NCME Newsletter

Fall is here now, a fall that will be unique in so many ways. I hope you all are staying healthy and that if you have school-age children like me, the kids are staying productive and adapting to school's new normal.

NCME 2020 Virtual Conference
NCME held our historic virtual conference from June through September. I hope all members were able to dial in to some sessions, to learn, to connect, and to celebrate our members' accomplishments in the past year. Altogether, NCME offered 42 virtual sessions, with the median attendance at around 90 per session. Almost all sessions were recorded and can be accessed at the NCME YouTube channel.

Learn more about Dr. Tong's updates on the 2020 conference, 2021 conference, the FACT repository, and other updates here.

From the Editor
Megan Welsh, University of California, Davis

Welcome to the Fall 2020 issue. In it, we hear from our Spotlight member Leanne Ketterlin Geller; our grad student contributor, Valeria Zunino, about taking advantage of all the opportunities graduate students have available to them; the State and Local Assessment SIGIMIE and the Scaling, Linking and Equating SIGIMIE; introduce newsletter sensitivity reviews thanks to Sandra Sweeney; and also include a variety of articles on the particular challenges facing assessment in these unprecedented times.

The articles address a wide array of topics including how pandemic-related testing changes are affecting the way we conceptualize fairness in college admissions, findings on students' ability to access an online assessment (Curriculum Associates i-Ready Assessment), and learn about the effect of the pandemic on state accountability assessments from two perspectives - Vince Verge of the Florida Department of Education addresses attempts to maintain the validity of scores and Michelle Croft of Iowa City Schools shares information on US Department of Education testing policy.

Finally, don't miss updates on the new Formative Assessment for Classroom Teaching website, updates on JEM, the NCME website, and from multiple NCME committees, conference opportunities, and much more in the updates and opportunities section.


	Graduate Student Corner: Opportunities Beyond Classwork Valeria Zunino, University of California, Davis
	I am a Ph.D. student at UC Davis, and probably you have felt the same way I have: there is never enough time. We can’t seem to read all the papers we would like nor attend all the exciting events offered by the University. Our ability to get things done just can’t keep up with our ever-growing curiosity! We must constantly prioritize the multiple demands and opportunities that arise and apply our criteria of how to prioritize our workloads. In my experience, I think we naturally tend to make these decisions based on short-term goals, losing sight of important experiences that will further our long-term professional development. Read more here.

In this Issue

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Spotlight on the People Who Make Our Organization Great
LeAnne Ketterlin Geller, Southern Methodist University

This issue's spotlight focuses on LeAnne Ketterlin Geller, Professor and Texas Instruments Endowed Chair in Education at Southern Methodist University shares how her experiences as a teacher, graduate student, and academic have shaped her career. She also shares her thoughts on innovations in measurement, including the argument-based approach to validity, and shares a bit about the people who have most influenced her.

SIGIMIE Section

We have added a new section of the newsletter to introduce the membership to the work of different SIGIMIES. In this issue, the State and Local Assessment Leaders and Contemporary Issues in Scaling,
Linking and Equating SIGIMIES share their work.

An Update from the State and Local Assessment Leaders SIGIMIE
Andrew Middlestead, Michigan Department of Education

Our SIGMIE has been able to have several meetings virtually in 2020. While we were saddened to not be able to follow through with our plans to meet together at an in-person conference last April we have appreciated “seeing” each other a couple times over the summer. With the beginning of another (different) school year we are eager to set up some more virtual collaboration. An area we hope to focus on is supporting each other through an unknown period of accountability-based summative assessments states are (so far at least) still required to administer this coming spring.

An Update from the Contemporary Issues in Scaling, Linking and Equating SIGIMIE
Jaimie Malatesta, University of Iowa, and Stella Kim, UNC Charlotte

The SLE SIGIMIE focuses on evolving measurement issues related scaling, linking and equating. We encourage scholarly development by connecting professionals from diverse backgrounds to discuss and take action on measurement issues associated with scaling, linking, and equating.

This past August, the SLE SIGIMIE hosted their first official event with a webinar featuring Dr. Michael Kolen’s talk on the history of test equating methods and practices through 1985. This was the first of several planned online webinars to be hosted by the SLE SIGIMIE. Also underway are the following initiatives, which you can read about here.

