Linking Scores From Tests of Similar Content Given in Different Languages: An Illustration Involving Methodological Alternatives

This study compares two methods commonly used (concordance and prediction) to establish linkages between scores from tests of similar content given in different languages. Score linkages between the Verbal and Math sections of the SAT I and the corresponding sections of the Spanish-language admissions test, the Prueba de Aptitud Academica (PAA), are used to illustrate the issues. The results indicate that for both single and composite score linkage, prediction is preferable to concordance. A comparison of prediction and concordance results for composite scores versus single scores indicates that when verbal scores were added to math scores, the prediction for the resultant composite score is better than that obtained for verbal scores alone but worse than that obtained for math scores alone.