The purpose of the current investigation was to describe how the artificial neural networks (ANNs) can be used to interpret student performance on cognitive diagnostic assessments (CDAs) and evaluate the performances of ANNs using simulation results. CDAs are designed to measure student performance on problem-solving tasks and provide useful…

Approximately half of students who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH) have a co-occurring disability. Although assessing as well as diagnosing learning disabilities (LDs) is particularly difficult in this population, it is important to properly identify students who may be eligible for academic interventions or accommodations. This study analyzed…

Polytomous attributes, particularly those defined as part of the test development process, can provide additional diagnostic information. The present research proposes the polytomous generalized deterministic inputs, noisy, "and" gate (pG-DINA) model to accommodate such attributes. The pG-DINA model allows input from substantive experts…

Most methods for fitting cognitive diagnosis models to educational test data and assigning examinees to proficiency classes require the Q-matrix that associates each item in a test with the cognitive skills (attributes) needed to answer it correctly. In most cases, the Q-matrix is not known but is constructed from the (fallible) judgments of…

Cognitive diagnostic models (CDMs) attempt to uncover latent skills or attributes that examinees must possess in order to answer test items correctly. The DINA (deterministic input, noisy "and") model is a popular CDM that has been widely used. It is shown here that a logistic version of the model can easily be fit with standard software for…

Application of person-fit statistics to cognitive diagnosis requires special efforts to detect normal and usual response patterns resulting from sources of misconception that are frequently observed among students. This study shows a solution for the problem by introducing an extension of a person-fit statistic developed by K. Tatsuoka (1985).…

Three studies examined subtest profiles of the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children: the first developed a normative taxonomy of subtest patterns using cluster analysis; the second compared subtest patterns of children with various disabilities; and the third used core patterns to identify children with unusual patterns. Results opposed the…

According to Cronbach's method of data analysis--which decomposes individual scores into separate components for different levels of aggregation--data collected for an investigation of the development of individual differences in ability test scores from grade 4 through grade 9 were grouped into school district, class, and individual components.…