Various subscore estimation methods that use auxiliary information to improve subscore accuracy and stability have been developed. This report provides a review of various subscore estimation methods described in the literature. The methodology of each method is described, then research studies on these subscore estimation methods are summarized.…

English language education in Thailand is rated poorly internationally and needs improvement. Research identifying the reasons for the l highlights assessment as a key concern since assessment has washback effects on learning. However, little is known about the assessment practices teachers use. This paper has three goals: to identify the…

Subscores, also known as domain scores, diagnostic scores, or trait scores, can help determine test-takers' relative strengths and weaknesses and appropriately focus remediation. However, subscores often have poor psychometric properties, particularly reliability and distinctiveness (Folske, Gessaroli, & Swanson, 1999; Monaghan, 2006;…

Traditional methods for examining differential item functioning (DIF) in polytomously scored test items yield a single item-level index of DIF and thus provide no information concerning which score levels are implicated in the DIF effect. To address this limitation of DIF methodology, the framework of differential step functioning (DSF) has…

Limitations of grade and age equivalent scores in the educational assessment of handicapped students include unequal variance across content areas, grade and age groups, and encouragement of comparison with inappropriate groups. The author recommends the use of expanded scale scores. (Author/CL)

This article discusses the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-III (PPVT-III) and data that indicate children from 4 to 10 years of age are scoring, on average, 10 standard score points higher on the PPVT-III than on the PPVT-Revised. Clinical implications, including the identification of fewer children with the PPVT-III, are explored. (Contains…

There is no one structural model that defines the construct functional literacy. However, acceptable construct definitions in the literature cumulatively form some beginnings for a nomological network that relates functional literacy to the level of skills deemed necessary for survival in society. In the study, two different validation…

There are many reasons to align tests with curricular standards, but this alignment is not sufficient to protect against score inflation. This report explains the relationship between alignment and score inflation by clarifying what is meant by inappropriate test preparation. It provides a concrete, hypothetical example that illustrates a process…

The advantages and disadvantages of grade equivalent (GE) scores are explored, including appropriate uses for GE type scores and how to bring current GE scales closer to the type of information educators appear to desire. Although GE scores are not an equal interval scale, not comparable across school subjects, and do not indicate the grade level…

Specific recommendations are made concerning the circumstances under which the benefits of out-of-level testing outweigh the problems associated with it. Topics explored are: various methods for deciding when a set of test scores is invalid and the utility of these methods for local evaluators, the accuracy of vertical scaling, and the usefulness…

Research evidence relating to the utility of the RMC evaluation models of compensatory education employing non-normed tests is examined. The history and evolution of five early models into the current norm-referenced model utilizing a non-normed test (Model A2), non-normed versions of a comparison model (Model B2), and the regression model (Model…

This article examines whether changes in the ethnic minority composition of the standardization sample for the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-III (PPVT-III) can be used as the sole explanation for children's better test scores when compared to an earlier edition. Analysis suggests other factors may explain improved performance. (Contains…

A study examined whether Canadian twelfth grade students' papers would rate differently when they were written in different modes and whether there are significant differences between global (modified holistic) scores and rhetorical effectiveness (modified primary trait) scores for the same papers. Fifty students wrote on two transactional topics…

Operating from multiple literature bases in cognitive psychology, mathematics education, and theoretical and applied psychometrics, Schilling, Hill and their colleagues provide a systemic approach to studying the validity of scores of mathematical knowledge for teaching. This system encompasses an array of task formats and methodologies. The…

With the increasing globalization of human resources practices, a commensurate increase in demand has occurred for multi-language ("global") personality norms for use in selection and development efforts. The combination of data from multiple translations of a personality assessment into a single norm engenders error from multiple sources. This…