steps for diagnostic measurement/classification models (DCMs), which are a promising psychometric modeling approach. These models can provide detailed skill- or attribute-specific feedback to respondents along multiple latent…

In this ITEMS module, we introduce the generalized deterministic inputs, noisy "and" gate (G-DINA) model, which is a general framework for specifying, estimating, and evaluating a wide variety of cognitive diagnosis models. The module contains a nontechnical introduction to diagnostic measurement, an introductory overview of the G-DINA…

Although much research has been conducted on the psychometric properties of cognitive diagnostic models, they are only recently being used in operational settings to provide results to examinees and other stakeholders. Using this newer class of models in practice comes with a fresh challenge for diagnostic assessment developers: effectively…

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:…

We report a multidimensional test that examines middle grades teachers' understanding of fraction arithmetic, especially multiplication and division. The test is based on four attributes identified through an analysis of the extensive mathematics education research literature on teachers' and students' reasoning in this content…

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…

A key intent of the NCLB growth pilot is to reward low-status schools who are closing the gap to proficiency. In this article, we demonstrate that the capability of proposed models to identify those schools depends on how the growth model is incorporated into accountability decisions. Six pilot-approved growth models were applied to vertically…

Presents a broad definition of "testlet" and suggests a framework for classifying types of testlets. Considers several issues that bear on the conceptualization of testlets and analyses of scores from tests composed of testlets. Suggests some research topics that seem particularly important to advancing the meaningful and appropriate use…

Major changes in educational and psychological theories that have come about since the cognitive and affective taxonomies of educational objectives were published in 1956 and 1964 are traced. The changes emphasize the need to understand thinking in the context of students' beliefs and self-directed cognitions. (SLD)