Technical Issues
Assessment and accountability systems must be technically sound to be useful in policymaking decisions that support school improvement. As skilled psychometricians, researchers, and evaluators, Center professionals provide expert advice on the validity, fairness, and reliability of those systems to ensure they operate as intended.
Recent Technical Issues Projects
Technical advisory committees
The Center coordinates TACs for 18 states and school districts, and serves on a total of 44 TACs. TACs provide expert and independent advice to help states design, implement, and evaluate their assessment and accountability systems.
Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing
Cara Laitusis and Laura Hamilton serve on the committee that is revising the AERA, APA and NCME volume known as the “bible” of educational testing. These standards serve as the touchstone for technical quality for almost all state and district tests.
Student Growth Percentile model
Damian Betebenner continues to refine the SGP, which is used as the growth model in more than 30 states. Dr. Betebenner and his colleagues have been using the SGP model in more than a dozen states to help state leaders understand COVID-19 impact and recovery rates.
Recent Technical Issues Blog Posts and Papers
Using P-Value Statistics to Determine the Believability of Equating Results
Who Are the 2% Students and How Do We Design Test Items and Assessments? (Paper)
Who Are the 2% Students and How Do We Design Test Items & Assessments? (Slide Deck)
Using Learning Progressions to Write Performance-Level Descriptors
Norm- and Criterion-Referenced Student Growth
Writing Modified Achievement Level Descriptors
Evaluating Consequential Validity of Assessments Based on Alternate Achievement Standards
2007 Reidy Interactive Lecture Series
When a “Growth Model” Acts the Same as a “Status Model”: Lessons Learned