KENNESAW STATE UNIVERSITY
GRADUATE COURSE PROPOSAL OR REVISION,
Cover Sheet (10/02/2002)
Course Number/Program Name: EDUC 7710: Principles, Trends, and Issues in Standardized
Educational Testing
Department: Secondary and Middle Grades Education
Degree Title (if applicable: Educational Assessment Certificate and MED in Adolescent
Education
Proposed Effective Date Fall, 2010
Check one or more of the following and complete the appropriate sections:
X New Course Proposal
Course Title Change
Course Number Change
Course Credit Change
Course Prerequisite Change
Course Description Change
Sections to be Completed
II, III, IV, V, VII
I, II, III
I, II, III
I, II, III
I, II, III
I, II, III
Notes:
If proposed changes to an existing course are substantial (credit hours, title, and description), a
new course with a new number should be proposed.
A new Course Proposal (Sections II, III, IV, V, VII) is required for each new course proposed as
part of a new program. Current catalog information (Section I) is required for each
existing course incorporated into the program.
Minor changes to a course can use the simplified E-Z Course Change Form.
Submitted by:
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Department Curriculum Committee Date
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KENNESAW STATE UNIVERSITY
GRADUATE COURSE/CONCENTRATION/PROGRAM CHANGE
I.
Current Information (Fill in for changes)
Page Number in Current Catalog:
Course Prefix and Number
Course Title
Credit Hours
Prerequisites
Description (or Current Degree Requirements)
II.
Proposed Information (Fill in for changes and new courses)
Course Prefix and Number _EDUC 7710___________________
Course Title EDUC 7710: Principles, Trends, and Issues in Standardized Educational
Testing
Credit Hours 3
Prerequisites EDL 7305 and EDUC 7705
Description (or Proposed Degree Requirements)
This graduate course for educators focuses on the critical analysis of national and global
large-scale educational testing, emphasizing the core principles, trends and issues
surrounding the testing and measurement of achievement. This course is designed for
master level students without extensive mathematical training and covers topics such as
the evolution of testing in the US and globally, issues surrounding testing of students
with disabilities or English language learners, item analysis with statistics, test domains,
sampling, population, measurement error, reliability, validity, score inflation, factors
influencing scale scores, scaling, test statistics, performance-based statistics, and testing
bias. Graduate candidates will explore these topics within the frameworks of common
large scale tests.
VII. PURPOSE & RATIONALE
III.
Justification
Teachers and other school leaders are challenged daily to use data in a systematic way to
improve the quality of teaching and learning in public schools. And as state and national
leaders stress the importance of accountability these demands have sky-rocketed as
stakeholders frequently question the performance levels of students and schools.
Reviewing MAT and MED graduate programs offered by the two largest teacher
preparation institutions in the state culled only one elective course in literacy assessment
for English educators, and one required MED general offering in evaluation at the
secondary and middle level.
This proposed course is a final course in a three-course graduate certificate sequence that
will examine educational assessment at the classroom, school, and state/national level. In
EDUC 7705, Classroom Assessment and Measurement,
teacher candidates focus on planning, constructing, analyzing, and applying educational assessment
to document graduate teacher candidate performance for classroom instructional and accountability
purposes. In EDL 7305, Data Analysis and School Improvement, educational leaders will learn
to utilize data to identify school improvement needs and make informed decisions in effectuating
change.
Finally, in this propsed course EDUC 7110: Principles, Trneds and Issues in Standardized Education
Testing graduate educators focus on the basics of large-scale educational testing. The course is
designed for master level students without extensive mathematical training and covers such topics
such as the evolution of testing in the US, test domains, sampling, population, measurement error,
reliability, validity, score inflation, factors influencing scale scores, scaling, test statistics,
performance-based statistics, growth models of teacher accountability and bias.
IV.
Additional Information (for New Courses only)
Instructor: various
Text:
Koretz, Daniel (2008). Measuring Up: What Educational Testing Really Tells Us,
Cambridge, MA: First Harvard Press.
Prerequisites: EDUC 7705 and EDL 7305
Objectives and Professional Standards
Course Goals and Objective
KSU M.Ed CPI
NBPTS Link
PSC/NCATE Link
General Objective: 2. The graduate teacher candidate will
demonstrate an understanding of the most important factor in
testing, validity, and be able to explain what is meant by the
statement, “ a test is not valid or invalid, it is the inference
drawn from the score that is valid or invalid.
Assessment: Reflective Short Paper
Outcome 2,3
Core 3
Professional and
General Objective #1: The graduate candidate will be able to
outline major shifts in American testing requirements
beginning in the 1960s. The candidate will be able to link
these differing tests and the political influence brought to bear
on these tests.
Assessment:
Formal Examination and Short Paper (5-page)
General Objective #3: The graduate teacher candidate will be
able to recognize and utilize fundamental measurement
concepts and procedures.
