Using Item Analysis Methods to Guide Test Development in World Language Assessment

• In Event: Poster Session 4
  In Poster Session: Research, Evaluation, Assessment, and Accountability in Schools: Featuring the Analytic Explorations of Graduate Student Scholars

Abstract

Inclusivity and equity are essential for the assessment of Languages Other Than English (LOTE) in public education. This study addressed an overarching question in relation to test quality and fairness: how to use available data to guide LOTE test development, taking into account the diversity of the student populations and the divergent features of different test languages while simultaneously treating different language exams comparably and fairly under their common state standards. We used both quantitative and qualitative research methods to probe two years of LOTE test data in a large city. The results of the item analysis were used to guide subsequent blueprint development for test writers.

Authors

• Jinghong Cai, Ohio University

• Ronli Diakow, New York City Department of Education

• Erica Doherty, New York City Department of Education