Entries by Nathan Thompson, PhD

Credential or Certification Management System

A Certification Management System (CMS) or Credential Management System (CMS) plays a pivotal role in streamlining the key processes surrounding the certification or credentialing of people, namely that they have certain knowledge or skills in a profession.  It helps with ensuring compliance, reducing business operation costs, and maximizing the value of certifications. In this article, […]

ANSI ISO/IEC 17024 Accreditation

ANSI ISO/IEC 17024 accreditation is an internationally recognized standard for the accreditation of personnel certification bodies.  That is, it is a stamp of approval from an independent audit which says your certification is good quality.  ANSI stands for the American National Standards Institute, while ISO refers to the International Organization for Standardization. The portion of […]

What is a Microcredential?

Microcredentials are short, focused, and targeted educational or assessment-based certificate programs that offer learners a way to acquire specific skills or knowledge in a particular field.  In today’s fast-paced and rapidly evolving job market, traditional degrees may not always be enough to stand out among the competition, and they often take too long to achieve. […]

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What is automated essay scoring?

Automated essay scoring (AES) is an important application of machine learning and artificial intelligence to the field of psychometrics and assessment.  In fact, it’s been around far longer than “machine learning” and “artificial intelligence” have been buzzwords in the general public!  The field of psychometrics has been doing such groundbreaking work for decades. So how […]

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Coefficient alpha reliability index

Coefficient alpha reliability, sometimes called Cronbach’s alpha, is a statistical index that is used to evaluate the internal consistency or reliability of an assessment. That is, it quantifies how consistent we can expect scores to be, by analyzing the item statistics. A high value indicates that the test is of high reliability, and a low […]

Differential item functioning (DIF)

Differential item functioning (DIF) is a term in psychometrics for the statistical analysis of assessment data to determine if items are performing in a biased manner against some group of examinees. Most often, this is based on a demographic variable such as gender, ethnicity, or first language. For example, you might analyze a test to […]

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“Dichotomous” Vs “Polytomous” in IRT?

What is the difference between the terms dichotomous and polytomous in psychometrics?  Well, these terms represent two subcategories within item response theory.  Item response theory (IRT) is the dominant psychometric paradigm for constructing, scoring and analyzing assessments.  Virtually all large-scale assessments utilize IRT because of its well-documented advantages.  In many cases, however, it is referred […]

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Multistage Testing

Multistage testing (MST) is a type of computerized adaptive testing (CAT).  This means it is an exam delivered on computers which dynamically personalize it for each examinee or student.  Typically, this is done with respect to the difficulty of the questions, by making the exam easier for lower-ability students and harder for high-ability students.  Doing […]

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Ebel Method of Standard Setting

The Ebel method of standard setting is a psychometric approach to establish a cutscore for tests consisting of multiple-choice questions. It is usually used for high-stakes examinations in the fields of higher education, medical and health professions, and for selecting applicants. How is the Ebel method performed? The Ebel method requires a panel of judges who […]