validity

In this paper, Linda Darling-Hammond and other leading scholars in assessment describe a set of criteria for high-quality student assessments. These criteria can be used by assessment developers, policymakers, and educators.

The five criteria include: 

1. Assessment of Higher-Order...

This paper by Linda Darling-Hammond and Ray Pecheone outlines a set of principles that are shared by the systems of high‐achieving nations as well as a number of high‐achieving states in the United States. These systems include the following:

• Assessments are grounded in a thoughtful,...

This paper authored by Anders Jonsson and Gunilla Svingby, investigates whether evidence for the benefits of rubrics can be found in the research literature.

Conclusions are that:

(1) the reliable scoring of performance assessments can be enhanced by the use of rubrics, especially...

In this paper, David Miller and Robert Linn outline six aspects of construct validation to guide the validation of performance based assessments: content, substantive, structural, generalizability, external, and consequential. Each aspect is discussed, with the focus on studies that could be...

This paper offers a retrospective research study of performance assessment initiatives beginning in the 1990s up to today.  The study addresses three specific questions: 

• What were the conditions that helped sustain some of the programs? 

• What were the challenges that led to...

The purpose of this paper is to present findings regarding the reliability and validity of the performance based assessments used in the state pilot, including the results of three sets of studies: 1) Generalizability studies; 2) Regression analyses to ascertain the relationships between...

This executive summary outlines how New Hampshire will integrate performance assessments into its state assessment and accountability systems.

The proposed performance assessment system will be based on:

1. competencies that provide state-defined learning expectations,

2. a...

This report seeks to make large-scale assessments of student achievement more transparent and provide guidance on item development and quality. The report provides an in-depth look at what is assessed in a selection of current large-scale assessment items to illustrate what kinds of student...