Defending a state graduation test: GI Forum v. Texas Education Agency. Measurement perspectives from an external evaluator

In this article, I present the perspectives of an independent measurement e xpert regarding the Texas state graduation test, the Texas Assessment of Ac ademic Skills (TAAS). I conclude, among other things, that (a) the TAAS was constructed according to acceptable professional standards; Co) it tests c urricular material that Texas Board of Education views important for gradua tes to have mastered; (c) students have had ample opportunity to learn the material tested on the TAAS; (d) providing instruction on the domain the te st samples seems commendable; (e) the TAAS requirement should increase effo rts to educate all students in Texas; (f) the TAAS is sufficiently reliable and valid; (g) conjunctive decision making is an appropriate decision maki ng model; and (h) the standard setting was done in a manner that met profes sional standards.