ERIC Number: EJ1217016
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2019-Jun
Pages: 24
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1098-2140
EISSN: N/A
The Use and Validity of Standardized Achievement Tests for Evaluating New Curricular Interventions in Mathematics and Science
Sussman, Joshua; Wilson, Mark R.
American Journal of Evaluation, v40 n2 p190-213 Jun 2019
We investigated the use and validity of standardized achievement tests for summative evaluation of 78 educational intervention projects funded by the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) math and science education program. Investigators from 46 projects evaluated curricular interventions with standardized achievement tests as outcome measures. Twenty-five of the projects had potential validity problems related to a misalignment between the achievement test and the intervention. A closer analysis of 11 of those projects flagged as high risk for validity problems showed that only 6 projects attended to the validity of the test, and only 1 project provided adequate validity evidence. We conclude that there is widespread inappropriate use of achievement tests that threatens the validity of educational evaluations. To better support innovation, evaluators must dedicate more attention to the validity of the outcome measures they use.
Descriptors: Test Use, Test Validity, Standardized Tests, Achievement Tests, Summative Evaluation, Mathematics Tests, Science Tests, Intervention, Outcome Measures, Testing Problems, Mathematics Education, Science Education, Alignment (Education)
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Institute of Education Sciences (ED)
Authoring Institution: N/A
IES Funded: Yes
Grant or Contract Numbers: R305B090026