We examined how much agreement there was between scores from large-scale mandated assessments and report-card grades for 14,776 students in grades 3, 6, and 9 of a district in which conditions were conducive to alignment of assessments. We found significant mean differences between internal and external assessments: effect sizes were 0.29 to 0.63…

This comprehensive "Handbook" focuses on the most used polytomous item response theory (IRT) models. These models help us understand the interaction between examinees and test questions where the questions have various response categories. The book reviews all of the major models and includes discussions about how and where the models…

This paper describes four commonly used designs in equating test scores. These designs are: (1) single-group; (2) random-group; (3) equivalent-group; and (4) anchor-test. Each design requires that its data be collected according to specific guidelines. Three of the four methods are illustrated through hypothetical examples. All four methods try to…

The Non-Equivalent-groups Anchor Test (NEAT) design involves two populations, "P" and "Q," of test takes and makes use of an anchor test to link them. Two observed-score equating methods used for NEAT designs are those based on chain equating and those using the anchor to poststratify the distributions of the two operational…

The quality of nonequivalent group equating by the one-parameter hierarchical generalized linear logistic model (1-P HGLLM) was examined by comparing it with: (1) traditional concurrent equating; (2) Stocking-Lord's method; and (3) multiple-group concurrent equating. Root mean squared errors (RMSEs) for item parameters indicated that there was no…

Four-year colleges and universities submit faculty teaching load and instructional cost data annually to the Delaware Study of Instructional Costs and Productivity. While the Delaware Study currently adjusts the calculation of annual FTE students to account for the difference in annual student credit hours (SCH) earned by students at semester and…

A new report, "The Proficiency Illusion," released last year by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute states that the tests that states use to measure academic progress under the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) are creating a false impression of success, especially in reading and especially in the early grades. The report is a collaboration…

Despite growing concerns about declining scholastic abilities of Japanese students throughout Japan prior to the implementation of the revised Courses of Study in 2002, little empirical evidence was available at that time to support this perceived decline in academic performance. This research describes post-hoc IRT equating of previously…

This article discusses the assumptions required by the item response theory (IRT) true-score equating method (with Stocking & Lord, 1983; scaling approach), which is commonly used in the nonequivalent groups with an anchor data-collection design. More precisely, this article investigates the assumptions made at each step by the IRT approach to…

The purpose of this paper is to explore methods to approximate population invariance without conducting multiple linkings for subpopulations. Under the single group or equivalent groups design, no linking needs to be performed for the parallel-linear system linking functions. The unequated raw score information can be used as an approximation. For…

This study investigated the group invariance of equating results using a science achievement test. Examinees were divided into different subgroups based on the average composite score for test centers, whether they had taken a physics course, and self-reported science grade point average. The reason for dividing examinees into subgroups using such…

This paper discusses the four major types of test equating: (1) mean; (2) linear; (3) equipercentile; and (4) item response theory. The single-group, equivalent-group, and anchor-test data collection designs are presented as methods used for test equating. Issues related to assumptions and equating error are also addressed. The advantages and…

Evaluated three types of multidimensional item response theory (MIRT) linking methods through two simulation studies. Results indicate that the best MIRT linking method was an unbiased, effective, and consistent estimator that produced accurate estimates of transformation parameters when errors in estimation of item parameters were manipulated…

Evaluated multidimensional linking procedures based on a framework recently proposed by T. Davey, T. Oshima, and K. Lee (1966): (1) the Direct method; (2) the Equated Function method; (3) the Test Characteristic Function method; and (4) the Item Characteristic Function method. Simulation results indicate advantages to the last two methods, but all…