In this article, we systematize the factors influencing performance and feasibility of automatic content scoring methods for short text responses. We argue that performance (i.e., how well an automatic system agrees with human judgments) mainly depends on the linguistic variance seen in the responses and that this variance is indirectly influenced…

In the spring of 2021, just 1 year after schools were forced to close for COVID-19, state assessments were administered at great expense to provide data about impacts of the pandemic on student learning and to help target resources where they were most needed. Using state assessment data from Colorado, this article describes the biggest threats to…

Test developers and psychometricians have historically examined measurement bias and differential item functioning (DIF) across a single categorical variable (e.g., gender), independently of other variables (e.g., race, age, etc.). This is problematic when more complex forms of measurement bias may adversely affect test responses and, ultimately,…

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the digitalization of assessment, creating new challenges for measurement professionals, including big data management, test security, and analyzing new validity evidence. In response to these challenges, "Machine Learning" (ML) emerges as an increasingly important skill in the toolbox of measurement…

Perceptions of fairness are fundamental in building cooperation and trust, undermining conflicts, and gaining legitimacy in teacher-student relationships in classroom assessment. However, perceptions of unfairness in assessment can undermine students' mental well-being, increase antisocial behaviors, increase psychological disengagement with…

The article describes practical suggestions for measurement researchers and psychometricians to respond to calls for social responsibility in assessment. The underlying assumption is that personalizing large-scale assessment improves the chances that assessment and the use of test scores will contribute to equity in education. This article…

Most individuals who take, interpret, design, or score tests are aware that examinees do not always provide full effort when responding to items. However, many such individuals are not aware of how pervasive the issue is, what its consequences are, and how to address it. In this digital ITEMS module, Dr. James Soland will help fill these gaps in…

Clustered data structures are common in many areas of educational and psychological research (e.g., students clustered in schools, patients clustered by clinician). In the course of conducting research, questions are often administered to obtain scores reflecting latent constructs. Multilevel measurement models (MLMMs) allow for modeling…

COVID-19 is disrupting assessment practices and accelerating changes. With special focus on K-12 and credentialing exams, this article describes the series of changes observed during the pandemic, the solutions assessment providers have implemented, and the long-term impact on future practices. Additionally, this article highlights the importance…

In 2020, the onset of COVID-19 greatly restricted access to admissions testing in higher education and required innovative solutions and flexibility such as at home testing with remote proctoring, reducing testing time, pop-up locations, and additional testing dates. Increased focus on social justice, diversity, and fairness continued to concern…

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the American Board of Surgery (ABS) shifted from in-person to remote administrations of the oral certifying exam (CE). Although the overall exam architecture remains the same, there are a number of differences in administration and staffing costs, exam content, security concerns, and the tools used to give the…

The onset of the coronavirus pandemic forced schools and universities across the nation and world to close and move to distance learning rather immediately. Almost two years later, colleges and universities have reopened, and most students have returned to campuses, but distance learning still occurs at a much higher rate than before the beginning…

Formal graduate education in a measurement related field provides a solid foundation for professionals who work on credentialing examinations. Those foundational skills are then expanded and refined over time as practitioners encounter complex and nuanced challenges that were not covered by or go beyond the context described in textbooks. For…

We address two persistent challenges in large-scale assessments of the Next Generation Science Standards: (a) the validity of score interpretations that target the standards broadly and (b) how to structure claims for assessments of this complex domain. The NGSS pose a particular challenge for specifying claims about students that evidence from…

This module is designed for educators, educational researchers, and psychometricians who would like to develop an understanding of the basic concepts of validity theory, test validation, and documenting a "validity argument." It also describes how an in-depth understanding of the purposes and uses of educational tests sets the foundation…