1. An Introduction to Educational Testing and Measurement
Concordia University
CAI 5323 Assessment & Evaluation
Kubiszyn, T. & G. Borich (2003). Educational Testing and Measurement: Classroom
Application & Practice, 9th Edition, Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley and Sons, Inc.

2. Tests are only tools
Tools can be appropriately used or intentionally abused
Tools can be well designed or poorly designed
Tools in the hands of ill-trained or inexperienced users can be dangerous

3. Quick Review Validity: Reliability:
Does the test measure what it is supposed to measure?
Reliability:
Will this test yield stable scores over repeated administrations?

4. Test are not infallible; Usefulness varies
No test meets “one size fits all”
We often talk validity and reliability without considering its usefulness.
Usefulness can be affected by…
Different purposes
Different populations

5. Measurement thought
Anything that appears in numerical form seems reassuringly scientific; if the numbers are getting larger over time, we must be making progress.
Right???? Not always!

6. Testing v. Assessment Process
Tests (assessments): Typically occur on a single day and may or not include remediation and retest.
Assessment Process: Includes multiple sources and may span the entire semester and/or school year.

7. Something to think about…
The assessment process should be viewed as more of a movie than a snapshot.

8. As a teacher what is unique about your assessment process?
Socratic Moment
As a teacher what is unique about your assessment process?

9. Socratic Moment
As a principal what are your expectations for your teacher’s assessment process?

10. History in Texas’ Assesment
Select Committee on Education (H. Ross Perot), 1984
Established State curriculum (Essential Elements)
No pass, no play
70 as passing standard
Teacher proficiency tests
Texas Educational Assessment of Minimum Skills (TEAMS)

11. National trends in Assessment
A Nation at Risk report, 1983, called for education reform and accountability
Today every state has some type of test and assessment accountability program
No Child Left Behind, 2002 (NCLB) mandates accountability standards to be eligible for federal funding
Fall 2011, President Obama allows states to opt out of the program.

12. NCLB’s Four Pillars, 2002 Accountability for Results
Based on Scientific Research
Expanded Parental Options
Expanded Local Control and Flexibility
Multiple federal education programs included within it:
Reading First
Safe and Drug Free Schools
Education Technology
Teacher Quality
Etc

13. Campus Accountability Data Tables

15. NCLB

16. Socratic Moment
What are some societal trends in your district that may make testing in our schools more complicated in the future?

17. Socratic Moment
How do you believe testing and accountability will change in America over the next 20 years?