Meeting the Challenges to Measurement in an Era of Accountability

Under pressure and support from the federal government, states have increasingly turned to indicators based on student test scores to evaluate teachers and schools, as well as students themselves. The focus thus far has been on test scores in those subject areas where there is a sequence of consecutive tests, such as in mathematics or English/language arts with a focus on grades 4-8. Teachers in these subject areas, however, constitute less than thirty percent of the teacher workforce in a district. Comparatively little has been written about the measurement of achievement in the other grades and subjects. This volume seeks to remedy this imbalance by focusing on the assessment of student achievement in a broad range of grade levels and subject areas, with particular attention to their use in the evaluation of teachers and schools in all. It addresses traditional end-of-course tests, as well as alternative measures such as portfolios, exhibitions, and student learning objectives. In each case, issues related to design and development, psychometric considerations, and validity challenges are covered from both a generic and a content-specific perspective. The NCME Applications of Educational Measurement and Assessment series includes edited volumes designed to inform research-based applications of educational measurement and assessment. Edited by leading experts, these books are comprehensive and practical resources on the latest developments in the field. The Open Access version of this book, available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license

Foreword Acknowledgements Chapter 1: The Challenges to Measurement in an Era of Accountability: Introduction and Overview by Henry Braun Part I Chapter 2: Design and Development of End of Course Tests for Student Assessment and Teacher Evaluation by Steve Ferrara and Denny Way Chapter 3: Design and Implementation Considerations of Performance-based and Authentic Assessments for Use in Accountability Systems by Scott F. Marion and Katie Buckley Chapter 4: Psychometric Considerations for Performance-Based Assessments and Student Learning Objectives by Suzanne Lane and Charles DePascale Chapter 5: General Introduction to Evidence-Centered Design by Geneva D. Haertel, Terry P. Vendlinski, Daisy Rutstein, Angela DeBarger, Britte H. Cheng, Eric B. Snow, Cynthia D’Angelo, Christopher Harris, Louise Yarnall, and Liliana Ructtinger Chapter 6: Validity and Accountability: Test Validation for 21st-century Educational Assessments by Stephen G. Sireci and Amanda Soto Chapter 7: Commentary: Can Campbell’s Law be Mitigated? by Derek C. Briggs Part II Chapter 8: Arts Assessment in an Age of Accountability: Challenges and Opportunities in Implementation, Design, and Measurement by Scott C. Shuler, Timothy S. Brophy, F. Robert Sabol, Susan McGreevy-Nichols, and Mary J. Schuttler Chapter 9: Assessment Issues in World Languages by Meg Malone and Paul Sandrock Chapter 10: Use of Evidence Centered Design in Assessment of History Learning by Kadriye Ercikan, Peter Seixas, Pamela Kaliski, andKristen Huff Chapter 11: Assessing the Life Sciences: Using Evidence-Centered Design for Accountability Purposes by Geneva D. Haertel, Terry P. Vendlinski, Daisy Rutstein, Angela DeBarger, Britte H. Cheng, Cindy Zikar, Christopher Harris, Cynthia D’Angelo, Eric B. Snow, Marie Bienkowski, and Liliana Ructtinger Chapter 12: Assessing Physical and Earth and Space Science in the Context of the NRC Framework for K-12 Science Education and the Next Generation Science Standards by Nathaniel J. S. Brown, Scott S. Maderer, and James Wood Chapter 13: Transforming Assessment in Mathematics: Introduction by Patricia A. Klag and Friedrich L. Kluempen List of Contributors List of Contributors Index

Henry Braun is Boisi Professor of Education and Public Policy and Director of the Center for the Study of Testing, Evaluation and Education Policy in the Lynch School of Education at Boston College, USA.