Introduction to Classical and Rasch Measurement Theories (IMEDM401)

This micro-credential teaches some traditional test theory because it is still relevant and because of the history of the development in formal testing. Studying both theories enables students to better appreciate each theory and, in particular, how Rasch measurement incorporates, elaborates and better achieves the goals of traditional test theory.

Delivery mode

Online

Start date

28 February 2022 and 25 July 2022

Duration

approx. 12 weeks

Effort

150 hours

Advanced Course in Rasch Measurement Theory (IMEDM402)

This micro-credential introduces students to advanced principles of Rasch measurement theory. It is a follow-up to Introduction to Classical and Rasch Measurement Theories. Analyses of real and simulated data sets using new features available in RUMM2030 and one assignment where participants have the option of analysing their own data.

Delivery mode

Online

Start date

28 February 2022 and 25 July 2022

Duration

approx. 12 weeks

Effort

150 hours

It is broadly accepted that successful assessment is one of the best ways to improve educational outcomes (Black & Wiliam, 1998; Hattie & Timperley, 2007); and the focus of this improvement is finding "actionable information for improving classroom instruction" (Lehrer, 2021). In this presentation, I will describe a framework for designing assessments that is keyed to the scope of the educational interpretations. This framework articulates three levels of interpretations of assessment information:

• at the micro level, teachers observe student responses to varied tasks, and make instream instructional interpretations of those responses;
• at the meso level, teachers are seeking to confirm/explore their interpretations by dipping into the instructional stream; and
• at the macro level (more commonly referred to as summative) teachers and administrators use samples of assessment tasks to record student progress on composite achievement outcomes.

Assessments operate at and between these three levels: (i) classroom-dependent observations that primarily function at the micro level, and (ii) classroom-independent tasks that function at the meso and (potentially) at the macro level. The former are designed to track closely the variation of student performance over time in a classroom instructional context, and latter are designed to provide a basis for triangulating student responses in classroom and school contexts.

This framing will be exemplified in a K-5 elementary school that is seeking to improve the quality of instruction and students' understandings of measure and rational number. The different levels of assessments and response interpretation will be instantiated with two different pieces of software, which operate at the micro level and the meso/macro levels, respectively.

• Black, P., & Wiliam, D. (1998). Assessment and classroom learning. Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy and Practice, 5(1), 7-74.
• Hattie, J., & Timperley, H. (2007). The power of feedback. Review of Educational Research, 77(1),81-112.
• Lehrer, R. (2021). Accountable assessment. Keynote Address delivered at the ACER Research Conference 2021 (online)

This book applies Rasch measurement theory to the fields of education, psychology, sociology, marketing and health outcomes in order to measure various social constructs. The chief focus is on first principles of both the theory and its applications. Because software is readily available to carry out analyses of real data, numerous small examples are provided in the book. The software used in these examples, and which is helpful in working through the text, is RUMM2030 (Rasch unidimensional models for measurement).

The book's main goals are to equip researchers with the confidence they need in order to be in control of the analysis and interpretation of data, and to make professional rather than primarily statistical decisions mechanically. Because statistical principles are necessarily involved, reviews of the requisite statistics are provided in the Appendix.

The content is based on courses that have been taught both online and in intensive form for over two decades. Although first principles are emphasised, much of the book is based on research conducted by the two authors and their colleagues.