Educational assessment and, more broadly, educational research in the United States have entered into an era characterized by a dramatic increase in the prevalence and importance of test score use in accountability systems. This volume covers a selection of contemporary issues about testing science and practice that impact the nation's public education system, including local and state assessment development, assessing special populations, charter schools, and the role of college placement and entrance examinations. Also featured is a section focusing on validation practices, defining, and interpreting resulting test scores. Specific topics include the role of examinee motivation, obtaining and making decisions based on validity evidence, evidence of consequences, and considering contextual sampling effects when evaluating validity evidence. This text is for measurement practitioners, scholars, and advanced graduate students involved in researching and implementing practice and policies for high stakes testing. It will serve as a valuable reference for practitioners and an excellent resource for graduate level seminars in high stakes testing. This book begins with an introduction by James A. Bovaird, Kurt F. Geisinger, and Chad W. Buckendahl. It contains: (1) Current State of High-Stakes Testing in Education (Barbara S. Plake). Part I, Current Issues in Kindergarten Through Grade 12 Assessment, contains: (2) Local Development of a High-Stakes Assessment Program: Lessons Learned and Research Results Gained (John Crawford and Patricia Crum); (3) Setting Performance Standards on Alternate Assessments for Students With Disabilities (Abdullah A. Ferdous, Sue Bechard, and Chad W. Buckendahl); (4) Assessing English Language Skills in Education: Implications for Students With Limited English Proficiency (Anja Romhild and James A. Bovaird); (5) Student Achievement and Adequate Yearly Progress Within the Indiana Charter School System (W. Holmes Finch, Brian F. French, and Mary Baker); (6) Revising a Large-Scale College Placement Examination Program: Innovation Within Constraints (Kristen Huff and Gerald J. Melican); and (7) A Role for College Admissions Tests in State Assessment Programs (Sherri Miller and Jay Happel). Part II, Validity Considerations: Test Use and Consequences of Test Scores, contains: (8) Finding Validity Evidence: An Analysis Using the "Mental Measurements Yearbook" (Gregory J. Cizek, Heather K. Koons, and Sharyn L. Rosenberg); (9) A Model of Examinee Test-Taking Effort (Steven L. Wise and Lisa F. Smith); (10) Validity Arguments for High-Stakes Testing and Accountability Systems (Deborah L. Bandalos, Amanda E. Ferster, Susan L. Davis, and Karen M. Samuelsen); (11) Testing and Measurement From a Multilevel View: Psychometrics and Validation (Bruno D. Zumbo and Barry Forer); (12) A High-Stakes Use of Intelligence Testing: A Forensic Case Study (Chad W. Buckendahl and Brett P. Foley); and (13) High-Stakes Education Research: Enhanced Scrutiny of the Education System and Its Consequences (James A. Bovaird and Natalie A. Koziol). Part III, Looking Ahead, contains: (14) The Future of High-Stakes Testing in Education (Kurt F. Geisinger). An index is included.