This study examines whether test effort differs by student subgroup, including by race and gender. The sensitivity of achievement gap estimates to any differences in test effort is also considered.
By: James Soland
Topics: Equity, School & test engagement
Achievement gaps are a metric of fundamental importance to U.S. practice and policy. Gap estimates are often used to measure the effectiveness and fairness of the education system at a given point in time, over the course of decades, and as children progress through school.
By: James Soland
Topics: Equity, School & test engagement, Student growth & accountability policies
Predicting time to reclassification for English learners: A joint modeling approach
The development of academic English proficiency and the time it takes to reclassify to fluent English proficient status are key issues in English learner (EL) policy. This article develops a shared random effects model (SREM) to estimate English proficiency development and time to reclassification simultaneously, treating student-specific random effects as latent covariates in the time to reclassification model.
By: Tyler Matta, James Soland
Are test and academic disengagement related? Implications for measurement and practice
In this study, we examine whether behaviors indicative of academic disengagement like chronic absenteeism and course failures are related to behaviors indicative of test disengagement like rapidly guessing on items.
By: Emily Wolk, Sharon Bi, Tran Keys
Topics: High school, School & test engagement, Social-emotional learning
This paper briefly discusses the trade-offs involved in making such a transition, and then focuses on a relatively unexplored benefit of computer-based tests – the control of construct-irrelevant factors that can threaten test score validity.
By: Steven Wise
Topics: Measurement & scaling, Innovations in reporting & assessment, School & test engagement
Seven successful strategies for literate assessment
Evidence that suggests principals’ knowledge and skills in relation to assessment leadership—such as incorporating professional development, use of assessment data in classroom planning, and nurturing professional collaboration on matters of student achievement and instruction—are of fundamental importance to building assessment literacy among their teachers.
By: Beth Tarasawa, Amelia Wenk Gotwals, Cara Jackson
Topics: Empowering educators, High-growth schools & practices
When computer-based tests are used, disengagement can be detected through occurrences of rapid-guessing behavior. This empirical study investigated the impact of a new effort monitoring feature that can detect rapid guessing, as it occurs, and notify proctors that a test taker has become disengaged.
By: Steven Wise, Megan Kuhfeld, James Soland
Topics: Measurement & scaling, Innovations in reporting & assessment, School & test engagement