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Key Concerns about Fairness in Testing: Practical Applications in Achievement Testing

PRESENTATION FROM:

Research Meeting:  Fairness in Educational and Psychological Tests: Issues and Solutions
October 12-13, 2017

Hosted by the Buros Center for Testing with conference grant funding from American Educational Research Association (AERA)
      
LENGTH: 15 minutes

PRESENTER BIOGRAPHY: 

Catherine Welch, Ph.D. is a professor of Educational Measurement and Statistics in the College of Education at the University of Iowa.  She teaches courses in educational measurement and large-scale assessment to MA and PhD candidates.  Areas of research include the design, alignment, and validation of student achievement tests, the evaluation of student growth and readiness, innovative item formats, comparability, and utility of information.  In addition, she has recently coordinated thesis research that has focused on item pool efficiencies, innovative item validation, online testing with young students, fairness with respect to college choice, student growth, and readiness modeling.  As a co-director of Iowa Testing Programs, a testing center in the College of Education, Dr. Welch is responsible for the design, development, and validation of K-12 achievement tests in the content areas of mathematics, English language arts, science, and social studies.  She coordinates both state and national research studies to pilot and field test materials and conducts psychometric and technical analysis to validate both items and test forms.  She is responsible for securing research and development funding to support the center’s agenda.  This funding typically includes awarded contracts, grants and intergovernmental agreements.  Within the state of Iowa, Dr. Welch is the director of the Statewide Testing Programs and coordinates the delivery of the state assessment system to 340 school districts.  She supervises professional staff (psychometricians and content specialists) and graduate students in the delivery of assessment information to Iowa students, schools, policymakers, and the public. Prior to joining the University of Iowa in 2007, Dr. Welch was assistant vice president in test development at ACT.   She assumed responsibility for six areas including K-12 Assessment Programs, Performance Assessment Center, Scoring Center, MCAT, Classroom Connections, and Program Support.  Dr. Welch completed her PhD in Educational Measurement and Statistics from the University of Iowa.
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TITLE: Key Concerns about Fairness in Testing: Practical Applications in Achievement Testing LENGTH: 15 minutes BIO: Catherine Welch, Ph.D. is a professor of Educational Measurement and Statistics in the College of Education at the University of Iowa. She teaches courses in educational measurement and large-scale assessment to MA and PhD candidates. Areas of research include the design, alignment, and validation of student achievement tests, the evaluation of student growth and readiness, innovative item formats, comparability, and utility of information. In addition, she has recently coordinated thesis research that has focused on item pool efficiencies, innovative item validation, online testing with young students, fairness with respect to college choice, student growth, and readiness modeling. As a co-director of Iowa Testing Programs, a testing center in the College of Education, Dr. Welch is responsible for the design, development, and validation of K-12 achievement tests in the content areas of mathematics, English language arts, science, and social studies. She coordinates both state and national research studies to pilot and field test materials and conducts psychometric and technical analysis to validate both items and test forms. She is responsible for securing research and development funding to support the center’s agenda. This funding typically includes awarded contracts, grants and intergovernmental agreements. Within the state of Iowa, Dr. Welch is the director of the Statewide Testing Programs and coordinates the delivery of the state assessment system to 340 school districts. She supervises professional staff (psychometricians and content specialists) and graduate students in the delivery of assessment information to Iowa students, schools, policymakers, and the public. Prior to joining the University of Iowa in 2007, Dr. Welch was assistant vice president in test development at ACT. She assumed responsibility for six areas including K-12 Assessment Programs, Performance Assessment Center, Scoring Center, MCAT, Classroom Connections, and Program Support. Dr. Welch completed her PhD in Educational Measurement and Statistics from the University of Iowa.