Individual paper presentations

For those who are new to the Annual Meeting, the individual paper presentation format is the most common submission format for a researcher or research team seeking to share their work with other NCME members. Proposals should describe a single paper written by one or more authors. The first author should be the primary presenter, although authors may present together. Individual paper presentations at the 2023 Annual Meeting will be in one of four formats:

1. A traditional lecture-style presentation of approximately 12-15 minutes, to be presented in a multiple-paper session with related papers grouped by the Program Committee
2. A Research Blitz session where the authors will have 5 minutes to summarize the critical aspects of their research, and will remain in the session for group discussions with session attendees
3. An individual poster-style presentation using an electronic board (eBoard) in a 60- or 90-minute session
4. A clustered poster-style eBoard presentation in a 60- or 90-minute session where 2-4 papers are grouped together. Authors take turns to present and provide feedback to each other while interacting with the audience.

Authors must indicate their preference for 1, 2, 3, or 4, although the Program Committee may override these preferences to resolve scheduling constraints in the final program. Authors will be notified of presentation format as part of the proposal notification communication.

Specific Guidelines for Individual Paper Presentations

Proposals for individual paper presentations must be prepared for blind review (author names should not be included in the proposal). Proposals must consist of (a) a title of no more than 12 words, (b) an abstract of no more than 50 words (for inclusion in the final program), (c) a summary of research of no more than 800 words, and (d) references, tables, and figures as appropriate. The Program Committee will reject individual paper presentation proposals whose titles, abstracts, or summaries exceed the word limits or are not blind. References, tables, and figures do not count toward the word limits. The summary should include research questions, contribution to the field, methods, and findings. The Program Committee also strongly recommends that authors include the practical implications of their research.

Innovation demonstrations

Initiated by the 2022 Annual Meeting Program Committee, demonstrations are intended for sharing of innovations that do not fit the traditional format of a research paper nor a training session.

The 2023 Annual Meeting continues to welcome proposals to conduct demonstrations of an innovation—something creative, innovative, or novel that you would like to share with our members. It could be a new app or software that participants can use, a novel solution to a commonly faced problem, or a resource that can benefit the measurement community. Proposals that aim to sell commercial products at the conference will be rejected. We will, however, welcome proposals that introduce free innovations that run on commercial software (e.g., SAS macros).

Innovation demonstrations at the 2023 Annual Meeting will be in one of the following formats:

1. A 15-minute demonstration with other related demonstrations grouped by the Program Committee
2. An individual poster-style eBoard demonstration in a 60- or 90-minute session
3. A clustered poster-style eBoard presentation in a 60- or 90-minute session where 2-4 demonstrations are grouped by the Program Committee. Authors take turns to present and provide feedback to each other while interacting with the audience.

Authors must indicate their preference for 1, 2, or 3 although the Program Committee may override these preferences to resolve scheduling constraints in the final program. Authors will be notified of presentation format as part of the proposal notification communication.

Specific Guidelines for Innovation Demonstrations

Proposals for innovation demonstrations must be prepared for blind review (author names should not be included in the proposal). Proposals must consist of (a) a title of no more than 12 words, (b) an abstract of no more than 50 words (for inclusion in the final program), (b) a summary of the demonstration in no more than 500 words, (c) any software packages required (if applicable), and (d) references, tables, and figures as appropriate. Descriptions of software packages, references, tables, and figures do not count toward the word limits. The Program Committee will reject proposals that exceed these word limits. The summary should accomplish the following:

• Introduce the innovation itself. Describe the problem it addresses, the typical users (e.g., classroom teachers, researchers), and, if available, evidence of the innovation being put to use. One way to do this quickly and clearly is through a value proposition statement (“This helps X do Y by doing Z”). Regardless of the structure proposers adopt, the summary should clarify the practical utility and implications of the innovation and should not be written as a business case, a product roadmap, or marketing collateral. Moreover, proposers should not assume that their innovation must rely on or have anything to do with technology. As with any other advances in the science of measurement, the innovation can be something based on creativity, logic, and argumentation without reliance on technology.
• Describe the format of the demonstration (e.g., lecture, brief hands-on training). The Program Committee is interested in novel, interactive presentation formats, but the format should be well-aligned with the innovation itself and feasible given time and technology constraints. For example, it is reasonable to expect that some innovations are best introduced through a lecture and guided tour rather than a hands-on activity requiring nonstandard technology (any technology needs above and beyond the equipment that is standard at conventional paper sessions must be supplied by the presenters).
• Explain what attendees will be able to do after the demonstration that they likely could not have done before it. Attendees should walk away with a concrete new skill, insight, or technological support that they can leverage in their work without much additional research or training.

Coordinated paper sessions

The Program Committee defines a coordinated paper session as a set of papers organized around a central theme or topic. The session will be lecture-style presentation with 3-5 papers and a discussant. The session proposal should meet the following guidelines.

