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Traditional methods of developing tests have been driven by item content specification and have relied on the use of summed ordinal scores in an attempt to create a quantitative index of ability. There are fundamental problems with this approach to test development. The first problem is that the summing of qualitative ordinal counts to create a total score does not result in a number that is a ...

This paper describes how a Many Faceted Rasch Measurement (MFRM) approach can be applied to performance assessment focusing on rater analysis. The article provides an introduction to MFRM, a description of MFRM analysis procedures, and an example to illustrate how to examine the effects of various sources of variability on test takers’ performance on a writing test by means of a MFRM analysis. ...

The studies conducted so far on the effectiveness of resolution methods including the discussion method in resolving discrepancies in rating have yielded mixed results. What is left unnoticed in the literature is the potential of discussion to be used as a training tool rather than a resolution method. The present study addresses this research gap by exploring the data coming from rating behavi...

This paper presents a method for analyzing oral examinations with an extended, many-faceted Rasch model that calibrates medical specialty candidates, protocols, and raters. Significant variance was found among protocol difficulties and rater severities. When candidates' raw scores were compared with calibrated measures corrected for the bias caused by the particular protocols and raters encount...

This chapter provides an introductory overview of many-facet Rasch measurement (MFRM). Broadly speaking, MFRM refers to a class of measurement models that extend the basic Rasch model by incorporating more variables (or facets) than the two that are typically included in a test (i.e., examinees and items), such as raters, scoring criteria, and tasks. Throughout the chapter, a sample of rating d...