Standardized testing is an integral part of the English and American education systems. However, the use of high-stakes testing has unintended consequences, one of which is test anxiety. Over the last 50 years, increased attention has been directed to developing tools to identify students experiencing test anxiety. However, many test anxiety…

One of the most important, and neglected, aspects of the school assessment process is the feedback phase. The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine the extent to which feedback is being conducted, training in feedback, and the types of feedback practices used in school settings. One hundred thirty-two school assessment professionals…

Several researchers have called for schools to interpret universal screening results using posterior probabilities. Following this recommendation could require schools to move away from direct-route, single-measure screening unless base rates of risk fall within a narrow range. In this descriptive study, we investigated two questions surrounding…

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is a significant public health concern arising from prenatal alcohol exposure. This study examines the clinical utility of Wechsler intelligence tests in assessing cognition in 108 children with confirmed prenatal alcohol exposure. Data were analysed using multidimensional scaling and Guttman's Structural…

Several researchers have called for schools to interpret universal screening results using posterior probabilities. Following this recommendation could require schools to move away from direct-route, single-measure screening unless base rates of risk fall within a narrow range. In this descriptive study, we investigated two questions surrounding…

Validity is a fundamental consideration of test development and test evaluation. The purpose of this study is to define and reify three key aspects of validity and validation, namely test-score interpretation, test-score use, and the claims supporting interpretation and use. This study employed a Delphi methodology to explore how experts in…

When comparing relations and means of latent variables, it is important to establish measurement invariance (MI). Most methods to assess MI are based on confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Recently, new methods have been developed based on exploratory factor analysis (EFA); most notably, as extensions of multi-group EFA, researchers introduced…

Primary school teachers in England are responsible for the statutory assessment of writing, using a set of criteria. The aim of this research was to analyse the responses of teachers to the criteria "at the expected" standard. An elicitation exercise with 10 primary school teachers was conducted, where teachers talked through their…

The TOEFL Junior® tests are designed to evaluate young language students' English reading, listening, speaking, and writing skills in an English-medium secondary instructional context. This paper articulates a validity argument constructed to support the use and interpretation of the TOEFL Junior test scores for the purpose of placement, progress…

The most common effect size when using a multiple-group confirmatory factor analysis approach to measurement invariance is [delta]CFI and [delta]TLI with a cutoff value of 0.01. However, this recommended cutoff value may not be ubiquitously appropriate and may be of limited application for some tests (e.g., measures using dichotomous items or…

In automated essay scoring (AES), essays are automatically graded without human raters. Many AES models based on various manually designed features or various architectures of deep neural networks (DNNs) have been proposed over the past few decades. Each AES model has unique advantages and characteristics. Therefore, rather than using a single-AES…

Traditionally, most autism assessment instruments are based on medical models and designed to identify social communication deficits and behavioral abnormality in an individual. However, as more autistic narratives reveal the insider views of autists, some scholars and autistic activists support the neurodiversity model and assert the acceptance…

Understanding the response process used by test takers when responding to multiple-choice questions (MCQs) is particularly important in evaluating the validity of score interpretations. Previous authors have recommended eye-tracking technology as a useful approach for collecting data on the processes test taker's use to respond to test questions.…

Subscore added value analyses assume invariance across test taking populations; however, this assumption may be untenable in practice as differential subdomain relationships may be present among subgroups. The purpose of this simulation study was to understand the conditions associated with subscore added value noninvariance when manipulating: (1)…

Purpose: Dyslexia, a neurobiological phonological processing deficit, can be identified early; however, there is a substantial variation between and within states regarding who makes this diagnosis and when. Dyslexia evaluations are often challenging to obtain and very expensive for families who need to seek them outside of the school setting. The…