In computer-based tests allowing revision and reviews, examinees' sequence of visits and answer changes to questions can be recorded. The variable-length revision log data introduce new complexities to the collected data but, at the same time, provide additional information on examinees' test-taking behavior, which can inform test development and…

The focus of this paper is on the empirical relationship between item difficulty and item discrimination. Two studies--an empirical investigation and a simulation study--were conducted to examine the association between item difficulty and item discrimination under classical test theory and item response theory (IRT), and the effects of the…

Computerized adaptive testing (CAT) has gained deserved popularity in the administration of educational and professional assessments, but continues to face test security challenges. To ensure sustained quality assurance and testing integrity, it is imperative to establish and maintain multiple stable item pools that are consistent in terms of…

Pan and Wollack (PW) proposed a machine learning method to detect compromised items. We extend the work of PW to an approach detecting compromised items and examinees with item preknowledge simultaneously and draw on ideas in ensemble learning to relax several limitations in the work of PW. The suggested approach also provides a confidence score,…

The action sequences of respondents in problem-solving tasks reflect rich and detailed information about their performance, including differences in problem-solving ability, even if item scores are equal. It is therefore not sufficient to infer individual problem-solving skills based solely on item scores. This study is a preliminary attempt to…

The purpose of this study is to introduce and evaluate a method for generating reading comprehension items using template-based automatic item generation. To begin, we describe a new model for generating reading comprehension items called the text analysis cognitive model assessing inferential skills across different reading passages. Next, the…

Setting cut scores on (MSTs) is difficult, particularly when the test spans several grade levels, and the selection of items from MST panels must reflect the operational test specifications. In this study, we describe, illustrate, and evaluate three methods for mapping panelists' Angoff ratings into cut scores on the scale underlying an MST. The…

Many scholars compared various item discrimination indices in real or simulated data. Item discrimination indices, such as item-total correlation, item-rest correlation, and IRT item discrimination parameter, provide information about individual differences among all participants. However, there are tests that aim to select a very limited number…

Item analysis is an integral part of operational test development and is typically conducted within two popular statistical frameworks: classical test theory (CTT) and item response theory (IRT). In this digital ITEMS module, Hanwook Yoo and Ronald K. Hambleton provide an accessible overview of operational item analysis approaches within these…

The U.S. government has become increasingly focused on school climate, as recently evidenced by its inclusion as an accountability indicator in the Every Student Succeeds Act. Yet, there remains considerable variability in both conceptualizing and measuring school climate. To better inform the research and practice related to school climate and…

The main points of Sijtsma and Green and Yang in Educational Measurement: Issues and Practice (34, 4) are that reliability, internal consistency, and unidimensionality are distinct and that Cronbach's alpha may be problematic. Neither of these assertions are at odds with Davenport, Davison, Liou, and Love in the same issue. However, many authors…

Evidence to support the credibility of standard setting procedures is a critical part of the validity argument for decisions made based on tests that are used for classification. One area in which there has been limited empirical study is the impact of standard setting judge selection on the resulting cut score. One important issue related to…

In this article, we discuss the importance of measurement literacy and some issues encountered in teaching introductory measurement courses. We present results from a survey of introductory measurement instructors, including information about the topics included in such courses and the amount of time spent on each. Topics that were included by the…

Standards-based reform, as codified by the No Child Left Behind Act, relies on the ability of assessments to accurately reflect the learning that takes place in U.S. classrooms. However, this property of assessments--their instructional sensitivity--is rarely, if ever, investigated by test developers, states, or researchers. In this paper, the…

Test bias detection methods based on item response theory (IRT) are reviewed. Five such methods are commonly used: (1) equality of item parameters; (2) area between item characteristic curves; (3) sums of squares; (4) pseudo-IRT; and (5) one-parameter-IRT. A table compares these and six newer or less tested methods. (SLD)