Formal graduate education in a measurement related field provides a solid foundation for professionals who work on credentialing examinations. Those foundational skills are then expanded and refined over time as practitioners encounter complex and nuanced challenges that were not covered by or go beyond the context described in textbooks. For…

The COVID-19 pandemic negatively affected the quality of data from educational testing programs. These data were previously used for many important purposes ranging from placing students in instructional programs to school accountability. In this article, we draw from the research design literature to point out the limitations inherent in…

Computer-based testing (CBT) is becoming an increasingly popular format of assessment in educational settings. If students face a digital divide in terms of access to computers at school and at home, CBT may exacerbate measured student achievement gaps. In this paper, we use the rollout of CBT in South Carolina starting in 2015 to investigate its…

While the CPA exam is uniform for all jurisdictions, individual jurisdictions are allowed to set the requirements to sit for the exam. These requirements vary by jurisdiction, with some being more restrictive than others. We analyze the decision process of international candidates to proxy for candidates that can choose jurisdictions with less…

The expansion of student opportunity through the flexible spending of Education Scholarship Accounts (ESAs) builds in direct accountability to the parents who choose and hold the power of the purse. Families can select different schools and service providers if they are dissatisfied with how their student is faring. But ESAs can also be designed…

The Regulations of the Commissioner of Education provide that an intermediate-level science test is to be administered in Grade 8 to serve as a basis for determining students' need for academic intervention services in science. The New York State Grade 8 Intermediate-Level Science Test consists of two required components: a Written Test and a…

For test scores to be used to appropriately inform decision-making, and for the associated academic practice opportunities afforded during testing to benefit students, it is critical that students put forth sufficient effort and engagement during testing sessions. Existing research highlights that a substantial proportion of students may disengage…

In January 2024, building on the Genomics Beyond Health report, the Department for Education (DfE), with co-funding from the Government Office for Science (GO-Science), commissioned Ipsos UK through the Futures Procurement Framework to understand the potential future risks and opportunities of the use of genomics in education. The Government…

Recent years have produced a surge in interest in improving state assessment programs. Many states are designing new assessments. Much of this innovation is aimed at addressing longstanding areas of unhappiness with typical domain-sampled, end-of-year state assessments: States want to streamline assessment activities, enhance the instructional…

The benefits of practice testing for long-term learning are well established in many contexts. However, little is known about learner characteristics that might moderate its effectiveness. The effects of practice tests might depend on individual prerequisites for learning, especially in real-world educational settings. We explored whether the…

Recent research has demonstrated an intersectional approach to the study of differential item functioning (DIF). This approach expands DIF to account for the interactions between what have traditionally been treated as separate grouping variables. In this paper, we compare traditional and intersectional DIF analyses using data from a state testing…

The Regulations of the Commissioner of Education provide that an intermediate-level science test is to be administered in Grade 8 to serve as a basis for determining students' need for academic intervention services in science. The New York State Grade 8 Intermediate-Level Science Test consists of two required components: a Written Test and a…

Race-based traumatic stress, also called racial trauma, refers to "mental and emotional injury caused by encounters with racial bias and ethnic discrimination, racism, and hate crimes" (Mental Health America, n.d.). While much research on racism-based stress in schools focuses on teachers, school psychologists can just as easily cause…

Many institutions use placement tests as a method to assess students' readiness for college-level coursework. With the increased use of technology in testing, many institutions have transitioned placement test administration to an online format in an unproctored setting. While unproctored placement tests may provide financial and logistical…

Accompanying the still pervasive influence of the College English Test (CET), some universities in China, especially the higher-ranking ones, have in recent years devised and implemented their own local English testing regimes. This significant shift, however, has captured limited research attention. Building on considerations in local language…