In this digital ITEMS module, Dr. Stella Kim provides an overview of multidimensional item response theory (MIRT) equating. Traditional unidimensional item response theory (IRT) equating methods impose the sometimes untenable restriction on data that only a single ability is assessed. This module discusses potential sources of multidimensionality…

This article presents an innovative and generalized CIPP evaluation model for breakdance courses based on Hiphop pedagogy, designed to help educators evaluate the design, implementation, and effectiveness of breakdance courses. Despite global interest in breakdance evaluation, few studies have focused on developing a comprehensive evaluation…

Objective: This is a protocol for a Campbell review. The aim of this scoping review is to identify and map the available evidence on the association of antenatal cytokine concentrations with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) of the offspring and to inform future research avenues. Introduction: NDDs are a heterogeneous group of conditions with…

This article is excerpted from the book "Exemplars of Assessment in Higher Education, Volume Two" (Souza and Rose) and includes an excerpt from Howard University (Phillips). There is a complex relationship between institutional (formerly regional) accrediting bodies and institutions of higher education. Though we believe that accreditors…

States have different reasoning, timelines, and governing agencies that determine why and when academic standards are revised. A state review of academic standards involves many steps--a process that can take months or years. This guide provides a checklist for state education leaders to consider when developing the various components of an…

Traditional teacher evaluations -- full-lesson observations, write-ups, and debriefs -- are time-consuming and largely ineffective. As a principal, Kim Marshall found that mini-observations -- short, frequent, unannounced classroom visits, each followed by a face-to-face coaching conversation and brief narrative summary -- actually improved…

Auburn University engaged in the reaffirmation process with SACSCOC (institutional accreditor) and received recommendations surrounding assessment practices. It was from these recommendations that the Office of Academic Assessment (OAA) was created in July 2015, providing dedicated assessment support to faculty responsible for educational…

This paper describes, and lays out an argument for, the use of a procedure to help groups of reviewers to judge the quality of prior research reports. It argues why such a procedure is needed, and how other existing approaches are only relevant to some kinds of research, meaning that a review or synthesis cannot successfully combine quality…

In this column, the author revisits who we are as assessment professionals, how we are trained, what our role is, and what our responsibilities are--to ourselves as a community, to our colleagues in education, at our institution, and to those we serve-- especially from an equity lens. They also share a few strategies to address the gaps they see.

A visual arts education promoted through a lens of visual culture fosters the idea that students can influence social change through their artmaking practices (K. Freedman, 2003a). Instructing through this lens is by far harder than teaching simple artmaking techniques. But Alison Aziz, similar to Kerry Freedman, became an art educator because…

Self-assessment (SA), as an activity for reflecting on one's own performance and abilities (Black & Wiliam, 1998), has been a topic of interest to educators over the years. Among second language (L2) educators, SA began growing in popularity in the 1970s and 1980s, when L2 educators' focus shifted from analyzing linguistic systems to examining…

Teaching statistics to generalist students oriented toward a profession, rather than academic merits, may be challenging. As statistics courses also tend to have a low student appeal, tailoring a course toward this type of audience is demanding. Framed within the theory of statistical thinking and literacy, this article shows how an investigative…

In response to the national excitement around course embedded assessment, various campuses and state-wide college systems engaged in faculty development in assignment prompt development drawn from the literature focused on creating assignments for the classroom. However, while the literature is replete with frameworks, templates, guides,…

In this article, Julia So discusses the purpose of program assessment, four common missteps of program assessment and reporting, and how to prevent them. The four common missteps of program assessment and reporting she has observed are: (1) unclear or ambiguous program goals; (2) measurement error of program goals and outcomes; (3) incorrect unit…

To be successful in producing improvement, assessment must be "part of a larger set of conditions that promote change" (Astin et al. 1992). To identify the enduring principles likely to produce the specific conditions to promote change, the author turned to two sources: (1) W. Edwards Deming's classic 1982 book, "Out of the Crisis:…