This study capitalizes on response and process data from the computer-based TIMSS 2019 Problem Solving and Inquiry tasks to investigate gender differences in test-taking behaviors and their association with mathematics achievement at the eighth grade. Specifically, a recently proposed hierarchical speed-accuracy-revisits (SAR) model was adapted to…

Understanding test-taking strategies (TTSs) and the variables that influence TTSs is crucial to understanding what reading comprehension tests measure. We examined how passage and student characteristics were associated with TTSs and their impact on response accuracy. Third (n = 78), fifth (n = 86), and eighth (n = 86) graders read and answered…

Unfavorable test-taking behaviors, such as speededness and disengagement, have long been a validity concern for large-scale low-stakes assessments. Understanding the presence and extent of such behaviors is important for ensuring the validity of inferences based on test scores. This study examined test-taking behaviors using item response time…

Reading comprehension tests involve not only reading passages and answering questions but also making choices such as the test-taking strategy to use, whether to search passages for answers, and where to begin searching. We examined the associations between student characteristics, passage type, test-taking strategies, and students' time searching…

The certainty of response index (CRI) measures respondents' confidence level when answering an item. In conjunction with the answers to the items, previous studies have used descriptive statistics and arbitrary thresholds to identify student knowledge profiles with the CRIs. Whereas this approach overlooked the measurement error of the observed…

Introduction: This study evaluated performance and engagement on the tactile science alternate assessment based on alternate academic standards (AA-AAS). This assessment was designed for students with significant intellectual disabilities and visual impairments (i.e., blindness and low vision). Four primary research questions guided this study.…

This study is aimed at exploring how different formulations of the same mathematical item may influence students' answers, and whether or not boys and girls are equally affected by differences in presentation. An experimental design was employed: the same stem-items (i.e., items with the same mathematical content and question intent) were…

Schools around the nation are increasingly offering online testing options. House Bill (HB) 3906, passed by the 86th Texas Legislature in 2019, resulted in the STAAR redesign, which will be administered in the 2022--2023 school year. The STAAR redesign includes several components including an online test administration for the STAAR. With the…