Forty Years of Assessment Issues: Looking Back at the Nineteen 90’s John F. Olson, Ph.D. Olson Educational Measurement & Assessment Services Assessment Solutions Group CCSSO National Conference on Student Assessment June 20, 2010

Overview The 1990s – A Time for Change Changes in Large-Scale Assessments Impact of Federal Legislation Changing Focus in State Assessments Changes in the CCSSO Large Scale Assessment Conference

The 1990s – A Time for Change Bush  Clinton No more USSR  End of Cold War The Gulf War NAFTA The Internet, Netscape Navigator Email and AOL (“You’ve got mail”) CD burners and DVDs

The 1990s – A Time for Change Dolly the sheep – 1st cloned animal Hubble Space Telescope launched Titanic, Forrest Gump, Pulp Fiction… The Simpsons, Seinfeld, Friends… Grunge music End of the 2nd Millennium  Y2K

Changes in Large-Scale Assessments in the 90’s Growth of NAEP Advent of the Trial State Assessment Increased state assessments over the years at grades 4 and 8 NAGB and NAEP achievement levels More constructed response and performance items, hands on science tasks, arts assessment with performances

Impact of Federal Legislation 1994 ESEA “Improving America's Schools Act” Challenging academic content standards in Reading, Math, and Science Assessments aligned to standards Achievement/performance standards Accountability systems Assess all students

Impact of Federal Legislation Peer reviews Goals 2000 Voluntary National Test

Changing Focus in State Assessments Authentic assessments Performance assessments Inclusion of SWD and LEP students and use of test accommodations State collaborations and creation of the SCASS projects Early stages of CBT, CAT and use of other technologies for testing

Changes in the CCSSO Large Scale Assessment Conference Big growth in the CCSSO LSAC  moving out of Boulder Other sites tried out (Breckenridge, Albuquerque, Phoenix, Colorado Springs, Snowbird) but not always for the better Changes in large-scale assessment  reflected in the conference program

Changes in the LSAC Program Examples of Topics in 1995 Program: Portfolio assessment Performance-based assessment Assessing LEP students Including SWDs in state and national assessments Assessment accommodations; legal perspectives and policy implications

More Changes in the LSAC Program More Examples of Topics in 1995: Collaborative development of assessments (SCASS) Validating NAEP achievement levels Evidence of alignment Establishing performance standards Strategies for promoting Goals 2000 [40 sessions in 1990  80+ in 1999]

By the End of 1999 – Some Trends Foretelling the 21st Century More and more testing being added to state programs All really means all Increased accountability TX assessment program (a model?) Better and better technology The next generation of measurement experts and psychometricians – where?

Questions? Contact John F. Olson Olson Educational Measurement & Assessment Services jmclkolson@yahoo.com Assessment Solutions Group jolson@assessmentgroup.org