Article

Evaluating Common Item Block Options when Faced with Practical Constraints

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Abstract

This study evaluates the impact of common item characteristics on the outcome of equating in credentialing examinations when traditionally recommended representation is not possible. This research used real data sets from several credentialing exams to test the impact of content representation, item statistics, and number of common items on equating results. The results of this research suggests that it may not be necessary to have a common item block that is strictly proportional in content or difficulty to the entire exam if the exam is unidimensional. The results also suggest that it may be beneficial to use all common items between two forms for equating instead of focusing on a smaller anchor block. Accessed 2,858 times on https://pareonline.net from September 30, 2015 to December 31, 2019. For downloads from January 1, 2020 forward, please click on the PlumX Metrics link to the right.

Keywords: Test Construction

How to Cite:

Wolkowitz, A. & Davis-Becker, S., (2015) “Evaluating Common Item Block Options when Faced with Practical Constraints”, Practical Assessment, Research, and Evaluation 20(1): 19. doi: https://doi.org/10.7275/p0qf-kx41