Manual

CAARS 2 Manual

Chapter 10: Summary


Summary

In addition to qualitative aspects of fairness that were addressed throughout development, quantitative evidence clearly demonstrates that the CAARS 2 meets test standards for psychometric evidence of fairness (AERA, APA, & NCME, 2014). Measurement invariance, differential test functioning, and mean differences for the CAARS 2 were examined for key demographic groups (i.e., gender, race/ethnicity, country of residence, and EL) for which sufficient data were available. The CAARS 2 Content Scales, Associated Clinical Concern Items, and Impairment & Functional Outcome Items were investigated with respect to the available demographic groups, using samples matched by gender, education level, language(s) spoken, clinical status, race/ethnicity, and/or age. Consistent with predictions that the CAARS 2 would be unbiased (i.e., not favoring or disfavoring any particular demographic group), the overwhelming majority of analyses conducted reflected similar results across groups (i.e., differences were not statistically significant), and very small effect sizes were observed overall. In other words, there were no meaningful group differences in CAARS 2 scores across gender, race/ethnicity, country of residence, and education level, meaning that these demographic variables do not significantly influence CAARS 2 scores. There was strong quantitative evidence to support the lack of measurement bias and minimal impact of demographic characteristics on the CAARS 2, indicating that CAARS 2 results are fair, equitable, and generalizable for individuals from diverse backgrounds.

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