1. 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

2. 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

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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. Impact of Federal Legislation
Peer reviews
Goals 2000
Voluntary National Test

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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]

12. 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?

13. Questions? Contact John F. Olson
Olson Educational Measurement & Assessment Services
Assessment Solutions Group