M-fluctuation tests are a recently proposed method for detecting differential item functioning in Rasch models. This article discusses a generalization of this method to two additional item response theory models: the two-parametric logistic model and the three-parametric logistic model with a common guessing parameter. The Type I error rate and…

Purpose: Metabolic perturbation and VO[subscript 2] on-kinetics are potential modifiers of fatigue and vary in importance depending on the exercise task. Thus, performance fatigability during high-intensity exercise seems to be exercise mode dependent, affecting tolerance in the severe domain. However, the effects of exercise mode on severe domain…

Current methods that simultaneously model differential testlet functioning (DTLF) and differential item functioning (DIF) constrain the variances of latent ability and testlet effects to be equal between the focal and the reference groups. Such a constraint can be stringent and unrealistic with real data. In this study, we propose a multigroup…

When a psychologist announces a new research finding, it is often based on a rejected null hypothesis. However, if that hypothesis is true, the claim is a false alarm. Many students mistakenly believe that the probability of committing a false alarm equals alpha, the criterion for statistical significance, which is typically set at 5%. Instructors…

Parents' understanding/expectations regarding genetic testing for children with developmental disorders were explored. Within a month of testing, interviews were conducted with 57 parents. Many (74%) could not recall the nature of testing. Parents expected genetic testing to have positive impacts for the child (93%) and the family (98%), mainly to…

Object-based learning is an approach that aims to foster observational skills and sensory awareness. Paradoxical plant objects that do not lend themselves to all-too-easy explanations and interpretations can be used to practice the search for ecological explanations and the formation of evolutionary hypotheses. They can be the basis of…

Peer-grading is commonly adopted by instructors as an effective assessment method for MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) and SPOCs (Small Private online course). For solving the problems brought by varied skill levels and attitudes of online students, statistical models have been proposed to improve the fairness and accuracy of peer-grading.…

When applicants take the ACT® more than once, how do colleges and universities reconcile and make sense of the multiple scores? In terms of validity, fairness, and impact on subgroup differences, are certain score-use polices better than others? The focus of this issue brief is to summarize evidence on the validity and fairness of various…

There is an ongoing debate among instructional personnel, parents, legislators, and the community at large about the nature and purpose of testing in the educational system. State and district-based testing programs have been criticized as "over-testing" policies. The result of the criticism culminates in a reduction of assessment…

This work presents a study that used distributed language representations of test items to model test item difficulty. Distributed language representations are low-dimensional numeric representations of written language inspired and generated by artificial neural network architecture. The research begins with a discussion of the importance of item…

When a student has a learning disability in reading and or dyslexia, interventions focus on remediating the weakness. Positive psychology is a field of psychology that looks to help people, based on harnessing a person's strengths, to create better outcomes. Strengths-based or asset-based interventions have been used with people with developmental…

Ten years ago, many policymakers viewed the reform of teacher evaluation as a highly promising mechanism to improve teacher effectiveness and student achievement. Recently, that enthusiasm has dimmed as the available evidence suggests the subsequent reforms had a mixed record of implementation and efficacy. Even in districts where there was…

A fundamental assumption in computerized adaptive testing is that item parameters are invariant with respect to context--items surrounding the administered item. This assumption, however, may not hold in forced-choice (FC) assessments, where explicit comparisons are made between items included in the same block. We empirically examined the…

This study examined the following question: What is the relationship, if any, between COMPASS placement scores and the student success in the first online course during the students first semester? Discriminant function analysis was used to examine the relationship. This study used existing data from new students, who took the COMPASS placement…

This article aims to provide a theoretical framework for computerized adaptive tests (CAT) and item response theory models for polytomous items. Besides that, it aims to introduce the simulation and live CAT software to the related researchers. Computerized adaptive test algorithm, assumptions of item response theory models, nominal response…