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Technical Documentation for Alternate Assessments
Abstract
The three usual criteria for assessments from the psychometric perspective - reliability, validity, and utility - are discussed in this paper in the context of alternate assessments that are individualized for students with severe cognitive disabilities. Possible sources of data for documentation of the technical quality of alternate assessments are discussed. Some suggestions for developing alternate assessments are presented. Alternate assessments can arise from a need to represent, in a broad (e.g., statewide) assessment and accountability system, students with the most significant cognitive disabilities, whose levels of cognitive functioning are below that needed for instruction and assessment using the content and achievement standards and/or formats expected of students in the general (regular) instructional program. Students who participate in alternate assessments are expected to be rare (i.e., a maximum of 1% by 2014, as implied by current federal guidelines) and expectations are often tailored to their individual needs based on discussions of committees (e.g., an IEP, or Individualized Education Program, or similar team)
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It is argued that classroom assessment evolves from a different set of issues and demands from more traditional measurement concerns and that approaches to reliability developed from traditional concerns are not appropriate for most classroom settings. The assessment and grading issues for high school instruction are examined from the perspective of reliability. An alternative conceptualization of reliability, sufficiency of information, is proposed and explored. This conceptualization is based on the argument that at a rudimentary level, reliability theory is based on the notion of having enough information to make decisions or draw inferences.
We argue (1) that the domains of externally mandated tests should be transparent to teachers, (2) that test maps can be used to communicate with teachers, and (3) that the most effective test maps express domains in terms of combinations of what students know and can do. We propose a device called a heuristic as the lowest level of specificity in a test map, and criteria to achieve a balance between too much specificity and too much generality in heuristics. Although we focus primarily on summative assessments, we also discuss how a state may use related, teacher-developed formative assessments to foster information-rich classroom environments. Other than item bank structure and sampling, our suggestions would have little impact on how tests are developed or scored, but we believe they would have a large impact on how they are described and used, and ultimately on their effectiveness as agents of instructional reform.
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the annual meeting of the National Council on
Measurement in Education, Montreal.
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Developing alternate assessments using expanded benchmarks from a nine state consensus framework in reading, writing, mathematics, and science
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Bechard, S. (2005). Developing alternate
assessments using expanded benchmarks from a
nine state consensus framework in reading,
writing, mathematics, and science. Presented at
the annual meeting of the National Council on
Measurement in Education, Montreal.
Reliability in two types of alternate assessments for students with significant cognitive disabilities: Administration fidelity, rater agreement, and internal consistency
- P Almond
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- S Bechard
Almond, P., Filbin, J, & Bechard, S. (2005).
Reliability in two types of alternate assessments
for students with significant cognitive
disabilities: Administration fidelity, rater
agreement, and internal consistency. Presented
at the annual meeting of the National Council
on Measurement in Education, Montreal.