Less Truth than Error? An Independent Study of the Massachusetts Teacher Tests

Creator

Walt Haney
Clarke Fowler
Anne Wheelock
Damian Bebell
Nicole Malec

Files

Publisher

Arizona State University, University of South Florida

Publication Date

February 1999

Abstract

The Massachusetts Teacher Tests (MTT), introduced last year, have never been subject to external review as required by the measurement profession's standards and many legal precedents. Neither the Massachusetts Department of Education (DOE) nor the tests' manufacturer have made public information about the exams' reliability (consistency) or validity (meaningfulness). Using data from state and academic reports from the April and July test dates, an ad hoc committee of nationally-known researchers has now been able to make a preliminary assessment of the exams. The committee focused on the Communications and Literacy exam that was required of all prospective teachers regardless of grade level or subject area. The purpose of the analysis was to determine the accuracy of the tests in assessing the reading and writing skills of the test-takers. ...

Extent

67

Geographic Location

Massachusetts

Volume

7

Issue

4

Language

English

Media Type

Journals (Periodicals)

Format

Digital Only

Identifier

E11-00116

Creative Commons

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.

Recommended Citation

Haney, Walt; Fowler, Clarke; Wheelock, Anne; Bebell, Damian; and Malec, Nicole, "Less Truth than Error? An Independent Study of the Massachusetts Teacher Tests" (1999). Education Policy Analysis Archives (EPAA). 340.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/usf_EPAA/340