Previous studies have shown that method effects associated with item wording produce artifactual factors and threaten scale validity. This study examines item wording effects on a scale of attitudes toward learning mathematics for Taiwanese and U.S. samples. Analyses from a series of CFA (confirmatory factor analysis) models support the presence…

The applications of item response theory (IRT) models assume local item independence and that examinees are independent of each other. When a representative sample for psychometric analysis is selected using a cluster sampling method in a testlet-based assessment, both local item dependence and local person dependence are likely to be induced.…

Three university ranking systems in vogue have been shown in the previous issue of "Higher Education Review" to be capable of modifications to make them more parsimonious by using only about half of the number of predictors currently in use. This makes some of the predictors "redundant" as they contributed little to the overall ranking. It is…

The quality of items written for in-house examinations in medical schools remains a cause of concern. Several faculty development programs are aimed at improving faculty's item writing skills. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a faculty development program in item development. An objective method was developed and used…

The purposes of an online system to auto-mark students' responses to mathematics test items are to expedite the marking process, to enhance consistency in marking and to alleviate teacher assessment workload. We propose that a semi-automatic marking and customizable feedback system better serves pedagogical objectives than a fully automatic one.…

Is the time allowed for National Assessment Program Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) numeracy tests sufficient? Is there any evidence that students run out of time and, if so, what are the implications for teachers who prepare students for NAPLAN numeracy tests? In each of the 2010 Years 7 and 9 numeracy tests students were required to complete 32…

This pedagogical article is intended to explain the similarities and differences between the parameterizations of two multilevel measurement model (MMM) frameworks. The conventional two-level MMM that includes item indicators and models item scores (Level 1) clustered within examinees (Level 2) and the two-level cross-classified MMM (in which item…

Although adaptive behavior became a diagnostic criterion in the 5th edition of the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, AAIDD (Heber, 1959, 1961), there are no measures with adequate psychometric properties for diagnosing significant limitations in adaptive behavior according to the current conception of the…

Mindfulness, a construct that entails moment-to-moment effort to be aware of present experiences and positive attitudinal features, has become integrated into the sciences. The Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ), one popular measure of mindfulness, exhibits different responses to positively and negatively worded items in nonmeditating…

This study examined the appropriateness of the anchor composition in a mixed-format test, which includes both multiple-choice (MC) and constructed-response (CR) items, using subpopulation invariance indices. Linking functions were derived in the nonequivalent groups with anchor test (NEAT) design using two types of anchor sets: (a) MC only and (b)…

Those items or test characteristics that are likely to result in differential item functioning (DIF) across accommodated test forms in statewide tests have received little attention. An examination of elementary-level student performance across accommodated test forms in a large-scale mathematics assessment revealed DIF variations by grades,…

Validity evidence based on test content is important for educational tests to demonstrate the degree to which they fulfill their purposes. Most content validity studies involve subject matter experts (SMEs) who rate items that comprise a test form. In computerized-adaptive testing, examinees take different sets of items and test "forms"…

The primary goal of teaching is to successfully facilitate learning. Testing can help accomplish this goal in two ways. First, testing can provide a powerful motivation for students to prepare when they perceive that the effort involved leads to valued outcomes. Second, testing can provide instructors with valuable feedback on whether their…

This article considers the design process for new formative history assessments. Over the course of 3 years, my colleagues from the Stanford History Education Group and I designed, piloted, and revised dozens of "History Assessments of Thinking" (HATs). As we created HATs, we sought to gather information about their cognitive validity,…

This study presents the results of the analysis of a group of teacher-made test questions for statistics courses at the university level. Teachers were asked to submit tests they had used in their previous two semesters. Ninety-seven tests containing 978 questions were gathered and classified according to the SOLO taxonomy (Biggs & Collis,…