Using classical test theory and item response theory, this study applied sequential procedures to a real operational item pool in a variable-length computerized adaptive testing (CAT) to detect items whose security may be compromised. Moreover, this study proposed a hybrid threshold approach to improve the detection power of the sequential…

In this investigation, we used real data to assess potential differential effects associated with taking a test in a test center (TC) versus testing at home using remote proctoring (RP). We used a pseudo-equivalent groups (PEG) approach to examine group equivalence at the item level and the total score level. If our assumption holds that the PEG…

This dissertation was designed to foster a deeper understanding of population invariance in the context of composite-score equating and provide practitioners with guidelines for addressing score equity concerns at the composite score level. The purpose of this dissertation was threefold. The first was to compare different composite equating…

In this study a standardized effect size was created for use with the SIBTEST procedure. Using this standardized effect size, a single set of heuristics was developed that are appropriate for data fitting different item response models (e.g., 2-parameter logistic, 3-parameter logistic). The standardized effect size rescales the raw beta-uni value…

Many large-scale educational surveys have moved from linear form design to multistage testing (MST) design. One advantage of MST is that it can provide more accurate latent trait [theta] estimates using fewer items than required by linear tests. However, MST generates incomplete response data by design; hence, questions remain as to how to…

Administrative problems such as computer malfunction and power outage occasionally lead to missing item scores, and hence to incomplete data, on credentialing tests such as the United States Medical Licensing examination. Feinberg compared four approaches for reporting pass-fail decisions to the examinees with incomplete data on credentialing…

Test equating requires collecting data to link the scores from different forms of a test. Problems arise when equating samples are not equivalent and the test forms to be linked share no common items by which to measure or adjust for the group nonequivalence. Using data from five operational test forms, we created five pairs of research forms for…

For many years, question choice has been used in some UK public examinations, with students free to choose which questions they answer from a selection (within certain parameters). There has been little published research on choice of exam questions in recent years in the UK. In this article we distinguish different scenarios in which choice…

Since 2000, the PISA test implemented by OECD has become the prime benchmark for international comparisons in education. The 2015 PISA edition introduced methodological changes that altered the nature of its results. PISA made no longer valid non-reached items of the final part of the test, assuming that those unanswered questions were more a…

Viable methods for the identification of item misfit or Differential Item Functioning (DIF) are central to scale construction and sound measurement. Many approaches rely on the derivation of a limiting distribution under the assumption that a certain model fits the data perfectly. Typical DIF assumptions such as the monotonicity and population…

In international large-scale assessments, students may not be compelled to answer every test item: a student can decide to skip a seemingly difficult item or may drop out before the end of the test is reached. The way these missing responses are treated will affect the estimation of the item difficulty and student ability, and ultimately affect…

The increase in youth's self-identification as trans in the United States and Canada has created new urgency in schools to meet the needs of these students, yet education survey researchers have yet to find ways to assess their educational outcomes based on sex and gender. In this critical systematic review, I provide an overview of surveys from…

The evidence is mounting regarding the guidance to employ more three-option multiple-choice items. From theoretical analyses, empirical results, and practical considerations, such items are of equal or higher quality than four- or five-option items, and more items can be administered to improve content coverage. This study looks at 58 tests,…

In standardized educational testing, test items are reused in multiple test administrations. To ensure the validity of test scores, the psychometric properties of items should remain unchanged over time. In this article, we consider the sequential monitoring of test items, in particular, the detection of abrupt changes to their psychometric…

Balancing assessment of learning outcomes with the expectations of students is a perennial challenge in education. Difficult exams, in which many students perform poorly, exacerbate this problem and can inspire a wide variety of interventions, such as a grading curve. However, addressing poor performance can sometimes distort or inflate grades and…