Given its centrality to assessment, until the concept of validity includes concern for racial justice, such matters will be seen as residing outside the "real" work of validation, rendering them powerless to count against the apparent scientific merit of the test. As the definition of validity has evolved, however, it holds great…

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…

It has often been asserted that the reliability of a measure places an upper limit on its validity. This article demonstrates in theory that validity can rise when reliability declines, even when validity evidence is a correlation with an acceptable criterion. Whether empirical examples can actually be found is an open question. (SLD)

An analysis of data from the 1990 National Assessment of Educational Progress Trial State Assessment suggests that person-fit statistics may not provide additional information about results of psychometrically strong achievement tests. More research is needed before person-fit statistics can be used routinely in analysis of item response data.…

Presents conclusions of an independent measurement expert that the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) was constructed according to acceptable professional standards and tests curricular material considered by the Texas Board of Education important for graduates to have mastered. Also supports the validity and reliability of the TAAS and…

Statistical and theoretical issues that arise from assessing person-fit on measures of typical performance are discussed, including the frequent attenuation of detection of person-misfit, the need for methods of identifying sources of response aberrancy, and person-fit measures as moderators of trait-criterion relations. (SLD)

A critical, but often neglected, component of any large-scale assessment program is the reporting of test results. In the past decade, a body of evidence has been compiled that raises concerns over the ways in which these results are reported to and understood by their intended audiences. In this study, current approaches for reporting…

This overview of the role of error and tolerance for error in measurement asserts that the generic precision associated with a measurement procedure is defined as the root mean square error, or standard error, in some relevant population. This view of precision is explored in several applications of measurement. (SLD)

Application of person-fit statistics to cognitive diagnosis requires special efforts to detect normal and usual response patterns resulting from sources of misconception that are frequently observed among students. This study shows a solution for the problem by introducing an extension of a person-fit statistic developed by K. Tatsuoka (1985).…

Discusses the plaintiffs' arguments, the state's responses, and the specific findings in the context of major themes of "GI Forum v. Texas Education Agency," which found that the Texas graduation test was valid and reliable and met applicable professional standards, including motive and opportunity to learn. (SLD)

Draws seven conclusions for professionals who administer state assessment programs from the "GI Forum V. Texas Education Agency" ruling. These conclusions are grouped into observations about test development and observations about test use. Discusses some implications for test use in other states. (SLD)

Discusses the implications of the "GI Forum v. Texas Education Agency" (2000) decision supporting the use of the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills for other state assessment programs. Notes that the legal success of the state test in Texas was not due merely to good fortune, but to the test's adherence to legally defensible principles.…

When item response data do not satisfy the unidimensionality assumption, multidimensional item response theory (MIRT) should be used to model the item-examinee interaction. This article presents and discusses MIRT analyses designed to give better insight into what individual items are measuring. (SLD)

Scores from 324 Louisiana schools on the Louisiana Graduation Exit Examination and a within-school split sample of 255 schools indicate that a single subject or grade provides a less consistent and more narrow perspective on school effectiveness than a subcomposite made up of 2 subject areas. (SLD)

Studied classroom assessment events in high school social studies classes using data from 12 assessment events in classes of a teacher researcher. Results for the 96 students involved support the conclusion that student perceptions of the task and self-efficacy, reported mental effort invested, goal orientation, and learning strategy use differed…