Assessing Local Dependence in Educational Performance ...

. )Assessing Local Dependence - IILanghorst, 1986; Hanna & Oaster, 19B0; Nicholas & Brookshire, 1987; Schcrich &Hanna, 19'77).RD81-3 requires examinees to answcr one comparison and onc contrast questionabout the main characters from an informational article and a short stor3", both with thetheme "meeting challenges." The interdcpcndence of the two items in this cluster may havetwo possible causes. First, both items require cxaminccs to think about the characters inboth reading selections. As with RD51-4, responding to these two items is highlydependent on the readings. Second, it is likely that cxaminccs would not be able to contrastthe two characters without first having drawn comparisons between them. Thus,examinees would not be ablc to answer the contrast question without first havingresponded somewhat successfully to the comparison question. In subsequent editions ofthe MSPAP, compare and contrast questions have been developed as single, rather thanseparate items.Mathematics content clustcrs. In MC31-3, examinees must read data regardingnumbers of aluminum cans collected over sevcral weekends, re-arr'angc the data in a table,perform two different calculations using data from the re-arranged table, determine the totalamount of money made from collecting the cans, and estimate how many more weekendsof collecting cans are necessa~" to earn $4.00. F.:caminccs would not be abic to completesubsequent calculations in this cluster without completing previous calculations nor makethe required estimate without completing all calculations. All questions in the cluster aredependent on the data given in the original table.All five responses in MC83-4 require examinees to understand the relationshipbetween the number of cuts made on a rectangular-shaped cake and the number of pieces ofcake that result. First, examinees describe the pattern in a given table (i.e., 1 cut in the cake= 2 pieces of cake, 2 cuts = 4 pieces, 3 cuts = 8 pieces). Then examinees extend the tablefor 4 and more cuts, identify from the extended table the fewest numbers of cuts necessaryto produce 32 pieces of cake, write an equation that represents the relationship between cuts