Computer Adaptive Multistage Testing (ca-MST), which take the advantage of computer technology and adaptive test form, are widely used, and are now a popular issue of assessment and evaluation. This study aims at analyzing the effect of different panel designs, module lengths, and different sequence of a parameter value across stages and change in…

This study investigated the effects of linking potentially multidimensional test forms using the fixed item parameter calibration. Forms had equal or unequal total test difficulty with and without confounding difficulty. The mean square errors and bias of estimated item and ability parameters were compared across the various confounding tests. The…

The "2016 Knowledge for Teaching Early Elementary Mathematics" (2016 K-TEEM) test measures teachers' mathematical knowledge for teaching early elementary mathematics. The 2016 K-TEEM is the third version of the K-TEEM (Schoen, Bray, Wolfe, Tazaz, & Nielsen, 2017). In this report, we present results of the first large-scale field test…

In common-item equating the anchor block is generally built to represent a miniature form of the total test in terms of content and statistical specifications. The statistical properties frequently reflect equal mean and spread of item difficulty. Sinharay and Holland (2007) suggested that the requirement for equal spread of difficulty may be too…

This paper describes one of the first efforts by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) to improve measurement at the lower end of the distribution, including measurement for students with disabilities (SD) and English language learners (ELLs). One way to improve measurement at the lower end is to introduce one or more…

Any meaningful initiative to improve the teaching and learning in introductory control systems courses needs a clear test of student conceptual understanding to determine the effectiveness of proposed methods and activities. The authors propose a control systems concept inventory. Development of the inventory was collaborative and iterative. The…

This technical report describes the process of development and piloting of reading comprehension measures that are appropriate for seventh-grade students as part of an online progress screening and monitoring assessment system, http://easycbm.com. Each measure consists of an original fictional story of approximately 1,600 to 1,900 words with 20…

Item response theory (IRT) procedures have been used extensively to study normal latent trait distributions and have been shown to perform well; however, less is known concerning the performance of IRT with non-normal latent trait distributions. This study investigated the degree of latent trait estimation error under normal and non-normal…

This technical report describes the development of reading comprehension assessments designed for use as progress monitoring measures appropriate for 2nd Grade students. The creation, piloting, and technical adequacy of the measures are presented. The following are appended: (1) Item Specifications for MC [Multiple Choice] Comprehension - Passage…

Potential benefits of using item response theory in test construction are evaluated using the experience and evidence accumulated during nine years of using a three-parameter model in the development of major achievement batteries. Topics addressed include error of measurement, test equating, item bias, and item difficulty. (TJH)

In this technical report, the authors describe the development and piloting of reading comprehension measures as part of a comprehensive progress monitoring literacy assessment system developed in 2006 for use with students in Kindergarten through fifth grade. They begin with a brief overview of the two conceptual frameworks underlying the…

Potential benefits of using item response theory in test construction are evaluated, based on the experience and evidence accumulated during 9 years of using a three-parameter model in the construction of major achievement batteries. Specific benefits covered include obtaining sample-free item calibrations and item-free person measurement,…

Tables of specifications are used to guide test developers in sampling items and maintaining consistency from form to form. This paper is a generalizability study of the American College Testing Program (ACT) Achievement Program Mathematics Test (AAP), with the content areas of the table of specifications representing multiple dependent variables.…

This study explored possible configurations of the new SAT® critical reading section without analogy items. The item pool contained items from SAT verbal (SAT-V) sections of 14 previously administered SAT tests, calibrated using the three-parameter logistic IRT model. Multiple versions of several prototypes that do not contain analogy items were…

The efficacy of employing subsets of items from a calibrated item pool to estimate the Rasch model person parameters was investigated. Specifically, the degree of invariance of Rasch model ability-parameter estimates was examined across differing collections of simulated items. The ability-parameter estimates were obtained from a simulation of…