Test Equating, Scaling, and Linking

This book provides an introduction to test equating, scaling, and linking, including those concepts and practical issues that are critical for developers and all other testing professionals.  In addition to statistical procedures, successful equating, scaling, and linking involves many aspects of testing, including procedures to develop tests, to administer and score tests, and to interpret scores earned on tests. Test equating methods are used with many standardized tests in education and psychology to ensure that scores from multiple test forms can be used interchangeably.  Test scaling is the process of developing score scales that are used when scores on standardized tests are reported. In test linking, scores from two or more tests are related to one another. Linking has received much recent attention, due largely to investigations of linking similarly named tests from different test publishers or tests constructed for different purposes. In recent years, researchers from the education, psychology, and statistics communities have contributed to the rapidly growing statistical and psychometric methodologies used in test equating, scaling, and linking. In addition to the literature covered in previous editions, this new edition presents coverage of significant recent research.

Fully revised for a third edition, this highly regarded guide to the methodology of data collection and synthesis of exam scores explains the process of equalizing, scaling, and moderating results, and how best to design, administer, and mark standard tests.

Introduction and Concepts.- Observed Score Equating Using the Random Groups Design.- Random Groups Smoothing in Equipercentile Equating.- Nonequivalent Groups Linear Methods.- Nonequivalent Groups Equipercentile Methods.- Item Response Theory Methods.- Standard Errors of Equating.- Practical Issues in Equating.- Score Scales.- Linking.- Appendices.- Answers to Exercises.- Computer Programs.- Index.