MOCCA is an online assessment of inferential reading comprehension for students in 3rd through 6th grades. It can be used to identify good readers and, for struggling readers, identify those who overly rely on either a Paraphrasing process or an Elaborating process when their comprehension is incorrect. Here a propensity to over-rely on…

The effects of skewed theta distributions on indices of differential item functioning (DIF) were studied, comparing Mantel Haenszel (N. Mantel and W. Haenszel, 1959) and DFIT (N. S. Raju, W. J. van der Linden, and P. F. Fleer) (noncompensatory DIF). The significance of the study is that in educational and psychological data, the distributions one…

Computerized adaptive tests (CATs) are efficient because of their optimal item selection procedures that target maximally informative items at each estimated ability level. However, operational administration of these optimal CATs results in a relatively small subset of items given to examinees too often, while another portion of the item pool is…

The present monte carlo simulation study was designed to examine the effects of multidimensionality during the administration of computerized adaptive testing (CAT). It was assumed that multidimensionality existed in the individuals to whom test items were being administered, i.e., that the correct or incorrect responses given by an individual…

This paper seeks to extend the application of Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods in item response theory (IRT) to include the estimation of equating relationships along with the estimation of test item parameters. A method is proposed that incorporates estimation of the equating relationship in the item calibration phase. Item parameters from…