The Content Proximity Project was designed to improve the content validity of the MAP® Growth™ assessments while retaining the ability for the test to adapt off-grade and meet students wherever they are in their learning. Two main features of the project were the development of an enhanced item selection algorithm, and a spring pilot study…

Purpose: This study aimed to compare the result assessment approaches used in the widely implemented health-related fitness batteries in school-based physical education programs. Method: Fitness test batteries implemented in the European Union (Assessing Levels of Physical Activity and Fitness), China (China's National Physical Fitness Testing),…

This study aimed to develop a useful test to measure university students' spatial abilities validly and reliably. Following a sequential explanatory mixed methods research design, first, qualitative methods were used to develop the trial items for the test; next, the psychometric properties of the test were analyzed through quantitative methods…

To ensure the validity of the tests is to check that all items have similar results across different groups of individuals. However, differential item functioning (DIF) occurs when the results of individuals with equal ability levels from different groups differ from each other on the same test item. Based on Item Response Theory and Classic Test…

Extreme response style (ERS), the tendency of participants to select extreme item categories regardless of the item content, has frequently been found to decrease the validity of Likert-type questionnaire results. For this reason, various item response theory (IRT) models have been proposed to model ERS and correct for it. Comparisons of these…

Universal screening is one of the most-common topics and well-accepted best practices within the field of gifted and talented education. There appears to be little disagreement that universally screening all students as part of a gifted and talented identification process results in fewer missed students. But surprisingly, there is little guidance…

Objective: To develop an instrument to examine tobacco-free campus policy components. Participants: Missouri two- and four-year, specialized/technical, and religious colleges and universities (N = 76). Methods: The instrument was informed via literature review and expert interviews. Coder agreement was strong ([kappa] = 0.80). Qualitative policy…

Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) are a popular assessment method because they enable automated evaluation, flexible administration and use with huge groups. Despite these benefits, the manual construction of MCQs is challenging, time-consuming and error-prone. This is because each MCQ is comprised of a question called the "stem", a…

Human pro-environmental behavior in the private sphere is an important factor which influences nature and the environment and thus can contribute to the management of environmental problems. Although there are a variety of self-reported measurement tools for pro-environmental behavior, an established and validated measurement instrument for…

Advocacy has long been heralded as a way to create change for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and their families. However, without an established measure, it is difficult to accurately characterize advocacy activities. Drawing from extant research, the Advocacy Activities Scale was developed to assess three…

The purpose of this study was to develop and test the internal and external reliability of a novel research instrument which measures language support for international faculty members and its effects on integration. While previous research has focused on the contributions of international faculty and efforts to attract them, growing concerns…

The goal of this paper is to find better ways to estimate the internal consistency reliability of scores on tests with a specific type of design that are often encountered in practice: tests with constructed-response items clustered into sections that are not parallel or tau-equivalent, and one of the sections has only one item. To estimate the…

The present study aims to translate the questionnaires of Parents' Attitudes toward Early Childhood Career Development (PAECCD) and Parents' Attitudes toward Vocational Education Implementation in Preschool Curriculum (PAVEIPC) into Chinese versions (PAECCD-C and PAVEIPC-C) and examines their reliability and validity through two studies. In Study…

This article reports on the development and psychometric evaluation of a new teacher observation instrument to systematically assess young primary school students' well-being and detect potential indicators of psychological trauma, the RaPTOSS: "Risk and Protective factors Trauma Observation School Situations." The RaPTOSS is developed…

Background: Valid and reliable instruments for measuring emotional development are critical for a proper diagnostic assignment in individuals with intellectual disabilities. This exploratory study examined the psychometric properties of the items on the Scale of Emotional Development--Short (SED-S). Method: The sample included 612 adults with…