The psychometric properties of the Life Perspectives Inventory (LPI-English language version), a new instrument designed to assess characteristics associated with nonreligious spirituality in high school-age adolescents, were examined in two phases. Phase 1 demonstrated the survey's factorial validity and internal consistency and the test-retest…

This article introduces two new classification consistency indices that can be used when item response theory (IRT) models have been applied. The new indices are shown to be related to Rudner's classification accuracy index and Guo's classification accuracy index. The Rudner- and Guo-based classification accuracy and consistency indices are…

Each year in the United States, thousands of middle school and high school music students and their teachers participate in state or regional solo, ensemble, and large-group vocal activities. Students pursue involvement for various musically extrinsic and intrinsic reasons. Music educators report pressure from parents and administrators as a…

In today's economy, employers increasingly demand that workers have a high school diploma, yet America's graduation rates are unacceptably low, particularly among poor and minority students. Nationally, only about 70 percent of students graduate from high school on time with a regular diploma; for African American and Hispanic students, this…

In this report we explore the role of reviewer agreement in judgments about alignment between tests and standards. Specifically, we consider approaches to describing alignment that incorporate reviewer agreement information in different ways. The essential questions were whether and how taking into account reviewer agreement changes the picture of…