NCME Newsletter

As I view the current landscape in educational measurement, I see a great need for NCME to accomplish its service missions of disseminating knowledge about best practices in educational assessment, and informing public policy on how educational assessments can be used to improve education. At the same time, I see educational testing being increasingly criticized. We are at a crossroards where we can either become smaller, more insular, and technocratic; or we can expand our organization by better engaging in the public and political discourse on the role of educational tests in education... Read the full You, Me, and NCME! address here.

From the Editor
Megan Welsh, University of California, Davis

Welcome to the June 2019 issue! In it, we welcome our new president, Steve Sireci, who answers our Spotlight questions via podcast and presents his initiatives and priorities. Several contributors also share information related to Steve’s work. Molly Faulkner Bond wrote a piece on the importance of test validity to all education research, and how validity plays a role in the work Institute of Education Sciences grantees. Darius Taylor addresses the role of test validity and test fairness in social justice. We also hear tips on working with reporters from Catherine Gewertz, get an update on the ITEMS portal from André Rupp, learn about what grad students get out of service from Erin Winters (Steve’s podcast also touches on this) and hear about opting out of district assessments from Legal Corner contributor Michelle Croft.

	Graduate Student Corner: Service as an Opportunity Erin Winters, University of California, Davis
	Erin describes how she has benefited by participating in professional service and shares some ideas about the kinds of opportunities graduate students might explore here.

In this Issue

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Spotlight on the People Who Make Our Organization Great Steve Sireci, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
This issue's spotlight focuses on our president, Steve Sireci. Listen to his podcast interview with former newsletter editor, Heather Buzick of ETS by clicking on the link to the right.

The Importance of Test Validity Two mentees of Dr. Sireci discuss their work on test validity and its centrality to education research.
		Assessment Validity to Support Research Validity Molly Faulkner Bond, WestEd In this article, Dr. Faulkner Bond discusses why test validity is important to research sponsored by the Institute of Education Sciences NCER grant program. Learn more here.

Where my Social Justice Warriors at?
Darius Taylor, WestEd and University of Massachusetts, Amherst

In this piece, Mr. Taylor explores the relationship between consequential validity and test fairness.

Photo Credit: EdWeek	How to Talk about Assessment with 'Those People' (Reporters) Catherine Gewertz, EdWeek
	EdWeek reporter and recipient of the NCME Award for Excellence in Public Communication, Catherine Gewertz, shares her tips for communicating with reporters about measurement issues here.

	Legal Corner: A New Twist on Testing Opt-Outs: A Legal Analysis of the Right to Opt Out of District Tests Michelle Croft, ACT
	A few months ago, I was asked about an interesting twist on the question of opt-outs. Instead of focusing on opting a student out of a state summative assessment, the question was related to the ability of a parent to out their child out of a district assessment. To learn about this issue, click here.

ITEMS Corner: ITEMS Portal Development Update
André A. Rupp, ETS

Our ITEMS Editor, shares updates on the ITEMS portal including news about (1) current modules, (2) curriculum planning, and (3) ongoing volunteer opportunities. Read more here.

In Other News

Updates

Lots has been happening behind the scenes at NCME. Please see the links below for details:

Upcoming Opportunities

We are excited to share news about several conferences, nomination processes for awards and NCME Board Membership, and training opportunities that may be of interest to NCME members. Click on each to learn more:

About the NCME Newsletter

The NCME Newsletter, a quarterly publication, contains announcements and news about current events pertinent to research and practice in educational measurement. The events include those both internal and external to NCME that will interest NCME membership. The Newsletter also provides NCME membership with information about the activities of the NCME Board and NCME committees.

The folders below contain previous NCME Newsletters, dating back to 2003. Click on the year you would like to search, and then click on a PDF to view an archived NCME Newsletter.