DRC’s Psychometrics Team is staffed with highly credentialed psychometricians and measurement professionals who design programs to meet the expanding psychometric requirements of next-generation testing. Over 80% of our Psychometrics Team hold advanced degrees in measurement and statistics. Our psychometricians regularly present at testing conferences on topics such as test security, computer-adaptive testing, and mode comparability.

We provide our clients with results that are legally defensible, technically sound, and easy to interpret for all audiences. DRC provides psychometric excellence by assuring that all practices and procedures meet professional measurement standards as outlined in The Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing (American Educational Research Association (AERA), American Psychological Association (APA), & National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME), 2014). To achieve this, DRC works closely with our state department clients to develop solutions that are practical, meet the needs of assessment stakeholders, and are easy to understand. We also work effectively and efficiently with Technical Advisory Committee members to ensure that our methodologies are time-proven and able to withstand the standards of the testing industry.

DRC’s psychometric and research services are described below.

  • Sampling
  • Report Use and Interpretation
  • Test Security and Test Fraud Detection (Data Forensics)
  • Reliability and Validity Studies (Examining topics such as Student Fatigue, Mode Comparability, and Dimensionality)
  • Standard Setting/Standards Validating
  • Calibrating, Equating, and Scaling
  • Test Design and Forms Construction
  • Pilot and Field Testing
  • Technical Reporting
  • Peer Review Support and Reporting
  • Online Testing, including Computer-Adaptive Testing
  •  Alternate Assessment Testing
  • Other Studies as Requested (Scale Drift, Scorer Drift, Feasibility, and Bridging/Linking)

In addition, we offer tools that help educators to improve student instruction. For example, we provide not only a total score for each student, but also tools that allow educators to drill down into fine grains of content such that they are able to quickly identify teachable content based on test results at the individual and classroom levels.

DRC psychometricians conduct research that is directly tied to what a client needs and can utilize in their assessment system. We understand that the most important clients are the students who do their best to score well on the assessments and the teachers who do their best to provide sound instruction for their students.