Previous research has shown that testlet structures often violate important assumptions of dichotomous item response theory (D-IRT) models, applied to item-level scores, that can in turn affect the results of many measurement applications. In this situation, polytomous IRT (P-IRT) models, applied to testlet-level scores, have been used as an…

Maximum usefulness of information provided to teachers and program staff by the enhanced score reports of the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) depends on the development of aggregate skill reports; that is, reports that provide skill information aggregated across groups of students, such as grade level within…

This study explored the effect of item exposure on two conventional examinations administered as computer-based tests. A principal hypothesis was that item exposure would have little or no effect on average difficulty of the items over the course of an administrative cycle. This hypothesis was tested by exploring conventional item statistics and…

Two new methods for improving the measurement precision of a general test factor are proposed and evaluated. One new method provides a multidimensional item response theory estimate obtained from conventional administrations of multiple-choice test items that span general and nuisance dimensions. The other method chooses items adaptively to…

Item mappings are widely used in educational assessment for applications such as test administration (through test form assembly and computer assisted testing) and for criterion-referenced (CR) interpretation of test scores or scale anchoring. Item mappings are also used to construct ordered item booklets in the CTB/McGraw Hill Bookmark standard…

By noting that a Rasch or two parameter logistic (2PL) item belongs to the exponential family of random variables and that the probability density function (pdf) of the correct response (X=1) and the incorrect response (X=0) are symmetric with respect to the vertical line at the item location, it is shown that the conjugate prior for ability is…

Whatever the purpose of test adaptation, questions arise concerning the validity of inferences from such adapted tests. This paper considers several advantages and disadvantages of adapting tests from one language and culture to another. The paper also reviews several sources of error or invalidity associated with adapting tests and suggests ways…

Since 1973, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) has gathered information about levels of student proficiency in mathematics. These assessments are reported by NAEP periodically and present information on the strengths and weaknesses in students' mathematical understanding and their ability to apply that understanding in problem…

This demonstration booklet describes the 2005 assessments. The first three sections explain the purposes and content of the NAEP reading, mathematics, and science assessments and provide sample test questions at each grade level. The fourth section includes the directions and the background questions that all students will be asked to answer. The…

An alternative biweight estimator based on Tukey's is examined in which (1) test disturbances are not assumed to be the same for all subjects, (2) each response is utilized proportional to its value, and (3) the biweight and maximum likelihood estimate agree when no disturbances are present. Smaller mean-squared errors are shown. (Author/CM)

Test items were developed to assess a child's understanding of certain mathematical concepts. The taxonomy and criteria for developing superitems are described in some detail. The developed items were tried out with students and data are given on test results. (MNS)

Four methods of item bias detection--transformed item difficulty, item discrimination expressed as Clemans' lambda, chi-square, and the three-parameter item characteristic curve--were studied to determine the degree of correspondence among them in identifying biased and unbiased items in reading and mathematics subtests of the 1978 SRA Achievement…

Discusses development of the American Association of Physics Teachers and National Science Teachers Association (AAPT/NSTA) high school physics examination. Includes sample examination questions and distribution of topics: mechanics (30 percent), waves/optics/sound (20 percent), heat/kinetic theory (10 percent), electricity/magnetism (25 percent),…

Reasonable and practical solutions to two major problems confronting the developer of any test of educational achievement (what to measure and how to measure it) are proposed, defended, and defined. (Author/PN)

First year medical students answered parallel multiple-choice questions at different taxonomic levels as part of their diagnostic examinations. The results show that when content is held constant, students perform as well on interpretation and problem-solving questions as on recall questions. (Author/BW)