This paper introduces a new spreadsheet tool for adoption by high school or college-level physics teachers who use common assessments in a pre-instruction/post-instruction mode to diagnose student learning and teaching effectiveness. The spreadsheet creates a simple matrix that identifies the percentage of students who select each possible…

Most model fit analyses in cognitive diagnosis assume that a Q matrix is correct after it has been constructed, without verifying its appropriateness. Consequently, any model misfit attributable to the Q matrix cannot be addressed and remedied. To address this concern, this paper proposes an empirically based method of validating a Q matrix used…

To teach the rigorous skills and knowledge students need to succeed in future college-entry courses and workforce training programs, education stakeholders have increasingly called for more rigorous curricula, instruction, and assessments. Identifying the critical attributes of rigor and measuring its appearance in curricular materials is…

Describes a technique for obtaining item parameters of the Rasch model, a technique in which the item parameters are extracted from the eigenvectors of a matrix derived from comparisons between pairs of items. Describes advantages of this technique, which can be applied to both dichotomous and polytomous data. (SLD)

When constructed response test items are scored by more than one rater, the repeated ratings allow for the consideration of individual rater bias and variability in estimating student proficiency. Several hierarchical models based on item response theory have been introduced to model such effects. In this article, the authors demonstrate how these…

The Massachusetts Educational Assessment Program (MEAP) was established in 1985 to compare academic achievement among schools and districts and to give curriculum and instructional guidance. Biennially, it tests all students in grades 4, 8, and 12 in reading, mathematics, science, and social studies. Using a matrix sampling design, each student…