Dr. Lorin Anderson presents:
How Well Do Standardized Achievement Tests Measure What They Are Intended to Measure?
Standardized tests are commonplace in PK-12 education, yet mystery and uncertainty often surround their creation, use, and interpretation. What content and cognitive processes do they intend to measure? Are the content and cognitive processes used by students in responding to the tests consistent with these intentions? Learn about research that examined students’ understanding of test items and how these perceptions shape student responses, which influence the usefulness of the tests in decision making.
Lorin Anderson spent his entire academic career at the University of South Carolina, arriving in August, 1973, and retiring in August, 2006. During his career at the University he taught graduate courses in research design, curriculum development, assessment, and evaluation. Since his retirement, he has spent his time consulting with educators and policy makers on the revised Bloom’s Taxonomy, curriculum development, and effective teaching strategies for children of poverty in the United States, Eastern Europe, and South America. His primary research interests are the nurturing of young educational researchers, the allocation and productive use of school time, and improving the quality of education for economically-disadvantaged children and youth. In 2003, he co-founded the Center of Excellence to Prepare Teachers of Children of Poverty, which is located at Francis Marion University. He has established an endowed fund at the University of South Carolina to support first-generation college students who aspire to become educators.
