In this digital ITEMS module, we introduce the framework of nonparametric item response theory (IRT), in particular Mokken scaling, which can be used to evaluate fundamental measurement properties with less strict assumptions than parametric IRT models. We walk through the key distinction between parametric and nonparametric models, introduce the…

This chapter will value of including diverse voices of researchers. An innovative, cost-effective model for assessment will be described, capturing the process implemented at a university in its efforts to center social justice within assessment and evaluation research practices.

The introduction of new assessment policy can reverberate throughout all levels of schooling. This paper presents an in-depth investigation into one school's response in the Junior years of secondary education to the introduction of a new Senior years' assessment system. The investigation focuses on the educational context of a high-performing…

According to Lorrie A. Shepard, claims that testing will serve equity very often are not true. From minimum competency tests in the '70s; basic-skills tests in the '80s; "tests worth teaching to" in the '90s; high-frequency, high-stakes tests in the '00s; and added layers of commercial interim tests in the '10s, it seems it has…

Assessments are a way for stakeholders in education to understand what students know and can do. They can take many forms, including but not limited to paper and pencil or computer-adaptive formats. However, assessments do not have to be tests in the traditional sense at all; rather, they can be carried out through teacher observations of students…

The COVID-19 pandemic has created an unprecedented challenge for state, district, and school leaders across the country. Whether states and districts mandate or choose an in-person or remote model or a hybrid model, which includes some aspect of virtual learning, ensuring that vulnerable students and teachers have a remote learning option has…

At a time of increasing global uncertainty, it is critical that school systems succeed at transforming their educational aims and practices. This article focuses on the Chilean System of Educational Quality Assurance as a policy case aimed at expanding the purpose of education by incorporating indicators of social and personal development (ISPD)…

In the wake of the French Revolution and the failure of subsequent governments to enact humanistic reforms, Schiller observed in frustration that "a great moment has found a little people…" As we emerge from a once-in-a-century pandemic, navigating crisis after crisis amidst uncertainty and instability, it is easy to sympathize with…

During the pandemic three widespread shifts in teaching cultures affected digital writing pedagogies: resilient teaching, open teaching, and inclusive teaching. Resilient teaching design emerged as a strategy to counter the unpredictability of public health policies on class delivery modes, and emphasised designing for maximising student…

Both pre-service and practicing educators are entering classrooms with limited preparation for the social landscape, affecting a range of professional considerations such as educational equity, culturally responsive teaching, and effective assessment. In an effort to consider greater impact and meaningful development of teachers for social justice…

Educational assessment is a complex area of teacher professionalism involving negotiation of purposes and practices within sociocultural contexts. Developing teachers' assessment literacy has thus become a priority across education systems. Additionally, student teachers' assessment approaches and confidence in their assessment competence may be…

In this digital ITEMS module, Dr. Jeffrey Harring and Ms. Tessa Johnson introduce the linear mixed effects (LME) model as a flexible general framework for simultaneously modeling continuous repeated measures data with a scientifically defensible function that adequately summarizes both individual change as well as the average response. The module…

Already under fire before spring 2020, the dominance of federally mandated test-based accountability in American education had led many educators and policymakers to decry the system as largely out of balance and to suggest that this imbalance has stifled productive local efforts toward meaningful, lasting improvements in student learning. It is…

Despite considerable efforts to increase the quality of Higher Education (HE) in many countries, the absence of a methodology to guide scholars and policymakers to assess its quality has been a barrier. In 2017, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and Mohamad bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation (MBRF) launched the Global Knowledge…

In Australia, under the National Assessment Plan, educational accountability testing in literacy and numeracy (NAPLAN) is undertaken with all students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 to monitor student achievement and inform policy. However, the extent to which these data have been analysed to report student progress is limited. This article reports a…