Validation of a Cognitive Diagnostic Model Across Multiple Forms of a Reading Comprehension Assessment

Abstract

The present study sought to fit a cognitive diagnostic model (CDM) across multiple forms of a passage-based reading comprehension assessment using the attribute hierarchy method. Previous research on CDMs for reading comprehension assessments served as a basis for the attributes in the hierarchy. The two attribute hierarchies were fit to data from three forms of a large-scale assessment, one consisting of nine attributes and the other eleven attributes. Model-data fit of the two models was evaluated to determine if a single model of reading comprehension could be applied to multiple operational testing forms.