Large-scale Assessment Programs for All Students

Book excerpt: The need for a comprehensive volume that reviews both the processes and issues involved in developing, administering, and validating large-scale assessment programs has never been greater. These programs are used for many purposes, including instructional program evaluation, promotion, certification, graduation, and accountability. One of the greatest problems we face is how to deal with special needs and bilingual populations. Examining these processes and issues is the mission of this book. It is organized into the following five sections: Introduction, Validity Issues, Technical Issues, Implementation Issues, and Epilogue. Each chapter follows a common structure: Overview of critical issues, review of relevant research, descriptions of current assessment methodologies, and recommendations for the future research and practice. Written by nationally recognized scholars,Large-Scale Assessment Programs for All Students: Validity, Technical Adequacy, and Implementation will appeal to anyone seriously involved in large scale testing, including educators, policymakers, testing company personnel, and researchers in education, psychology, and public policy.