Articles

Challenges in College Admissions and Beyond
Maria Elena Oliveri and Cathy Wendler, Independent Consultants

As long as a top priority for many countries is to retain a well-educated population, ensuring fairness in higher education admissions and beyond will remain important. The current pandemic is calling into question the practices and criteria used to make admissions decisions and the role of higher education itself. Students may be unable to take the tests required for admissions or to secure faculty recommendations in a virtual setting. Institutions are finding that online learning is not always viable, with many of the students they serve having limited access to the internet. Many low-income or unemployed students and their families can no longer pay tuition or fees. Along with continuing historical factors, COVID-19 is emphasizing the need for new frameworks that conceptualize the role of fairness in higher education and, in particular, the process used to determine who has access to college. Read more about fairness in higher education admissions here.

Back to School 2020: An Unprecedented Time for Assessment
Laurie Laughlin Davis & Stephanie Lawkins, Curriculum Associates

Curriculum Associates serves approximately 30% of US students in grades K-8 with reading and math curriculum and assessments designed to inform instruction. Data collected so far this school year offer insights about how students are doing in light of changes to schooling since the pandemic began – and raise questions about at-home testing. The i-Ready Diagnostic is an online, criterion-referenced computer adaptive assessment that is administered three times a year, beginning in the Fall, to inform instructional decisions and instructional pathways. Read more here about efforts to use i-Ready data to help inform the broader field of assessment and measurement about COVID learning loss and at-home testing.

The Certainty of Standards in Uncertain Times
Vince Verges, Florida Department of Education

In the current state of affairs that we find ourselves in with respect to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, I am once again re-visiting the importance of grounding my work to the greatest extent possible in the stability offered by standardized guidance and procedures. Our field is faced with numerous threats to the validity and reliability of test results that we’ll be collecting and analyzing in the coming years. What we’ve studied and been trained to do in the field of educational measurement are critical foundations to successfully navigating the challenges we’ve already seen and will continue to face. Read more here about how the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing can be applied to ensure appropriate test use in the current context.

Legal Corner: USED Unwavering on Assessment Waivers
Michelle Croft, Iowa City Schools

Spring 2020 was the first time in nearly twenty years that states did not administer assessments to students in grades 3–8 and high school. The spring newsletter previously articulated some of the technical issues facing states missing one year’s worth of assessment data. Since that newsletter, a half dozen states have announced plans to seek assessment and accountability waivers for spring 2021. In this article, Michelle Croft shares information on the US Department of Education's position with respect to the 2021 administration of state high stakes assessments.

Newsletter Sensitivity Reviews
Sandra Sweeney, University of Massachusetts

I am happy to announce that the newsletter is piloting a process for conducting sensitivity reviews to ensure that newsletter content is respectful of the full membership. The goal of the reviews is to improve communication by avoiding language that could cause unintentional harm to underrepresented groups, such as racial minorities, members of the LGBTQ community, members with disabilities, immigrants, and women. Read more about the sensitivity reviews here.

In Other News
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Updates

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

Journal of Educational Measurement Update

Formative Assessment for Classroom Teachers

Kadriye Ercikan Named Book Series Editor

NCME Fitness Walkrun Corner Update

Upcoming Opportunities

We are excited to share news about the upcoming conference, SIGIMIES you can become involved with, the NCME Board of Directors Election, the EM:IP Data Visualization Competition, the Scaling Linking and Equating SIGIMIE Research Symposium, and NCME Awards nominations Click on the links below to learn more:

Board of Directors Election Vote by January 11

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.

Video Interviews

Jamal Abedi Spotlight Interview

Patricia Crespo: How to talk to educators

Patti Herrera: How to talk to policymakers

Jade Caines Lee Spotlight Interview

Andy Middlestead Spotlight Interview

André Rupp Spotlight Interview Tell me about your hobbies

Where do you work? What are your research interests?

Tell me about your teaching experience How did you get involved in ITEMS?

What career advice do you have? What would you do if you weren't in measurement?

Steve Sireci Spotlight Interview

In This Issue:

Library

Folders

NCME Newsletters

2019

2018

2020

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

2011

2010

2009

2008

2007

2006

2005

2004

2003

Spotlight Interviews and Other Media