ERIC Number: EJ916010
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2011
Pages: 15
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1530-5058
EISSN: N/A
Importance of Equating High-Stakes Educational Measurements
Chulu, Bob Wajizigha; Sireci, Stephen G.
International Journal of Testing, v11 n1 p38-52 2011
Many examination agencies, policy makers, media houses, and the public at large make high-stakes decisions based on test scores. Unfortunately, in some cases educational tests are not statistically equated to account for test differences over time, which leads to inappropriate interpretations of students' performance. In this study we illustrate the consequences of not equating scores on parallel forms of a test. The study used data from a high-stakes primary school exit exam in Malawi. A spiraling process was used to create two randomly equivalent groups of examinees who took two different forms of a test administered in different years to allow for a randomly-equivalent groups equating analysis. The study revealed that: (1) test difficulties were dissimilar across test forms signifying that equating was necessary; (2) changes in pass rates across years did not necessarily signify changes in performance of students; and (3) classification of students into grade categories across forms were different before equating, but similar after equating. The results illustrate that equating is instrumental in promoting fairness and in facilitating more accurate classification decisions and score reporting to stakeholders. (Contains 2 notes, 2 figures and 6 tables.)
Descriptors: Classification, Foreign Countries, Item Response Theory, High Stakes Tests, Scores, Equated Scores, Student Motivation, Exit Examinations, Mathematics Tests, Elementary School Students, Test Bias
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Malawi
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A