Growth across Grades and Common Item Grade Alignment in Vertical Scaling Using the Rasch Model
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| Title: | Growth across Grades and Common Item Grade Alignment in Vertical Scaling Using the Rasch Model |
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| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Sanford R. Student (ORCID |
| Source: | Educational Measurement: Issues and Practice. 2025 44(1):84-95. |
| Availability: | Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 12 |
| Publication Date: | 2025 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | Elementary Education Junior High Schools Middle Schools Secondary Education |
| Descriptors: | Elementary School Mathematics, Elementary School Students, Middle School Mathematics, Middle School Students, Growth Models, Achievement Gains, Scaling, Rating Scales, Error of Measurement, Mathematics Achievement, Test Reliability, Test Validity, Grade Level Differences |
| DOI: | 10.1111/emip.12639 |
| ISSN: | 0731-1745 1745-3992 |
| Abstract: | Vertical scales are frequently developed using common item nonequivalent group linking. In this design, one can use upper-grade, lower-grade, or mixed-grade common items to estimate the linking constants that underlie the absolute measurement of growth. Using the Rasch model and a dataset from Curriculum Associates' i-Ready Diagnostic in math in grades 3-7, we demonstrate how grade-to-grade mean differences in mathematics proficiency appear much larger when upper-grade linking items are used instead of lower-grade items, with linkings based on a mixture of items falling in between. We then consider salient properties of the three calibrated scales including invariance of the different sets of common items to student grade and item difficulty reversals. These exploratory analyses suggest that upper-grade common items in vertical scaling are more subject to threats to score comparability across grades, even though these items also tend to imply the most growth. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2025 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1460458 |
| Database: | ERIC |
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| Abstract: | Vertical scales are frequently developed using common item nonequivalent group linking. In this design, one can use upper-grade, lower-grade, or mixed-grade common items to estimate the linking constants that underlie the absolute measurement of growth. Using the Rasch model and a dataset from Curriculum Associates' i-Ready Diagnostic in math in grades 3-7, we demonstrate how grade-to-grade mean differences in mathematics proficiency appear much larger when upper-grade linking items are used instead of lower-grade items, with linkings based on a mixture of items falling in between. We then consider salient properties of the three calibrated scales including invariance of the different sets of common items to student grade and item difficulty reversals. These exploratory analyses suggest that upper-grade common items in vertical scaling are more subject to threats to score comparability across grades, even though these items also tend to imply the most growth. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 0731-1745 1745-3992 |
| DOI: | 10.1111/emip.12639 |
