The Future of Test-Based Educational Accountability [Paperback]

In recent decades testing has become a much more visible and high-stakes accountability mechanism that is now seen as a powerful tool that can be used to drive school improvement. The purpose of this book is to identify and analyze the key issues associated with test-based educational accountability and to chart the future of educational accountability research. Chapter contributions are intended to be forward looking rather than a compendium of what has happened in the past. The book provides an accessible discussion of issues such as validity, test equating, growth modeling, fairness for special populations, causal inferences, and misuses of accountability data.

Preface and Organization of the Book

Part I. THE CONTEXT OF EDUCATIONAL ACCOUNTABILITY

Chapter 1. Educational Accountability Systems. Robert Linn

Chapter 2. A Brief History of Accountability Testing: 1965-2007. Lorrie Shepard

Chapter 3. The Politics of Educational Accountability: Can the Clock be Turned Back? Lorraine McDonnell

Part II. EDUCATIONAL ACCOUNTABILITY: TECHNICAL AND SUBTANTIVE ISSUES

Chapter 4: Further Steps Toward the Development of an Accountability-Oriented Science of Measurement. Dan Koretz

Chapter 5: Reliability of Large-Scale Assessment and Accountability Systems. Vonda Kiplinger

Chapter 6: Equating and Linking of Educational Assessments in High-Stakes Accountability Systems. Vonda Kiplinger and Laura Hamiliton

Chapter 7: Standard Setting. Edward Haertel

Chapter 8: Toward a Normative Understanding of Student Growth. Damian Betenbenner

Chapter 9: Causes and Effects. Derek Briggs and Ed Wiley

Chapter 10: Fairness Issues and Educational Accountló„