The Robustness of Rasch True Score Preequating to Violations of Model Assumptions Under Equivalent and Nonequivalent Populations by Garron Gianopulos A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Educational Measurement and Research College of Education University of South Florida Major Professor: John Ferron, Ph.D. Robert Dedrick, Ph.D. Yi-Hsin Chen, Ph.D. Stephen Stark, Ph.D. Date of Approval: October 22, 2008 Keywords: Item Response Theory, Equating to a Calibrated Item Bank, Multidimensionality, Fixed Parameter Calibration, Stocking and Lord Linking ©Copyright 2008, Garron Gianopulos