Cognitive diagnostic assessment is known for its capacity to provide detailed feedback to test-takers, which can inform instruction and guide learning. Besides this core strength of the assessment approach, the measurement procedure also works as a construct validation method in itself. Previous studies do not call attention to this aspect of…

In language assessment, AI technology has been incorporated in task design, assessment delivery, automated scoring of performance-based tasks, score reporting, and provision of feedback. AI technology is also used for collecting and analyzing performance data in language assessment validation. Research has been conducted to investigate the…

Education is the process of acquiring knowledge, skills, values, peers, beliefs, practices and personal development. Mentoring methods include teaching, coaching, storytelling, discussion, and guided research. Education is often led by teachers; however, students can also engage in self-education. As education is a continuous process, it requires…

Purpose: Many language tests use different versions that are not statistically linked or do not have a developmental scaled score. The current article illustrates the problems of scores that are not linked or equated, followed by a statistical model to derive a developmental scaled score. Method: Using an accelerated cohort design of 890 students…

Although Diagnostic Classification Models (DCMs) were introduced to education system decades ago, it seems that these models were not employed for the original aims upon which they had been designed. Using DCMs has been mostly common in analyzing large-scale non-diagnostic tests and these models have been rarely used in developing Cognitive…

Reverse engineering (RE) can play an important role in the re-designing tests in L2 English. It can also enrich the aim of teaching the same as raising children through academic achievement. In addition, it can play a key role in helping students understand how much their test is valid by using Standard reverse engineering (SRE). This paper is a…

We describe the summative assessment component within a K-12 assessment program and our development of a validity argument to support its claims with respect to intended uses and interpretations. First, we describe the "Winsight"® assessment program theory of action, a logic model elucidating mechanisms for how use of the assessment…

Modern vocabulary size tests are generally based on the notion that the more frequent a word is in a language, the more likely a learner will know that word. However, this assumption has been seldom questioned in the literature concerning vocabulary size tests. Using the Vocabulary of American-English Size Test (VAST) based on the Corpus of…

This article aims to give a comprehensive guide to planning and designing vocabulary tests which include Identifying the skills to be covered by the test; outlining the course content covered; preparing a table of specifications that shows the skill, content topics and number of questions allocated to each; and preparing the test instructions. The…

Background: Validity is a notable concept in language testing which has concerned many researchers and scholars in the field of language testing due to its importance in decision making process. Tests' results always introduce consequences to test takers' lives which emphasizes the need to ensure their validity. Detecting and delineating the…

One of the most critical steps in the test development process is defining the construct, or the knowledge, skills, or abilities, to be assessed. This foundational step provides the basis for initial assumptions about the meaning of test scores and serves as a reference for subsequent validity research. In this paper, we describe the purpose of…

Purpose: This study was intended to adapt into Spanish and validate the short form of the Marwit-Meuser Caregiver Grief Inventory (MMCGI), an instrument for the assessment of levels of grief in caregivers of patients with dementia. Method: The adaptation was based on the cross-cultural equivalence model that included forward and backward…

Purpose: Shi and Sánchez (2010) developed models to predict the optimal test language for evaluating Spanish/English (S/E) bilinguals' word recognition. The current study intended to validate their conclusions in a separate bilingual listener sample. Method: Seventy normal-hearing S/E bilinguals varying in language profile were included.…

The argument-based approach to validation involves two steps; specification of the proposed interpretations and uses of the test scores as an interpretive argument, and the evaluation of the plausibility of the proposed interpretive argument. More ambitious interpretations and uses tend to involve an extended network of inferences and assumptions…

Despite calls for engaging assessments targeting young language learners (YLLs) between 8 and 13 years old, what makes assessment tasks engaging and how such task characteristics affect measurement quality have not been well studied empirically. Furthermore, there has been a dearth of validity research about technology-enhanced speaking tests for…