In this study, we examined the reliability and validity of Cross Racial Identity Scale (CRIS; Vandiver, B. J., Cross Jr., W. E., Fhagen-Smith, P. E., Worrell, F. C., Swim, J. K., & Caldwell, L. D. (2000). "The Cross Racial Identity Scale." Unpublished scale; Worrell, F. C., Vandiver, B. J., & Cross Jr., W. E., (2004). "The Cross Racial Identity…

IN THIS REPORT THE UNITED FEDERATION OF TEACHERS (UFT) ANALYZES SPECIFIC DATA FROM THE CENTER FOR URBAN EDUCATION'S (CUE) NEGATIVE EVALUATION OF NEW YORK CITY'S MORE EFFECTIVE SCHOOLS (MES) PROGRAM AND CHARGES THAT CUE'S CONCLUSIONS ARE INVALID. THE UFT MAINTAINS THAT SINCE 18 OF THE 21 MES WERE FORMER SPECIAL SERVICE (SS) SCHOOLS, CUE SHOULD HAVE…

It is argued in this paper that generalizability theory provides a uniquely useful framework for defining and quantifying the dependability of data for decision making. It does so by requiring careful specification of the conditions of measurement and the anticipated sources of variation in the results of the measurement procedure. A distinction…

Studied the amount of measurement error in a state's performance-based writing task as it relates to high-stakes decision reproducibility. Using 175 eighth-grade writing samples, the study finds moderate correlations between the two raters' scores, with significant differences for the rates for the handwritten, but not the typed, essays.(SLD)

Person fit statistics are generated when item response theory is used to construct measures. While person fit statistics are well grounded in theory, their utility in aggregate reporting of survey data has not been demonstrated. This study evaluated effects on reliability and validity of including and excluding misfitting person response patterns,…

Three aspects of the usual approach to assessing local item dependency, Yen's "Q" (H. Huynh, H. Michaels, and S. Ferrara, 1995), deserve further investigation. Pearson correlation coefficients do not distribute normally when the coefficients are large, and thus cannot quantify the dependency well. In the second place, the accuracy of…

Previous studies have indicated that the reliability of test scores composed of testlets might be overestimated by conventional item-based reliability estimation methods (R. Thorndike, 1953; A. Anastasi, 1988; S. Sireci, D. Thissen, and H. Wainer, 1991; H. Wainer and D. Thissen, 1996). This study used generalizability theory to investigate the…

The benefits of item response theory (IRT) will only accrue to a testing program to the extent that model assumptions are met. Obtaining accurate item parameter estimates is a critical first step. However, the sample sizes required for stable parameter estimation are often difficult to obtain in practice, particularly for the more complex models.…

Using data collected through telephone interviews with a national sample of adults, this study searched for evidence as to whether interviewers have stronger effects on the responses given to a wide range of questions by older people than on the responses of younger people. Responses to 30 items for which significant interviewer effects had…

The usefulness of joint and conditional maximum-likelihood is considered for the Rasch model under realistic testing conditions in which the number of examinees is very large and the number is items is relatively large. Conditions for consistency and asymptotic normality are explored, effects of model error are investigated, measures of prediction…

Controversy over the proper place of significance testing within scientific methodology has continued for some time. The suggestion that effect sizes are more important than whether results are significant is presented. Effect size can be defined as an estimate of how much of the dependent variable is accounted for by the independent variables.…

This study was a preliminary step in gathering reliable data on suicides and suicide attempts in Padua, Italy. Data were collected from the first aid department of the Padua general hospital, 67 general practitioners in the city, staff of a night-time and holiday home-call medical service, the reanimation department of the Padua general hospital,…

At the Educational Research Centre (S.C.O.) in Amsterdam, a study determined the applicability and construct validity of ratings of speaking performances by examining tape-recordings of subjects in four dimensions. Subjects were 200 pupils of 11 and 12 years of age, and performances on four different oral tasks were investigated. The rating…

To explore the appropriateness of the Rasch model for the vertical equating of a multi-level, multi-form achievement test series, both the Rasch model and the traditional Thurstone procedures were applied to the Listening Comprehension subtest scores of the Stanford Achievement Test. Two adjacent levels of these tests were administered in 1981 to…