A confirmatory approach to assessing test structure using multidimensional item response theory (MIRT) was developed and evaluated. The approach involved adding to the exponent of the MIRT model an item structure matrix that allows the user to specify the ability dimensions measured by an item. Various combinations of item structures were fit to…

Barriers to doctoral dissertation completion were identified from a review of empirical studies of doctoral graduates and graduate students who had not completed a dissertation (ABD students) and reviews of components of doctoral persistence. The Dissertation Barriers Scale, comprising 45 items, was constructed and administered jointly with 2…

Recommendations for educational change are not focused just on curriculum. Recently a great deal of attention has been focused on reforming the evaluation and assessment of students' mathematical knowledge. Since standardized tests determine what topics will be taught in schools, it seems sensible to refine assessment prior to instituting major…

It is sometimes sensible to think of the fundamental unit of test construction as being larger than an individual item. This unit, dubbed the testlet, must pass muster in the same way that items do. One criterion of a good item is the absence of differential item functioning (DIF). The item must function in the same way as all important…

An optimization model is presented that allows test assemblers to control the shape of the observed-score distribution on a test for a population with a known ability distribution. An obvious application is for item response theory-based test assembly in programs where observed scores are reported and operational test forms are required to produce…

Elements of arbitrariness in the standard setting process are explored, and an alternative to the use of cut scores is presented. The first part of the paper analyzes the use of cut scores in large-scale assessments, discussing three different functions: (1) cut scores define the qualifications used in assessments; (2) they simplify the reporting…

Among the measurement techniques receiving greater attention is the context-dependent item set or testlet. The context-dependent item set consists of a scenario and related test questions. This item format is generally believed to be able to tap higher level thinking. Unfortunately, this item form leads to inter-item dependence within item sets…

Test theory encompasses models and methods for drawing inferences about what students know and can do, cast in a framework of ideas from measurement, education, and psychology. The emerging paradigm of cognitive psychology prompts new considerations about collecting and interpreting evidence, suggesting alternative models for the nature,…

The problem of response set is important for questionnaire designers and interpreters, but the public is affected as well if policy is determined on the basis of unsupported conclusions. This study focused on one of the most researched response sets, extreme responding (ER), or extreme checking styles, and its relationship to one dimension of…

The multi-stage development of the Community Service Attitudes Scale (CSAS), an instrument for measuring college students' attitudes about community service, is reported. The CSAS was developed based on the helping behavior model of S. Schwartz (1977). The developed instrument was tested with two samples of 437 and 332 college students. The scales…

This brief suggests that performance accountability offers the chance to refocus on what learners accomplish by participating in adult basic education (ABE) and to reorient every aspect of the system to achieve the best results. The 1966 Adult Education Act provides little guidance in developing performance accountability. Recent research…

A discussion of language testing focuses on how proficiency scales are constructed and applied to communicative language assessment in Australian secondary schools. A variety of rating scale types are described and distinguished according to how they are constructed, what they attempt to measure, and what criteria they contain. A more detailed…

The lack of systematic psychometric information on the Suicide Opinion Questionnaire (SOQ) was addressed by investigating the factor structure and reliability of the eight-factor clinical scale model (mental illness, cry for help, right to die, religion, impulsivity, normality, aggression, and moral evil), developed for interpreting responses to…

The final report chronicles activities for the two years of a grant to develop an intermediate-level test of Russian language proficiency based on the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) proficiency guidelines. The resulting test is designed to determine proficiency levels of students with two or more years of high school…

Three case studies are presented demonstrating the application of straight-forward Rasch techniques to rank order data. Paired comparisons are the simplest form of rank ordering. A consumer preference test with 56 pairs of cups of coffee tasted by each of 26 consumers illustrates analysis of these rankings. When subjects are allowed the option of…