@report {576926, title = {Using Item Response Theory to Learn about Observational Instruments}, year = {Working Paper}, note = {

Presented at the 2014 National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME) Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, PA.

}, abstract = {

As many states are slated to soon use scores derived from classroom observation instruments in high-stakes decisions, developers must cultivate methods for improving the functioning of these instruments. We show how multidimensional, multilevel item response theory models can yield information critical for improving the performance of observational instruments.

}, author = {Dan McGinn and Ben Kelcey and Heather Hill and Mark Chin} }