Primary school teachers in England are responsible for the statutory assessment of writing, using a set of criteria. The aim of this research was to analyse the responses of teachers to the criteria "at the expected" standard. An elicitation exercise with 10 primary school teachers was conducted, where teachers talked through their…

State summative educational assessment is about to begin in earnest. Rightfully, many are raising questions about the quality, meaning, and appropriate use of the assessment results. This document was written to support state educational agencies (SEAs) and their assessment providers in devising effective and efficient analysis plans. This…

This National Academy of Education (NAEd) volume provides guidance to key stakeholders on how to accurately report and interpret comparability assertions concerning large-scale educational assessments as well as how to ensure greater comparability by paying close attention to key aspects of assessment design, content, and procedures. The goal of…

The redesigned "TOEIC Bridge"® tests are designed to measure the reading, listening, speaking, and writing proficiency of beginning to low-intermediate English learners in the context of everyday adult life. This report describes the comprehensive and multifaceted process used to enhance the meaningfulness of TOEIC Bridge test score…

The authors describe challenges of following professional standards for educational achievement testing due to the complexity of gathering appropriate evidence to support demanding test interpretation and use. Validity evidence has been found to be low for some individual testing standards, leading to the possibility of faulty or impoverished test…

Despite the call for an argument-based approach to validity over 25 years ago, few examples exist in the published literature. One possible explanation for this outcome is that the complexity of the argument-based approach makes implementation difficult. To counter this claim, we propose that the Assessment Triangle can serve as the overarching…

Interim assessments have been defined variously in different contexts and can be used for predictive purposes or instructional purposes. In this paper, we present results from a study where we evaluated reporting needs for interim assessments designed for instructional purposes and intended to be used at the end of defined curriculum units.…

We describe the summative assessment component within a K-12 assessment program and our development of a validity argument to support its claims with respect to intended uses and interpretations. First, we describe the "Winsight"® assessment program theory of action, a logic model elucidating mechanisms for how use of the assessment…

Over the decades, it is evident that exceptional learners have been excluded from participating in international assessments such as OECD's PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) due to their disabilities. Drawing on the interdisciplinary theories and perspectives of educational assessment, measurement, and early childhood special…

The framework and tools used for classroom assessment can have significant impacts on teacher practices and student achievement. Getting assessment right is an important component in creating positive learning experiences and academic success. Recent government reports (e.g., United States, Australia) call for the development of systems that use…