A Serious Design Flaw Is Suspected in State Tests
LINK: The New York Times
"Now, in studies that threaten to shake the foundation of high-stakes
test-based accountability, Mr. Stroup and two other researchers said
they believe they have found the reason: a glitch embedded in the DNA of
the state exams that, as a result of a statistical method used to
assemble them, suggests they are virtually useless at measuring the
effects of classroom instruction...
"Pearson, which has a five-year, $468 million contract to create the
state’s tests through 2015, uses 'item response theory' to devise
standardized exams, as other testing companies do. Using I.R.T.,
developers select questions based on a model that correlates students’
ability with the probability that they will get a question right...
"This is not first time the use of standardized test scores in Texas has
been questioned. In 2009, the state implemented the Texas Projection
Measure, a formula that critics said allowed schools to count students
as passing who did not. After outcry from lawmakers, the state dropped
the measure in 2011."
This is heavy stuff. There's more to the article, so I hope you'll read it.
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