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| Plausible values are imputed values that resemble individual test scores and have approximately the same distribution as the latent trait being measured. Plausible values were developed as a computational approximation to obtain consistent estimates of population characteristics in assessment situations where individuals are administered too few items to allow precise estimates of their ability. Plausible values represent random draws from an empirically derived distribution of proficiency values that are conditional on the observed values of the assessment items and the background variables. The random draws from the distribution represent values from the distribution of scale scores for all adults in the population with similar characteristics and identical response patterns. These random draws or imputations are representative of the score distribution in the population of people who share the background characteristics of the individual with whom the plausible value is associated in the data. |