The Politics of Testing When Measures “Go Public”

Abstract

Background/Context

Validity issues are often discussed in technical terms, but the context changes when measures enter broad public debate, and a wider range of interests come into play.

Purpose

This article, part of a special section of TCR, considers the political dimensions of validity questions as raised by a keynote address and panel discussion originally held at Teachers College in March 2012.

Research Design

This is an analytical and reflective piece, based on the author's participation in the panel and drawing on his experience and writing on the broad issue of politics and research.

Conclusions

Technical expertise in the construction and interpretation of measurements is important in the new world of high-stakes and “evidence-based” education policy, but the political realities, when measures go public, make the exclusive reliance on such expertise problematic.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Baker

E. L.

(2013). The chimera of validity. Teachers College Record, 115(9), 1–26.

Briggs

D. C.

, & Dominique

(2011). Due diligence and the evaluation of teachers: A review of the value-added analysis underlying the effectiveness rankings of Los Angeles Unified School District Teachers by the Los Angeles Times. Boulder, CO: National Education Policy Center.

Chatterji

(2013). Bad tests or bad test use? Why we need stakeholder conversations on validity. Teachers College Record, (115)9, 1–10.

Cramer

(2012, March 2). Following Bloomberg, Walcott shifts on teacher ratings release. Gotham Schools. Retrieved from http://gothamschools.org/2012/03/02/following-bloomberg-walcott-shifts-on-teacher-ratings-release/

Durso

C. S.

(2012). An analysis of the use and validity of test-based teacher evaluations. Reported by the Los Angeles Times, 2011. Boulder, CO: National Education Policy Center.

Easton

(1953). The political system, an inquiry into the state of political science. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf.

Hawkins

(2012, June 15). Student-testing pioneer Angermeyr is skeptical about high-stakes trends. MINNPOST. Retrieved from http://www.minnpost.com/learning-curve/2012/06/student-testing-pioneer-angermeyr-skeptical-about-high-stakes-trends

Henig

J. R.

(2008). Spin cycle: How research is used in policy debates: The case of charter schools. New York, NY: Russell Sage Foundation/Century Foundation.

Henig

J. R.

(2012). The politics of data use. Teachers College Record, 114(11), 1–32.

10.

Koretz

(2008). Measuring up: What educational testing really tells us. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

11.

McDonnell

L. M.

(2004). Politics, persuasion, and educational testing. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

12.

Messick

(1989). Validity. In Linn

R. L.

(Ed.), Educational measurement. New York, NY: American Council on Education.

13.

Rampell

(2012, May 19). The beginning of the end of the census? New York Times, Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/20/sunday-review/the-debate-over-the-american-community-survey.html

14.

Rein

(1976). Social science & public policy. New York, NY: Penguin Books.

15.

Weiss

C. H.

, & Bucuvalas

M. J.

(1980). Social science research and decision making. New York, NY: Columbia University Press.