Improving Validity at the Nexus of Assessment Design and Use

Teachers College, Columbia University, New York NY

Investigators

Abstract

This award is in support of a large international conference on validity issues in assessment with a focus on validity in use (i.e., in practice by educators and policymakers rather than researchers). There is a special focus on innovations in assessment across the world with the notion that the US can learn from these exemplars. The principle problems in validity of assessments lie in the application and use of the assessments rather than in the tests themselves. These problems have been ignored by stakeholders in the assessment industry and research community to the detriment of the use of assessments in policy and decision making. Two highly regarded organizations are working together in sponsoring this conference---Teachers College and the Educational Testing Service (ETS). The knowledge generated from this conference will be disseminated through a published edited volume and through a series of "e-flyers" written in user-friendly language and intended for practitioners and policymakers.