Why Do School Districts Protect the Test Pile?
Many districts conduct reviews to streamline their lineups of required assessments, but they resist eliminating tests. What’s behind that resistance?
Read MoreCategory: Technical Issues
Latest Posts
Making Validity Work in Practice
In educational assessment, we spend a lot of time talking about validity, but considerably less time figuring out how to make validation work in practice.
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Facing Federal Contract Cancellations Head-On
The cancellation of federal research contracts cuts states’ and districts’ access to good data. These five ideas help them preserve and use the data they have.
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Choosing a Growth Model: Far More Than Technical Factors
Nearly all states use a measure of student growth in their accountability systems. But how should they choose a model? Our new paper provides guidance.
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Comparability Isn’t All or Nothing
Understanding comparability as a multifaceted problem—not a yes-or-no issue—can help states as they create innovative assessment systems.
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Test Security: Expanding Our Ideas to Support Score Integrity
Test security has typically focused on preventing, detecting and acting on irregularities. But it should also support fairness and equity.
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You Can Get the Accountability System You Want (Part 2)
States complain that ESSA bars them from getting the accountability systems they really want. We present three examples of systems that show otherwise.
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You Can Get the Accountability System You Want (Part 1)
States can have the school accountability systems they value by minimizing the footprint of the Every Student Succeeds Act.
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Three Common Misconceptions About State Assessments
Experts shed light on key aspects of state testing: comparability, proficiency, and instructional utility.
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Data, Data, Everywhere. Why So Hard to Use?
States have an abundance of education data. But to use it well, states need good data management practices.
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Perfect Test Comparability Is a Sign of Failure
The federal innovative assessment pilot has hobbled the testing improvements it aimed to promote. We can change that by rethinking test comparability.
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Face It: Tests Have Consequences
An assessment’s negative or positive consequences are just as important as other dimensions of assessment quality, and should be part of test validity evaluations.
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Guidance for Addressing N-Size in School Accountability and Reporting Systems
Decisions regarding the minimum n-size for accountability indicators can make a big difference in the design and implementation of school accountability systems.
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Student Growth Measures for Accountability: No, You Don’t Need a Vertical Scale
Student growth measures for accountability do not require a vertical scale and, in fact, may be hampered by one.
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A 10-Step Guide for Incorporating Program Evaluation Into the Design of Educational Interventions
We explain how to incorporate program evaluation in education after you have organized your program to connect it to your evaluation.
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But How Do We Know It’s Working?
Program evaluation can demonstrate the desired outcomes of educational initiatives, programs, and other “things” are coming to fruition.
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Advancing Contemporary Validity Theory and Practice
Based on Remarks Given During a Town Hall Session at the 2022 NCME Conference I was honored to participate in a validity “town hall” at last week’s NCME conference with […]
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User-Friendly Documentation and Validation Processes (Part 2)
Documentation Makes for a Good System. What Makes for a Good System of Documentation? A Vision with Documented Strategy and Tactics Validity is the ultimate goal of any system. The […]
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