Fairness Issues and Test-based Educational Accountability Katherine Ryan and Bill Trent University of Illinois at Urbana

Fairness and Bob Linn Influential technical contributions Commitment and expertise involving assessment and accountability fairness A leader and champion

Our paper Brief history of assessment fairness Assessment fairness and test-based accountability Assessment fairness Models Consequences Information about resources, instructional practices, and organizational characteristics

Assessment Fairness and Educational Accountability Educational accountability and inequities Changes in educational testing context Implications for educational measurement practice

Educational Accountability NCLB goals are noteworthy Fundamental right Educational accountability meanings Identify inequities

High Stakes and Assessment Shift from description and placement to accountability Bias Four distinct perspectives on fairness Defining assessment fairness (Willingham and Cole)

Implications for Measurement Practice Context Item and test characteristics Student responses Population Moderation of group differences

More Implications Multiple Measures Definitions Assessment information Non-cognitive measures Obstacles Costs Traditional validity notions

OTL and Test-based Accountability NCLB highlights differences in learning by subgroup Fairness and OTL knowledge and skills OTL and resources

Educational resources Quality of education Quality of educators School finances

Fairness Issues and Test- based Accountability Models Tests and measures are foundation Accountability Models Assessment fairness issues Fairness issues related to rules Bob Linn’s work revealed critical fairness concerns with models (e.g., high poverty schools with large minority populations)