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Evaluation of the Voluntary National Tests, Year 2 Interim Report (1999) / Chapter Skim
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Executive Summary
Pages 1-6

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From page 1...
... This interim report describes findings anc3 recommendations cievelopec3 to ciate on the quality of VNT items, technical issues associated with screening the items and developing VNT test forms, anc3 plans for inclusion anc3 accommodation of students with disabilities anc3 English language learners. A final report with aciclitional discussion of these issues anc3 also of VNT purpose anc3 use will be issued in September 1999.
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From page 2...
... Based on the data from the committee's item quality rating panels anc3 on other information proviciec3 to the committee by NAGB anc3 its contractor, the committee reached several conclusions about current VNT item quality anc3 about the item development process: The number of items at each stage is not always known, and relatively few items and passages have been through the development and review process and fully approved for use in the pilot test. The quality of the completed items is as good as a comparison sample of released NAEP items.
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From page 3...
... TECHNICAL ISSUES IN TEST DEVELOPMENT 3 The VNT year 2 evaluation regarding technical issues in test development focuses on the extent to which the design for pilot testing will result in items that represent the content anc3 achievement- level specifications, are free of bias, anc3 support test form assembly; plans for the implementation of VNT pilot testing; plans for assembling field test forms likely to yield valid achievement- level results; anc3 the technical adequacy of revised designs for field testing, equating, anc3 linking. NAGB anc3 its contractor have macle progress in developing cletailec3 plans for score reporting anc3 for the design anc3 analysis of pilot test data to screen items for inclusion in VNT forms.
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From page 4...
... Recommendation 4.2: NAGB should consider one or more additional accommodations by expanding the pilot test that has been planned to include small group administration and expanded time accommodations. This expansion should focus on additional accommoda tions for English language learners, perhaps in the form of both a Spanish version and the use of English Spanish dictionaries for the mathematics test and by examining group differ ences as well as item by item differences in performance through differential item function ing analyses.
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From page 5...
... The quality of completed items is good, but a good deal of item development work remains. Decisions about reporting and test difficulty and accuracy need to be macle before the item pool can be evaluated fully, and a good clear more development and research on inclusion and accommodation issues is needled.
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Key Terms

  • completed items
  • vnt items
  • english proficiency
  • pilot testing
  • limited english

  • additional accommodations
  • test development
  • field test
  • test forms
  • test data

  • language learners
  • national assessment
  • vnt test
  • field testing
  • provided regarding

  • forms design
  • item quality
  • item development
  • english language
  • student populations

  • technical adequacy
  • reserves comment
  • form assembly
  • score approach
  • vnt development

  • committee reached
  • congress transferred
  • screen items
  • answer sheets
  • educational progress


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