Suzanne Lane

University of Pittsburgh | Pitt · Department of Administrative and Policy Studies

The impetus for test‐based accountability systems is to improve the educational opportunities afforded to all students so as to improve their learning; therefore, integral to the validity argument of these systems is the appraisal of test‐based inferences and decisions in terms of their consequences. Both positive and negative consequences of test‐...

This study examined the effect of similar vs. dissimilar proficiency distributions on uniform DIF detection on a statewide eighth grade mathematics assessment. Results from the similar- and dissimilar-ability reference groups with an SWD focal group were compared for four models: logistic regression, hierarchical generalized linear model (HGLM), th...

Rater‐mediated assessments require the evaluation of the accuracy and consistency of the inferences made by the raters to ensure the validity of score interpretations and uses. Modeling rater response processes allows for a better understanding of how raters map their representations of the examinee performance to their representation of the scorin...

99 Background: Patient engagement is essential for high-quality care. This study aimed to develop novel communication tools to be used between patients and HCPs to address current gaps in cancer care. Methods: Qualitative interviews were conducted with 16 US patients with various cancers and stage, 6 oncology nurses, and 4 oncologists. Goals were t...

A forward-thinking look at performance assessment in the 21st century Next Generation Assessment: Moving Beyond the Bubble Test to Support 21st Century Learning provides needed answers to the nation's growing concerns about educational testing in America. Drawing on research and the experiences of leading states and countries, this new book examine...

Despite reports that mortality is increasing, overall case fatality due to hepatitis C virus (HCV) is thought to be low. Given the variability in published rates, we aimed to synthesize estimates of liver-specific case fatality and all-cause mortality in chronic HCV according to follow-up duration, sustained viral response (SVR) to treatment, and l...

Schools must teach disciplinary knowledge in ways that also help students learn how to learn, so that they can use their knowledge in new situations and manage the demands of changing information, technologies, jobs, and social conditions. In addition to the new Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in English language arts and mathematics, a consorti...

Using more comparable, contemporary data from a carefully grounded study by the Assessment Solutions Group (ASG) demonstrates that it is possible to construct affordable, large-scale assessment systems that include a significant number of constructed-response items, reliably scored classroom-based performance tasks, and traditional multiple-choice...

There are some legitimate questions and concerns about performance assessments. Under the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) program, many states had difficulty receiving approval from the federal Department of Education for performance elements of their systems. Research in the United States and others suggests that performance assessments can play an im...

Performance assessments have been an integral part of educational systems in most high-achieving countries and some states in the United States. Evidence suggests that the nature and format of assessments affect the depth of knowledge and types of skills developed by students and that performance assessments are better suited to assessing high-leve...

For many people, performance assessment is most easily defined by what it is not: specifically, it is not multiple-choice testing. Performance events can take several forms, including requests that can be answered by what are called constructed-response items-those that require students to create a response-within a relatively short time in a tradi...

There is no shortage of creative ideas for assessing learning and performance in authentic ways. The challenge has been developing and maintaining such assessments at scale in ways that consistently set expectations and provide incentives for deeper learning. Fortunately, there is much to learn about large-scale performance assessment from state sy...

This chapter presents a number of important Common Core standards that cannot be directly measured by consortia assessments. A system of assessment may include large-scale assessments that offer information to policymakers along with much richer school or classroom assessments that offer more detailed information to guide teachers as they develop c...

Objective: The objective of this study was to estimate utility values for hypothetical health states that describe differences in weight and quality of life associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) from Canadians with type 2 DM. The impact on utility values was examined separately for participants with a body mass index (BMI) of 18 to less th...

The purpose of this study was to develop the scoring system for the Seating and Mobility Script Concordance Test (SMSCT), obtain and appraise internal and external structure evidence, and assess the validity of the SMSCT. The SMSCT purpose is to provide a method for testing knowledge of seating and mobility prescription. A sample of 106 therapists...

The Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing have evolved in the breadth and depth of coverage of issues in educational testing and measurement since their first publication in 1954. There were a number of substantive changes in the 1999 revision that addressed validity, fairness, accommodations, and compliance with the Standards. In add...

This article addresses issues in evaluating the consequences of assessment programs that are developed for the purpose of holding schools accountable to state standards. After providing a brief review of research examining consequential evidence, a validation study to obtain consequential evidence for state assessment and accountability programs is...

The QUASAR Cognitive Assessment Instrument (QCAI) is designed to measure program outcomes and growth in mathematics. It consists of a relatively large set of open-ended tasks that assess mathematical problem solving, reasoning, and communication at the middle-school grade levels. This study provides some evidence for the generalizability and validi...

