Commissioned Paper

(2016)

Three pressing design issues in international large-scale assessments, such as Progress in International Reading Literacy, Programme for International Student Assessment, and Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study, are outlined. In all three cases, the importance of the matter at hand and proposed solutions are set against the backdrop of educational policy. The first matter regards issues around cultural comparability of the test and context questionnaires. Cultural modifications to current studies are recommended. The second topic takes up the presence and problem of measurement error, particularly in context questionnaires, and the way that less error-prone measures might be collected in the case of key reporting variables. The final topic deals with the desire to draw causal inferences from international assessment data and the challenges therein under current designs. Two proposals are offered for strengthening the foundation upon which select causal effects might be estimated. Although none of the proposed solutions are trivial, each one offers the possibility of better meeting the demands placed on international assessments in a modern, globalized, and highly heterogeneous world.

Rutkowski, L. (2016). A Look at the Most Pressing Design Issues in International Large-Scale Assessments. National Academy of Education Committee on Methods and Policy Uses of International Large-Scale Assessment. National Academy of Education.