Developing New Tests

Given the substantial cost of poor decisions, we believe it is prudent to use assessment professionals to develop your tests. We will work with your content experts to produce tests that will do what you want, and we will also provide evidence that the tests are doing that.

We can produce high quality tests that are convenient to administer and a cost-effective use of time and resources. Specifically, for a high-stakes test we employ the following development stages:

1. Carry out any necessary job analysis
2. Design the test, working with client content experts.
3. Write the specifications and design documents.
4. Develop the items, working with content experts.
5. Pilot the items and analyze the results statistically.
6. Evaluate all items and reject or revise poor ones.
7. Create final versions of the test.
8. Create a meaningful score reporting scale.
9. Equate all the versions of the test onto that scale.
10. Set performance standards for pass and fail decisions.
11. Write user guidelines.

Each of these steps is necessary for any test. However, the scope of work will vary depending on the stakes and the resources available.

• Reduce English-Language Business Costs
• Evaluating Your Current Tests