Specific Guidelines for Coordinated Paper Sessions  

Proposals for coordinated paper sessions must identify all contributors—up to ten authors’ and presenters’ names should be included, NOT blinded. Proposals must consist of (a) a title for the session of no more than 12 words, (b) an abstract of no more than 200 words (for inclusion in the final program), (c) a summary of the coordinated paper session (in addition to the abstract) of no more than 1600 words, and (d) references, tables, and figures as appropriate. We will reject proposals whose titles, abstracts, or summaries exceed the word limit (references, tables, and figures do not count toward the word limit). Organizers may use the 1600 words however they wish, for example, a conventional 4-paper coordinated paper session may have a 400-word introduction with four 300-word paper descriptions. Proposals should also identify a discussant/moderator where appropriate.

Organized discussions

The Program Committee defines an organized discussion as a planned conversation among researchers and/or practitioners around a theme or topic. We encourage debates, panel discussions, and other innovative formats, especially those involving interactivity with the audience. Preferences will be given to proposal that are in line with the 2023 Annual Meeting theme and to those that offer potential actionable solutions other than just opinions. The session proposals should clearly describe the format of the proposed session and meet the following guidelines.

Specific Guidelines for Organized Discussions

Proposals for organized discussions must identify all contributors—up to five presenters’ names should be included, NOT blinded. Proposals must consist of (a) a title for the session of no more than 12 words, (b) an abstract of no more than 200 words (for inclusion in the final program), and (c) a summary of the organized session (in addition to the abstract) of no more than 800 words that describes the theme or topic of the discussion, the proposed format for the discussion, the significance or implications of the issues for discussion (including key questions that would be addressed), and the perspective(s) that each presenter would represent. The Program Committee will reject proposals whose titles, abstracts, or summaries exceed the word limits. The proposed format should be clearly motivated and clearly described. Proposals should also identify a discussant/moderator where appropriate.

Training sessions

NCME training sessions are a vital component of the Annual Meeting and should serve the mission goals of promoting best practices in assessment and advancing the science of educational measurement. We invite proposals addressing this year’s theme: Leveraging Measurement for Better Decisions. Presenter(s) must indicate their preference for the session length (half day or full day) and mode (virtual, in-person, or flexible). Virtual sessions will be held prior to the Annual Meeting and in-person sessions will be held along with the Annual Meeting.

Specific Guidelines for Training Sessions

Proposals for training sessions must include the name(s) of the presenter(s) and consist of:

• A session title of no more than 12 words. The title should be as descriptive as possible to give NCME members a clear sense of what will be covered.
• An abstract of no more than 200 words (for inclusion in the final conference program). The abstract should provide an overview of the session content, learning objectives, and the intended audience, and if there are any prerequisites for attending the session. Please indicate if attendees need to bring their own laptops and whether software needs to be installed prior to the session.
• A summary of no more than 500 words. The summary should highlight the relevance and importance of the topic to the measurement field, what attendees will be able to accomplish after completion of the training (what is the value add of the session), and expertise of the presenter(s).
1. If the session has been presented before, please indicate the improvement(s) in the proposed session.
2. If the session is related to software applications, please make sure the emphasis is on how the tool can be applied in practice, not as much on syntax or mathematical formulas.
• A draft schedule of no more than 500 words. The schedule should list activities and topics to be covered during the proposed session timeline. The proposed activities and topics should focus on what presenter(s) and attendees will be doing during the training. The session should be a balanced combination of instruction, activities, and opportunity for Q&A. Presenter(s) are responsible for communicating with attendees prior to the session and preparing all materials (e.g., slide decks, user guides, or special equipment for demonstration) needed for the session or providing attendees with information about how to obtain any suggested texts or required software. Note that the session summary and draft schedule each have a 500-word limit.

Graduate student issues committee research session

All graduate students are invited to submit a proposal for the Graduate Student Research session at the NCME Annual Meeting. All proposals should follow the individual paper presentation guidelines listed in Individual Paper Presentations. All presenters in the 2023 NCME Graduate Student Research session will use the eBoard format. Graduate students submitting their work for consideration in this session may submit either completed research OR research-in-progress.  

Diversity issues in testing

The NCME Committee on Diversity Issues in Testing (CODIT) announces an opportunity for all organizers of and participants in coordinated paper sessions and organized discussions to nominate a session to be the NCME Diversity Issues in Testing Invited Session. We encourage any coordinated paper session or organized discussion that addresses or reflects diversity issues in testing, broadly conceived, to nominate their session by selecting the "I would like this session to be considered for the NCME Diversity Issues in Testing Invited Session" option during the regular submission process. All such proposals will be reviewed and selected under standard procedures regardless of nomination status. However, nominated proposals will also be reviewed by the CODIT for distinction as the NCME Diversity Issues in Testing Invited Session, and, if selected, will be highlighted in the program. The NCME CODIT and the NCME Board hope that this encourages session proposals to incorporate and consider issues of diversity as they develop and present their research topics and findings.