Specific Objectives: The graduate teacher candidate will
be able to
Outcome 2
Core 3
Professional and
pedagogical skills and
knowledge
Outcome 1
Core 3
Professional and
pedagogical skills and
knowledge
Assessment
pedagogical skills and
knowledge
a.
b.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
j.
o.
p.
q.
r.
s.
u.
v.
w.
x.
y.
z.
recognize the characteristics of a frequency
distribution and frequency polygons.
recognize the characteristics of percentiles.
interpret percentiles.
recognize the characteristics of percentile
ranks.
interpret percentile ranks.
calculate percentile ranks.
find ranks for a given set of scores.
recognize the characteristics of a mean.
recognize the characteristics of the standard
deviation and its square, the variance.
interpret standard deviations as measures of
dispersion.
recognize the characteristics of the normal
curve.
recognize the characteristics of derived scores.
recognize the characteristics of standard scores.
interpret z-scores.
calculate standard scores that have a mean of
50 and a standard deviation of 10.
interpret standard scores having a mean of 50
and a standard deviation of 10.
recognize the characteristics of a correlation
coefficient.
interpret a correlation coefficient.,
develop a basic understanding of the concepts
of inference, estimation and prediction,
interpreting/designing comparative studies,
interpreting computer generated or published
reports and statistical summaries
Assessment:
Formal Examination
Homework Practice Activities
General Objective #5: The graduate candidate will be able
compare and contrast the CRCT and national standardized
achievement test specifically
1. What subjects are tested, and what kinds of content and
skills are covered in each?
2. How detailed is the specification of test content?
3. How is the test constructed (number of items per subtest and
topic, types of items,
time limits)?
4. Is there alignment between either test and national standards
in your content area?
5. What types of scores are provided, and what interpretations
are they intended to
support? This includes, for example, the types of scales that are
used to report
performance; the number of subscales reported, if any; the type
of information
provided at the level of both students and schools; and the
variety and detail of score
reports.
6. What statistical concepts are necessary to understand the
results?
7. Locate instances of (in the two tests): consequential validity,
content validity, convergent validity, discriminate validity,
score inflation, and bias.
Assessment:
Group Project and Presentation
General Objectives #6: The graduate candidate will explore
the various models of measuring student growth across time
and teacher accountability. Specific topics may include growth
and value-added models, item analysis with statistics: answer
distribution, omit rate, p-value, point-biserial, average item
difficulty, reliability and standard error of measurement.
Assessment:
Formal Examination
Applications
General Objective #7: The graduate teacher candidate will
demonstrate critical reflection on the use and misuses of
today’s high-stakes tests and be able to communicate this
knowledge to others, including colleagues, parents and
graduate teacher candidates.
Assessment:
Formal Examination
Presentation
Outcome 3, Outcome
1
Core 5, 4
Disposition
Professional and
pedagogical skills and
knowledge
General Objective #8: The graduate teacher candidate will
recognize, detect, and control measurement bias in testing and
become familiar with techniques to ensure multicultural
validity, also issues surrounding testing of students with
disabilities or English language learners Particular attention
will be paid to test bias and student achievement in low
achieving urban schools.
Assessment:
Formal Examination
Outcome 2
Core 1, 4
Professional and
pedagogical knowledge
and skills.
General Objective 11: The graduate teacher candidate will
write descriptively, analytically, and reflectively.
Assessment:
All written assignments
Outcome 3
General Objective #12: The graduate teacher candidate will
work collaboratively and provide feedback to peers.
Assessment:
Professionalism Evaluation
Outcome 3
Core propositions
4 and 5
Dispositions
General Objective #13: The graduate teacher candidate will
follow institutional policies and professional guidelines of
academic honesty, and exhibits professional behavior in
interactions with professors and colleagues.
Assessment
Peer and Professor Feedback
Outcome 3
Core propositions
4 and 5
Dispositions
Dispositions
Core propositions
4 and 5
Professional and
pedagogical knowledge
and skills.
Dispositions
Instructional Method:
The following instructional strategies will be used to collaboratively and interactively present
course material and engage students in critical thinking and discourse at the graduate level:






Lecture
Discussion
Collaborative Group Work
Test Instrument Analysis
Simulation Activities
Role Play
Methods of Evaluation:
Formal open book examinations
Short Critical Papers
Short applied psychometric exercises
Group presentation describing a longitudinal model of teacher accountability for student
learning.
V.
Resources and Funding Required (New Courses only)
Resource
Amount
Faculty
Other Personnel
Equipment
Supplies
Travel
New Books
New Journals
Other (Specify)
-0- 0-0- 0- 0- 0- 0- 0-
TOTAL
- 0-
Funding Required Beyond
Normal Departmental Growth
- 0-
VI. COURSE MASTER FORM
This form will be completed by the requesting department and will be sent to the Office of the
Registrar once the course has been approved by the Office of the President.
The form is required for all new courses.
DISCIPLINE
COURSE NUMBER
COURSE TITLE FOR LABEL
(Note: Limit 30 spaces)
CLASS-LAB-CREDIT HOURS
Approval, Effective Term
Grades Allowed (Regular or S/U)
If course used to satisfy CPC, what areas?
Learning Support Programs courses which are
required as prerequisites
EDUC
7710
Issues Standardized Testing
3 Credit Hours
Spring, 2010
Regular
N/a
N/a
APPROVED:
________________________________________________
Vice President for Academic Affairs or Designee
VII Attach Syllabus