EDSN 640_ Disccusion Board #6 (1)
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Touro College *
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640
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Health Science
Date
Apr 3, 2024
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Discussion #6:
1.
Now that you know the expense and difficulty in creating a "good" standardized test, what is
your reaction to the care and the cost with which our state assessments are created? (Chingos,
2015; Camara, 2006, Toch, 2006)
As an educator, understanding the intricate process and substantial costs involved in creating
standardized tests has given me a newfound appreciation for the care and attention to detail that
goes into developing our state assessments.
Creating these tests requires a significant investment of both time and financial resources.
Chingos (2015) highlights the substantial $1.7 billion annual expenditure by states on
standardized tests. While this may initially seem like a hefty sum, it's crucial to recognize the
importance of accurate assessment tools in ensuring students receive a high-quality education.
Every dollar spent on these assessments is an investment in the future of our students.
The complexity of designing fair and valid tests cannot be exaggerated. Camara (2006)
emphasizes the importance of adhering to strict ethical standards and ensuring that test questions
are free from bias. This involves meticulous attention to detail at every stage of the development
process, from crafting individual questions to compiling the final exam. As a teacher, knowing
that such care is taken to create assessments that accurately measure student knowledge and
abilities gives me confidence in the validity of the results. Toch (2006) also highlights the
challenges involved in creating high-quality tests and the need for skilled experts to oversee the
process. It's reassuring to know that test developers are dedicated to upholding the integrity of
our state assessments and are continuously striving to improve their quality.
While the cost and complexity of creating standardized tests may seem unsettling, it's essential to
recognize the value they bring to education. As a teacher, I appreciate the care and dedication
that goes into developing these assessments, as they play a vital role in ensuring that students
receive the education they deserve.
2.
How do the concepts of reliability, validity, and fairness affect our understanding of the
testing process? (Mawhinney, 2022)
The concepts of reliability, validity, and fairness significantly impact our understanding of the
testing process. Reliability ensures consistency and stability in test results over time, allowing for
valid inferences about what students know (Mawhinney, 2022). This consistency is essential for
making valid inferences about what students know. If a test lacks reliability, it becomes
challenging to trust the results as accurate representations of student abilities. Mawhinney
highlights various forms of reliability, such as test-retest reliability and internal consistency
reliability. Test-retest reliability ensures that administering the same test to the same group of
individuals at different times yields similar results. This form of reliability is crucial for
longitudinal studies or assessments aimed at tracking progress over time. Internal consistency
reliability, on the other hand, examines how individual test items function together to measure
the same construct. It is particularly relevant for tests assessing a single characteristic, such as
reading comprehension.
Validity refers to the extent to which a test measures what it purports to measure. It is essential
for ensuring that the inferences drawn from test results are accurate and meaningful. There are
three major types of validity: content-related validity, predictive validity, and consequential
validity. Content-related validity assesses whether a test accurately reflects the content or
curriculum standards it aims to measure. Predictive validity examines the test's ability to forecast
future performance, such as success in subsequent educational levels or real-world settings.
Consequential validity considers the impact of the test on educational variables of interest, such
as student learning or teacher practices. Understanding validity is crucial for ensuring that
assessments provide reliable information about student knowledge and skills.
Fairness, as emphasized by Mawhinney, encompasses the absence of bias in testing. Fairness
ensures that all test takers have an equal opportunity to demonstrate their abilities, regardless of
factors such as socioeconomic background or cultural differences. Mawhinney discusses various
forms of bias that can affect test fairness, such as offensiveness, unfair penalization, and
disparate impact. Offensiveness occurs when test questions are written in a way that makes
examinees uncomfortable or discriminates against certain groups. Unfair penalization refers to
test questions or formats that disadvantage specific groups, such as gender or ethnicity. Disparate
impact occurs when certain subgroups of test takers consistently score lower than others,
indicating potential bias in the test. Understanding fairness is essential for ensuring equity in
assessment practices and promoting inclusivity in education.
Ultimately, reliability, validity, and fairness are fundamental concepts that shape our
understanding of the testing process. They provide criteria for evaluating the quality and
effectiveness of assessments, ensuring that they provide accurate, meaningful, and equitable
information about student learning and abilities.
3.
How does this process compare with the care of teacher-made tests? Does knowing their
students help guide teachers in creating their own tests? (no citation needed)
Teacher-made tests offer a distinct advantage due to their personalization and relevance to
students' learning experiences. When teachers intimately know their students, they can tailor
assessments to match individual needs, strengths, and weaknesses. Unlike standardized tests,
which can lack personalization and take time to yield results, teacher-made tests enable me to
immediately assess my students' understanding and adjust my instruction accordingly. By
understanding each student's strengths, weaknesses, and interests, we can create assessments that
effectively evaluate their comprehension and critical thinking skills while fostering a positive
learning environment.
4.
Is there evidence that good teaching can increase test scores? Should value-added results be
part of teacher evaluation? (Amrein-Beardsley, Pivovarova, & Geiger, 2016)
Evidence regarding the relationship between good teaching and increased test scores is
multifaceted. While some argue that effective teaching practices can indeed enhance student
learning outcomes and subsequently improve test scores (Berwick, 2019), others like
Amerin-Beardsley et al. (2016) contend that the correlation is not straightforward.
Amrein-Beardsley, Pivovarova, & Geiger (2016) also argues against the inclusion of value-added
results in teacher evaluations. One reason is the potential for value-added models to produce
unreliable or biased estimates of teacher effectiveness. These models often rely heavily on
standardized test scores, which may not accurately capture the full range of skills and knowledge
imparted by teachers. Additionally, value-added models can be sensitive to factors beyond a
teacher's control, such as student characteristics or outside influences. An example illustrating
why value-added results should not be part of teacher evaluations could be the case of a teacher
working in a high-poverty school. Students in such schools may face numerous challenges
outside the classroom, such as unstable home environments, limited access to resources, or
language barriers. These factors can significantly impact students' test scores, irrespective of the
quality of teaching they receive. In this scenario, a teacher could be unfairly penalized or
rewarded based on factors beyond their control, leading to inaccurate assessments of their
effectiveness. Personally, I think that it would undermine the overall quality of education and fail
to recognize the full scope of a teacher's impact on students' lives.
Some questions I had while reading are:
●
What strategies have you employed to ensure that your assessments are both valid and
authentic reflections of student learning?
●
What criterias would you consider essential if you were assessing a teacher’s
performance?
References
Amrein-Beardsley, A., Pivovarova, M. & Geiger, T. (2016, October 1). Value-added models:
What the experts say.
Phi Delta Kappan, 98(2)
, 35-40.
Berwick, C. (2019, October 25). What does research say about testing?
Edutopia.
https://www.edutopia.org/article/what-does-research-say-about-testing.
Camara, W (2006). Standards for educational and psychological testing.
ResearchGate
.
Retrieved from
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/237435554_Standards_for_Educational_and_Psycholo
gical_Testing_Influence_in_Assessment_Development_and_Use
Chingos, M. M. (2015, February 2). Testing costs a drop in the bucket.
Brookings
.
https://www.brookings.edu/blog/up-front/2015/02/02/testing-costs-a-drop-in-the-bucket/
Mawhinney , T. S. (2022, May 21).
Reliability, validity, fairness.
[Video] Canvas.
Toch, T. (2006).
Margins of error: The education testing industry in the no child left behind era
.
Washington, DC: Education Sector, 8-11
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