Cross-Language Test Equating

How can performance levels in different languages be compared? Here are the steps we used to equate four tests, each developed to measure one of four skills (vocabulary, analogies, reading and writing) in one language (English), to four similar tests in a second language (Spanish) for the Woodcock-Muñoz Language Surveys (Chicago: Riverside, 1993).

Step 1. Develop a bank of English items for each of the four skill areas.

Step 2. Rasch analyze the responses of subjects (6,359, ages 2 to 95) to establish the scale underlying each of the four banks of English items. Discard misfitting items.

Step 3. Compute norm measure tables of typical English language performance at different educational levels, ages, etc.

Step 4. Select sets of items for the four published English tests from their respective banks. Compute a raw score-to- measure table for each test for field use.

Step 5. Identify a subset of items covering the full difficulty range from "easy" to "difficult" in each English test and translate into Spanish. Verify that each English item has a reasonably direct counterpart in Spanish, e.g., authority/autoridad. (Though translated from English items of known difficulty, the difficulty of the Spanish items is still unknown.)

Step 6. Develop item banks for the four Spanish tests. Imbed in each bank of Spanish items the set of equating items translated from English.

Step 7. Rasch analyze the responses of Spanish speakers from outside the USA (1,200) and Spanish speakers from within the USA (800, pre-school to university graduate). Establish item difficulties for each Spanish item bank.

Step 8. Plot the English and Spanish difficulties for equivalent items for each skill area. Do not expect perfect agreement between the two sets of calibrations, because there are language-related differences for specific item content. Evaluate outliers from the best fit line for exclusion from the set of equating items. (This step verifies success in constructing comparable English- and Spanish-language variables.)

Step 9. Select items for the published versions of the Spanish tests. Compute a raw score-to-Spanish measure table for each test.

Step 10. Compute means (M_e for English and M_s for Spanish) and standard deviations (S_e for English and S_s for Spanish) of the English and Spanish equating item calibrations for each pair of tests.

Step 11. Equate each Spanish measure, B_s, to the scale of English measures, with value B_e, by

Step 12. Construct a raw score to English equated measure table for each Spanish test, so that an examiner using the Spanish tests on native Spanish-speaking subjects can use the English equated measures to identify in the English language norm tables the typical performance levels for native English speakers of equivalent language competency.

Richard W. Woodcock
Ana Muñoz-Sandoval

Cross-Language Test Equating. Woodcock R., Muñoz-Sandoval A. Rasch Measurement Transactions 1994 7:4 p.329

Rasch publications in Spanish - Español
www.rasch.org/rmt/glosario.htm	Rasch Anàlisis - Glosario Español - Spanish Glossary - Español-Inglés del diccionario - Spanish-English Dictionary - Dr. Agustín Tristàn Lòpez
www.rasch.org/diseno.htm	Spanish language introduction to Diseño de Mejores Pruebas (Best Test Design)
Book PDF	Diseño de Mejores Pruebas - Spanish-language translation of Best Test Design (Wright & Stone, 1979)

Cross-Language Test Equating. Woodcock R., Muñoz-Sandoval A. … Rasch Measurement Transactions, 1994, 7:4 p.329

Rasch Books and Publications
Invariant Measurement: Using Rasch Models in the Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences, 2nd Edn. George Engelhard, Jr. & Jue Wang	Applying the Rasch Model (Winsteps, Facets) 4th Ed., Bond, Yan, Heene	Advances in Rasch Analyses in the Human Sciences (Winsteps, Facets) 1st Ed., Boone, Staver	Advances in Applications of Rasch Measurement in Science Education, X. Liu & W. J. Boone	Rasch Analysis in the Human Sciences (Winsteps) Boone, Staver, Yale
Introduction to Many-Facet Rasch Measurement (Facets), Thomas Eckes	Statistical Analyses for Language Testers (Facets), Rita Green	Invariant Measurement with Raters and Rating Scales: Rasch Models for Rater-Mediated Assessments (Facets), George Engelhard, Jr. & Stefanie Wind	Aplicação do Modelo de Rasch (Português), de Bond, Trevor G., Fox, Christine M	Appliquer le modèle de Rasch: Défis et pistes de solution (Winsteps) E. Dionne, S. Béland
Exploring Rating Scale Functioning for Survey Research (R, Facets), Stefanie Wind	Rasch Measurement: Applications, Khine	Winsteps Tutorials - free Facets Tutorials - free	Many-Facet Rasch Measurement (Facets) - free, J.M. Linacre	Fairness, Justice and Language Assessment (Winsteps, Facets), McNamara, Knoch, Fan
Other Rasch-Related Resources: Rasch Measurement YouTube Channel
Rasch Measurement Transactions & Rasch Measurement research papers - free	An Introduction to the Rasch Model with Examples in R (eRm, etc.), Debelak, Strobl, Zeigenfuse	Rasch Measurement Theory Analysis in R, Wind, Hua	Applying the Rasch Model in Social Sciences Using R, Lamprianou	El modelo métrico de Rasch: Fundamentación, implementación e interpretación de la medida en ciencias sociales (Spanish Edition), Manuel González-Montesinos M.
Rasch Models: Foundations, Recent Developments, and Applications, Fischer & Molenaar	Probabilistic Models for Some Intelligence and Attainment Tests, Georg Rasch	Rasch Models for Measurement, David Andrich	Constructing Measures, Mark Wilson	Best Test Design - free, Wright & Stone Rating Scale Analysis - free, Wright & Masters
Virtual Standard Setting: Setting Cut Scores, Charalambos Kollias	Diseño de Mejores Pruebas - free, Spanish Best Test Design	A Course in Rasch Measurement Theory, Andrich, Marais	Rasch Models in Health, Christensen, Kreiner, Mesba	Multivariate and Mixture Distribution Rasch Models, von Davier, Carstensen

Forum

Rasch Measurement Forum to discuss any Rasch-related topic

Go to Top of Page
Go to index of all Rasch Measurement Transactions
AERA members: Join the Rasch Measurement SIG and receive the printed version of RMT
Some back issues of RMT are available as bound volumes
Subscribe to Journal of Applied Measurement

Go to Institute for Objective Measurement Home Page. The Rasch Measurement SIG (AERA) thanks the Institute for Objective Measurement for inviting the publication of Rasch Measurement Transactions on the Institute's website, www.rasch.org.

The URL of this page is www.rasch.org/rmt/rmt74n.htm

Website: www.rasch.org/rmt/contents.htm