Consulting for Test Publishers
Psychometrics
Training and Workshops
Most educators need to work with tests of various sorts, but very few receive sufficient training in assessment as part of their professional education. We can offer training in all aspects of assessment.
Our staff have considerable experience teaching assessment, from the most theoretical level in graduate school to the most practical workshops for test developers and teachers. These range in length from one-hour lectures to multi-day workshops. Our staff are very skilled at targeting the content to the needs and technical expertise of the participants.
Probably at no time in the history of U.S. education has testing taken such a prominent role, and at no time have the testing stakes been as high as they are now for educators. It is crucial that those whose lives are dominated by assessment understand the basics of assessment. Knowledge is power, and educators need to be empowered.
General Assessment
We can customize a training program to meet the needs of your staff, whatever they are. We can provide basic training in testing and test theory; we can cover the basics in reliability and validity in as much (or as little) technical detail as required; we can cover the test development process; we can teach educators how to evaluate tests for both appropriacy and quality; we can teach educators how to interpret test scores (a neglected but important skill) and we can train educators in item development.
Tell us what you need, and we will design a training program that meets your needs.
Teachers and Classroom Tests
Teachers particularly need assessment expertise. Not only is their success evaluated largely through the results of standardized tests, but they often have to develop tests themselves as part of their classroom duties. Teachers are often very busy and creating assessments is time consuming, so it is imperative that this time is not wasted.
Our workshops not only provide training in test development appropriate for the classroom, but we also provide teachers practical strategies for creating good-quality assessments in a time-efficient manner. Based on our workshops, teachers will be able to develop a portfolio of first-class assessments to meet all their classroom needs.