As states develop new testing and accountability systems under the Every Student Succeeds Act, a report by the think tank National Education Policy Center offers guidance to prevent misuse of tests.
Before adopting a new test, the report recommends that policymakers lay out all the ways they intend to use the test data, and set up safeguards to avoid “multipurposing a test in ways that exceed a test’s declared purposes or reported evidence.”
It also calls for policymakers to seek and provide expert reviews of the validity and reliability of both standard academic tests and non-academic measures before incorporating either assessment for accountability systems.
