A Model for Transforming Technical Vocational Education and Training Assessment

• In Event: Quality Educational Assessment for Equity and Fairness

Abstract

Objectives
Large scale international comparative studies of adult skills assessment OECD/PIAAC and the World Bank STEP intend to produce national and international level indicators for policy making. At a state vocational and technical training institution level, ACT WorkKeys tests have been adopted and piloted in three countries in Latin America. Since 2012, ACT WorkKeys international career readiness certificate program was translated and adapted for use in the USAID funded Honduras Workforce program for training and certification of the at-risk youth, for pilot programs in Mexico and at Sao Paulo state vocational technical institute.

Perspectives
The ACT Career Readiness Certificate consists of three foundational skills assessments to measure an individual’s employability skills. The credential is used to qualify technical training candidate, entry job qualification, and employee technical skills upgrade. The Mexico and Brazil programs sought to leverage a credible international third-party credential as an objective measure of students’ competencies in job-related skills.
Method
The English language tests were translated and adapted to Spanish and Portuguese language tests in Applied Mathematics, Reading for Information, and Locating Information. We applied ACT Standard Operation procedures established using International Test Commission (ITC) guidelines (2010). Job skills analysis of selected occupational standards across the U.S. and Mexico and Brazil were conducted.

Data and Results
We will present Brazil pilot empirical test data analysis results from psychometric analysis test time, test reliability, item differential item functioning. In addition, results from job skills analysis of selected occupational standards across the U.S. and Brazil using job profiling methods.

Significance
ITC Guidelines (2010, 2015) were implemented in the pilot programs. Our experience shed light on challenges and opportunities in the translation and adaptation of standardized tests developed in the U.S. for international use.

Author

• Changhua S. Rich, ACT, Inc.