A Comparison of Instructional Sensitivity Methods

• In Event: 44.085 - Poster Session 9
  In Poster Session: 44.085-10 - Large Scale Assessment SIG Poster Session

Abstract

Instructional sensitivity, or the extent to which a test reflects instruction, central to test-based accountability efforts; if test scores do not vary in response to instructional efforts then test scores are not valid indicators of school or teacher quality. However, methods for gauging instructional sensitivity are still in their nascent stage; no one preferred approach has been established and few studies have empirically explored the differences in what is learned from a variety of methodologies. Using data from one school district, this study compares three methods: judgmental review, examining the relationship between instructional efforts and test performance, and estimating between-teacher variability on item- and test-performance, to determine how inferences about test quality may change depending on method employed.

Authors

• Megan E. Welsh, University of California - Davis

• Jackson Yan, University of California - Davis