The population sensitivity of vertical scaling results was evaluated for a state reading assessment spanning grades 3-10 and a state mathematics test spanning grades 3-8. Subpopulations considered included males and females. The 3-parameter logistic model was used to calibrate math and reading items and a common item design was used to construct…

"Scaling" is the process of constructing a score scale that associates numbers or other ordered indicators with the performance of examinees. Scaling typically is conducted to aid users in interpreting test results. This module describes different types of raw scores and scale scores, illustrates how to incorporate various sources of…

Background: Most empirical investigations in survey research have been conducted using self-reported or self-evaluated item responses. Such measures are common because they are relatively easy to obtain and are often the only feasible way to assess constructs of interest. In order to improve on the validity of self-reports it has become a common…

This study explores the use of a different type of anchor, a "midi anchor", that has a smaller spread of item difficulties than the tests to be equated, and then contrasts its use with the use of a "mini anchor". The impact of different anchors on observed score equating were evaluated and compared with respect to systematic…

Background: Poor comprehenders have difficulty comprehending connected text, despite having age-appropriate levels of reading accuracy and fluency. We used a longitudinal design to examine earlier reading and language skills in children identified as poor comprehenders in mid-childhood. Method: Two hundred and forty-two children began the study at…

Data of item responses to the Hong Kong Specific Learning Difficulties Behaviour Checklist from 673 Chinese primary grade students were analyzed using the dichotomous Rasch measurement model. Rasch scaling suggested that the data fit the model adequately with a latent dimension of global dyslexic dysfunctioning. Estimates of item attributes and…

A measurement model is invoked whenever a psychological interpretation is placed on test scores. When stated in detail, a measurement model provides a description of the numerical and theoretical relationship between observed scores and the corresponding latent variables or constructs. In this way, the hypothesis that similar meaning can be…

This article critically examines the methodology of the Shanghai Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) by generating raw scores for the "big five" South African research universities (Stellenbosch, Cape Town, Kwazulu-Natal, Pretoria and the Witwatersrand, henceforth referred to as SU, UCT, UKZN, UP and WITS) using the ARWU…

This study examined the extent to which log-linear smoothing could improve the accuracy of differential item functioning (DIF) estimates in small samples of examinees. Examinee responses from a certification test were analyzed using White examinees in the reference group and African American examinees in the focal group. Using a simulation…

This study explores interest in physics, chemistry and biology among school students in Kerala. It used a sample of 3236 (1659 boys, 1577 girls) students studying in upper primary to higher secondary classes. Three separate versions of scale of interest in science were used to quantify interest in science of upper primary, secondary and higher…

This study investigated the use of performance-confidence relationships to signal the presence of alternative conceptions and inadequate problem-solving skills in mechanics. A group of 33 students entering physics at a South African university participated in the project. The test instrument consisted of 20 items derived from existing standardised…

The graded response (GR) and generalized partial credit (GPC) models do not imply that examinees ordered by raw observed score will necessarily be ordered on the expected value of the latent trait (OEL). Factors were manipulated to assess whether increased violations of OEL also produced increased Type I error rates in differential item…

This study provided a preliminary analysis of concurrent and discriminative validity for the "Early Literacy Progress Monitoring Assessment Tool" (ELP-MAT; Kaderavek, 2009). Sixty preschool students between the ages of 3 years, 6 months and 5 years of age, from early childhood programs in Northwest Ohio, participated in the study. The…

In the 1980s we witnessed the dawning of the "Information Age". Today, the use of information technology has become an integral part of our lives. Education is no exception. With the introduction of Web 2.0 tools such as weblogs, students are presented a new platform for interaction and exchanging ideas. A review of the literature…

Following an exploratory factor analysis, factor scores may be computed and used in subsequent analyses. Factor scores are composite variables which provide information about an individual's placement on the factor(s). This article discusses popular methods to create factor scores under two different classes: refined and non-refined. Strengths and…