Establishing the Content Validity of High-Leverage Content Topics and Practices for Teaching Social Studies

• In Event: 15.028 - Quantitative Research in Qualitative Spaces

Abstract

The accumulation of content validity evidence is critically important in constructing and evaluating licensure assessments. The purpose of this study is to explore the validity evidence supporting social studies content knowledge topics and teaching practices assessed in a kindergarten through 6th grade teacher licensure assessment. We accumulated relevance, importance, and frequency judgments on 24 content knowledge topics and 26 social studies teaching practices from 109 practitioners verifying the necessity of these competencies for elementary school social studies teachers first entering the teaching profession. Overall, the content-related validity evidence collected supports the social studies content knowledge topics and teaching practices as important for a beginning elementary school social studies teacher’s ability to be an effective educator.

Authors

• Michelle Martin-Raugh, Educational Testing Service

• Jonathan Steinberg, Educational Testing Service

• Karen Castellano, ETS

• Clyde M. Reese, ETS