ETS and IEA Launch Inaugural Monograph Series

ETS and IEA Launch Inaugural Monograph Series Contact: Tom Ewing +1 (609)-683-2899 mediacontacts@ets.org Princeton, N.J. (October 6, 2008) — Officials of the IEA-ETS Research Institute (IERI) announced the release today of the first in a series of monographs that will address the scientific and methodological issues related to the design and implementation of large-scale group assessments. The series reflects the fact that these assessments, which sometimes are used to gauge an entire country’s progress towards collective educational goals, are playing a growing role in education policy decisions worldwide. The monograph being released today is the first volume in a series entitled Issues and Methodologies in Large-Scale Assessments. The volume marks the first joint publication of the recently-formed institute, which is run jointly by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement and ETS. The monograph series is edited by Matthias von Davier, Principal Research Scientist at ETS and head of the IERI research unit, and Dirk Hastedt, co-Director of the IEA Data Processing and Research Center in Hamburg, Germany. The goal of the series is to contribute to the science of large-scale assessments by providing a dedicated forum through which scientific and methodological issues related to the design and implementation of large-scale assessments can be examined. Current topics and future contributions ETS researchers view the series as a significant step towards consolidating ETS’s presence and contributions to the field, and broadening and continuing ETS’s fulfillment of its mission. They also note that the monograph series will be an invaluable resource in the study and future expansion of the large-scale assessment field. “The increased recognition of the importance of human capital in modern society, and the need to ensure countries have people well prepared to meet the demands and challenges of the workplace and fully participate in society, have given large-scale assessments a prominent place in today’s society,” says ETS Distinguished Presidential Appointee Irwin Kirsch. “This first volume contains six papers submitted by researchers from around the world that we believe will contribute to the improvement of such assessments.” Among the papers in this year’s monograph is an article by von Davier and ETS psychometrician Xueli Xu on the topic of methods for linking consecutive editions of an assessment. Linking helps researchers to make valid and reliable comparisons between scores on different test versions of the same assessment domain. Other papers in the inaugural monograph cover topics including motivation on low-stakes testing; alternate examinations of mathematics achievement using skills diagnosis models; and applications of multivariate item response theory and multilevel models. Each paper in the monograph series receives careful evaluation by the IERI Executive Committee, including a blind peer review by experts from ETS and the IEA as well as by experts from other international organizations. The papers chosen were consistent with the IERI mission and goals. “The papers included in this first monograph are looking at topics such as comparability of assessment instruments across languages. This first monograph provides significant contributions that will inform the implementation of future cycles of international assessments,” says Eugene Gonzalez, of ETS’s Center for Global Assessment and head of the IEA-ETS Research Institute. “The new monograph series represents the collaborative efforts of staff at IEA and ETS, and is intended to provide a dedicated forum for advancing the science of large scale assessment”, says Hans Wagemaker, Executive Director of IEA. This first volume includes some outstanding contributions that we hope will enhance our understanding of large-scale assessment, particularly when it is applied in the complex arena of international comparisons.” Contributions to future monographs in the series are currently being sought from researchers and scholars who share an interest in the advancement and use of large-scale surveys. The monograph is available for download from the IERI’s website at the following URL: http://www.ierinstitute.org/html/dissemination_area.html. About ETS: ETS, a nonprofit organization, celebrates a 60-year history of advancing quality and equity in education by providing fair and valid assessments, research and related services for all people worldwide. In serving individuals, educational institutions and government agencies around the world, ETS customizes solutions to meet the need for teacher professional development products and services, classroom and end-of-course assessments, and research-based teaching and learning tools. ETS today develops, administers and scores more than 50 million assessments in over 180 countries, at more than 9,000 locations worldwide. About the IEA The IEA is an independent, nonprofit, international cooperative of national research institutions and governmental research agencies. Additional information is available at www.iea.nl.