Can today's standardized achievement tests yield instructionally useful data? Challenges, promises and the state of the art. Issue 4 (19th August 2014)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Popham, W. James; Berliner, David C.; Kingston, Neal M.; Fuhrman, Susan H.; Ladd, Steven M.; Charbonneau, Jeffrey; Chatterji, Madhabi
• Is Part Of: Quality assurance in education. Volume 22:Issue 4(2014)
• Publication Date: 2014-08-19
• Subjects: Education -- Standards -- Periodicals; 370
• DOI: 10.1108/QAE-07-2014-0033
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0968-4883

Abstract

Abstract : Purpose: Against the backdrop of high stakes assessment policies in the United States (U.S.), this article explores the challenges, promises, and the "state of the art" on designing standardized achievement tests and educational assessment systems that are instructionally useful. Authors deliberate upon the consequences of using inappropriately designed tests, and in particular, tests that are insensitive to instruction, for teacher and/or school evaluation purposes. Design/methodology/approach: The method employed is a "moderated policy discussion". The six invited commentaries represent voices of leading education scholars/researchers and measurement experts, juxtaposed against views of a prominent leader and nationally recognized teacher from two U.S. education systems. The discussion is moderated with introductory and concluding remarks from the guest-editor, and is excerpted from a recent blog published by Education Week. References and author biographies are presented at the end of the article. Findings: In the education assessment profession, there is a promising movement towards more research and development on standardized assessment systems that are instructionally sensitive and useful for classroom teaching. However, the distinctions among different types of tests vis-à-vis their purposes are often unclear to policy-makers, educators and other public test users, leading to test misuses. The authors underscore issues related to validity, ethics and consequences when inappropriately designed tests are used in high stakes policy contexts, offering recommendations for the design of instructionally sensitive tests as well as more comprehensive assessment systems that can serve a broader set of educational evaluation needs. As instructionally informative tests are developed and formalized, their psychometric quality and utility in school and teacher evaluation models must also be evaluated. Originality/value: Featuring perspectives of scholars, measurement experts and educators "on the ground", this article presents an open and balanced exchange of technical, applied and policy issues surrounding "instructionally sensitive" test design and use, along with other types of assessments needed to create comprehensive educational evaluation systems.