EVALUATING THE TECHNICAL QUALITY OF PROPOSED NATIONAL EXAMINATION SYSTEMS

Proposals for a national examination system raise a number of technica l quality issues. The most fundamental of these issues is validity, wh ich is broadly defined as the adequacy and appropriateness of uses and interpretations of results. Several types of evidence that are needed to reach an overall judgment regarding the validity of the use and th e interpretation of results of a national examination system are discu ssed. The evaluation of examination content, fairness, impact, general izability, and comparability is considered. In each of these areas, th e stringency of the evaluation depends on the stakes that are associat ed with the examination.