This article demonstrates the utility of restricted item response models for examining item difficulty ordering and slope uniformity for an item set that reflects varying cognitive processes. Twelve sets of paired algebra word problems were developed to systematically reflect various types of cognitive processes required for successful performance....

States are implementing statewide assessment programs that classify students into proficiency levels that reflect state-defined performance standards. In an effort to provide support for score interpretations, this study examined the consistency of classifications based on competing item response theory (IRT) models for data from a state assessment...

The appropriateness of a consumer's seating and mobility system varies considerably depending on the competence, proficiency, and experience of the professionals assisting the user. At present, there is a scarcity of skilled and knowledgeable therapists to evaluate and recommend seating and mobility devices. There is also a lack of measurement test...

This study examines the underlying structure of the teacher language arts and science questionnaires from a project studying the impact of the Maryland School Performance Assessment Program (MSPAP). The dimensions of the questionnaire concerning practices and attitudes related to the MSPAP were studied, as well as the extent to which the on-grade a...

The impacts of the Maryland State Performance Assessment Program (MSPAP) and the Maryland Learning Outcomes (MLOs) on curriculum, classroom instruction and assessment, professional development, and student learning were studied. Data sources were questionnaires completed by principals, mathematics teachers, and students from 90 elementary and middl...

Performance assessments that have the capability of measuring a broad range of reasoning and thinking skills are considered to be fundamental tools in the educational reform movement (Linn, 1993). They are being used to document the need for educational reform as well as to monitor the impact of reform at the national, state, and local levels. Many...

In the present study the relationship between teaching and learning was examined using a conceptual framework that links dimensions of instructional tasks with gains in student learning outcomes. The greatest student gains on a performance assessment consisting of tasks that require high levels of mathematical thinking and reasoning were related to...

The mathematical performance of students attending middle schools in economically impoverished communities involved in the QUASAR project was compared to that of a sample of students attending demographically similar (i.e., disadvantaged urban) schools, as well as to the performance of a nationally representative sample of students. Tasks from the...

The attention of educational practitioners and policy makers has recently focused on mathematics education reform in the United States. Reports by the National Academy of Sciences (National Research Council, 1989) and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (1989) have specified a new vision of mathematical proficiency—sometimes referred to...

This study evaluated the reliability and validity of a performance assessment designed to measure students' thinking and reasoning skills in mathematics. The QUASAR Cognitive Assessment Instrument (QCA1) was administered to over 1.700 sixth and seventh grade students of various ethnic backgrounds in six schools that are participating in the QUASAR...

How can you align instruction, learning, and assessment in an educationally sound way? How can you define and measure competence in mathematics? What areas of competence do you need to specify and how? How can one evaluate the validity and consequences of using a particular assessment instrument or technique?

Issues of educational equity and quality are explored in the context of the Quantitative Understanding: Amplifying Student Achievement and Reasoning (QUASAR) project, a national educational reform project aimed at fostering and studying the development and implementation of enhanced mathematics instructional programs for students attending middle s...

Recent high-level political interest in the improvement of mathematics education in the United States has led to the increased prominence of reports by the National Academy of Sciences (National Research Council, 1989), the American Association for the Advancement of Science (1989) and National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (1989). These refor...

Evaluated the 2 hypothesized alternative models for the joint factor structure of the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (K-ABC) and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children—Revised (WISC—R) using confirmatory factor analysis with 51 referred children (mean age 9 yrs 10 mo) or 49 low-achieving children (mean age 9 yrs 6 mo). Ss were admini...

We examined children's ability to anticipate the appearance of transformed multicomponents using visual stimuli with variations of a mental rotation task. We hypothesized that (a) performance would depend on the presence, location, and spatial relationship of specific stimulus features, and that (b) younger children would use a single component to...

Children's ability to discriminate reflections and rotations of visual stimuli was examined using a kinetic imagery task. It was hypothesized that success would be related to the number and placement of orientation markers on the stimuli, as well as whether or not reflections had to be discriminated from simple rotations. 40 4- and 5-year-old child...

Paper presented at the annual meeting of the National Council on Measurement in Education, New Orleans, April 2000. Preparation of this paper was supported by a grant from the U. S. Department of Education, Assessment Development and Evaluation Grants Program (CDFA 134.279-A), for the Maryland Assessment System Project. Our deepest appreciation is...

Paper presented at the annual meeting of the National Council on Measurement in Education, New Orleans, April 2000. Preparation of this paper was supported by a grant from the U. S. Department of Education, Assessment Development and Evaluation Grants Program (CDFA 84.279-A), for the Maryland Assessment System Project. Our deepest appreciation is e...