Though a substantial amount of research exists on imputing missing scores in educational assessments, there is little research on cases where responses or scores to an item are missing for all test takers. In this paper, we tackled the problem of imputing missing scores for tests for which the responses to an item are missing for all test takers.…

The Annual Professional Performance Review (APPR) system in New York State (NYS) has been called into question by educators since its adoption nearly 10 years ago, yet it remains the mandated evaluation system in NYS schools today. Much of the concern has been over changes such as assigning teachers final evaluation scores, as well as for the…

We investigate the effects of private schools on reading and numeracy scores using rich population data. Conditional on lagged test scores and narrowly defined neighborhood indicators, Catholic and non-Christian faith private schools on average raise test scores by 0.18 standard deviation or more relative to the average public school, while…

Background: The generalizability of a study's results continues to be at the forefront of concerns in evaluation research in education (Tipton & Olsen, 2018). Over the past decade, statisticians have developed methods, mainly based on propensity scores, to improve generalizations in the absence of random sampling (Stuart et al., 2011; Tipton,…

This study was conducted to further research into the impact of student-group item parameter drift (SIPD) --referred to as subpopulation item parameter drift in previous research-- on ability estimates and proficiency classification accuracy when occurring in the discrimination parameter of a 2-PL item response theory (IRT) model. Using Monte…

The aims of this reliability generalization study were to provide the overall alpha values of the California critical thinking disposition inventory (CCTDI) total score and subscales scores and investigate the characteristics of the studies that may be associated with the variability in the reliability values of the CCTDI total score and subscales…

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 digital ITEMS module, Dr. Stella Kim provides an overview of multidimensional item response theory (MIRT) equating. Traditional unidimensional item response theory (IRT) equating methods impose the sometimes untenable restriction on data that only a single ability is assessed. This module discusses potential sources of multidimensionality…

With the increasing use of automated scores in operational testing settings comes the need to understand the ways in which they can yield biased and unfair results. In this paper, we provide a brief survey of some of the ways in which the predictive methods used in automated scoring can lead to biased, and thus unfair automated scores. After…

We analyze admissions and transcript records for students at multiple Ivy-Plus colleges to study the relationship between standardized (SAT/ACT) test scores, high school GPA, and first-year college grades. Standardized test scores predict academic outcomes with a normalized slope four times greater than that from high school GPA, all conditional…

This study investigated students' critical reasoning about commercials, as an aspect of advertising literacy. Critical reasoning was examined under two different experimental conditions. That is, students were tasked with watching four different commercials with 1) brand information provided or not, and 2) asked to engage in critical reasoning or…

Background: Breastfeeding is the optimal method of infant feeding, particularly during the first 6 months after birth, and ideally continuing until the child is at least 2 years old. Speech--language therapists (SLTs) can improve the quality of care in this area, especially in vulnerable populations. Aims: This pilot study aimed to assess the…

Aggregate national test score data have shown that student learning declined from SY19 to SY21, and that recovery began occurring from SY21 to SY22. To further the understanding of how districts in Illinois' performances have changed since the onset of the pandemic, the authors explored variation in districts' change in standardized test scores…

Educational tests often have a cluster of items linked by a common stimulus ("testlet"). In such a design, the dependencies caused between items are called "testlet effects." In particular, the directional testlet effect (DTE) refers to a recursive influence whereby responses to earlier items can positively or negatively affect…

Rapid automatized naming (RAN) has surged in popularity recently as an important indicator of reading difficulties, including dyslexia. Despite an extensive history of research on RAN, including recent meta-analyses indicating a unique contribution of RAN to reading above and beyond phonemic awareness, questions remain regarding RAN's relationship…