To be effective, this module should do the following:

1. Consider the background knowledge of the intended learners and their current working environments.

2. Grasp the educator’s attention right away, using examples that highlight the potential for extreme negative consequences resulting from using inappropriate activities.

3. Use a tone that is friendly, yet not condescending.

4. Use easily understood terms and vocabulary.

5. Incorporate the guidance provided by Iowa Testing Programs so as to promote a recognizably consistent message.

6. Incorporate time for interaction and the exchange of ideas and perceptions.

7. Help educators identify not only what is wrong with a particular activity, but also how the activity could be modified to make it more appropriate.

Premises regarding the intended audience for this module:

Background

• Pre-service teacher education programs and graduate programs in educational administration provide very little guidance on sound measurement/testing practices.

• Nearly all actions taken by educators are based on “good intentions.”

Educators as evaluators of student achievement

• Some educators believe that serving as an evaluator is in conflict with their mission of improving student learning.

• Some educators have negative perceptions regarding the ITBS/ITED; these perceptions are often based on personal experiences or on misinformation regarding the tests.

• Some educators believe that the manner in which a student is assessed should match completely with what the student has encountered as part of everyday instruction.

• Some educators are not familiar with critical features of the ITBS/ITED and/or with the purposes for which the ITBS/ITED is administered and how the scores can be used to inform instruction.

Testing for accountability

• Use of the ITBS/ITED in Iowa has historically been for low-stakes purposes, thus many educators have not previously been exposed to the pressures associated with this context.

• Some educators are inclined to respond to external pressure to increase student scores.

• Some educators do not recognize that some activities that might be appropriate for helping students to prepare for an assessment in one context (i.e., classroom test) might not be appropriate in other types of testing situations.

• Some educators have not had the opportunity to think critically about the link between increased test scores and increased student learning.