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Pearson Responds To Research By UT Austin Professor Walter Stroup That Suggests Flaw In Texas Standardized Tests.
Analyses conducted by Stroup and two other UT Austin researchers call into question Pearson’s application of “item response theory,” a popular method among test publishers for devising standardized exams. Using I.R.T., test developers select questions based on a model that correlates students’ ability with the probability that they will answer a question correctly.
According to Stroup’s research, this method — when applied to the creation of large-scale standardized exams — results in a test that is more sensitive to how it ranks students, versus gauging what they have learned from year to year.
Howard Everson, former vice president for research at the College Board, told the Texas Tribune because statewide accountability exams are developed to compare school districts, they are not a good indicator of how well classroom instructional practices are working within a district. Thus, he said, these tests do not represent the best measures for evaluating the quality of educational programs.
Stroup has said that if his research is correct, and the tests do not sufficiently measure the quality of instruction, Pearson should justify their use in the state’s accountability system — and in a public hearing, not behind the TEA’s closed doors.