President – Carole Perlman
President’s Message
Dear NATD Members:
During the past year NATD has become increasingly well-represented in national groups that deal with issues that profoundly affect us. NATD has joined such groups as the American Psychological Association (APA) and the National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME) as part of the Joint Committee on Testing Practices (JCTP), which developed the Code of Fair Testing Practices in Education, provides a means by which professional organizations and test publishers can work together to improve the use of tests in assessment and appraisal. The National Assessment Governing Board and the Council of chief State School Officers have named NATD members to various advisory panels pertaining to the content, scaling, and use of Education Progress (NAEP). I an also hopeful that a formal relationship between NATD and the Educational Information Advisory Council Assessment Task Force will soon be established. That would guarantee us input on matters relating to any national assessment (NAEP) or to therwise that may be developed. We have also solidified our already good relationship with NCME. NATD members are serving on NCME committees, (including the newly formed task force on restoring credibility to school achievement testing programs) and NCME members voted to change their by-laws to give non-university people increased presentation on the NCME board.
This year, NCME is sponsoring a number of training sessions that might be of interest to you. Some of the topics include: computerized adaptive testing, methods of setting standards, use of the Mantel Haenszel statistic, introduction to the design and development of performance assessments, the evaluation of legal defensibility of high-stakes tests, and issues in large scale assessment (the last two sessions are being co-sponsored by AERA). These training sessions will be conducted at the annual meeting in Chicago this April and the presenters are excellent. Watch your AERA and NCME annual meeting registration materials for details or phone me at (312) 535-4000 for more information.
On many occasions I’ve called fellow NATD members for advice and help.
In fact, one of the best things about NATD is that it provides us with
a means to get in touch with colleagues who have successfully faced the
same problems that we are confronted with. To help make contact easier,
we are expanding our membership directly to include information on members’
areas of interest and expertise. But, we need your help before the
new, improved membership directly can become a reality. Please take
a few minutes to fill out and return the enclosed NATD Directory Information
Survey by February 1.
Notes from the Program Chair
I hope that you will be able to attend both of the NATD/NCME symposia that are planned for our annual conference April 3-7 in Chicago. Joe Hanson, Colorado Springs Public Schools, has organized one called, “Toward More Authentic Assessment: A State of the Art Snapshot.” Participants will include Walt Hathaway, Portland Public Schools; Allan Olson, Northwest Evaluation Association; Frank Horvath, Alberta Department of Education; and Lew Pike, Falls Church, Virgina. Barbara Presseissen, Research for Better Schools will be the discussant.
The second, which I organized, is titled “Local State, National and International Indicator systems” Will we know where we are if we get there?” Paul LeMahieu, will act as moderator. Participants will include Sharon Johnson-Lewis, Moore & Associates; Edward Roeber, Michigan Department of Education; John Ralph, National Center for Educational Statistics; Gary Phillips, National Center for Educational Services; and Kevin Matter, Cherry Creek (CO) Public Schools. Leigh Burstein, UCLA will be the discussant.
Joe and I were both very pleased with the way people responded to our requests that they work hard for NATD and NCME. Thanks to all concerned.
May your chi-squares be significant and your four-way interactions insignificant!
Ernie Bauer, Vice President, NATD
When you can measure what you are speaking about and express it in numbers, then you know something about it; but when you cannot measure it, when you cannot express it in numbers, your knowledge is of a meager and unsatisfactory kind. (Lord Kelvin)
While you and I have lips and voices which
are kissing and to sing with
who cares if some one-eyed son-of-bitch
invents an instrument to measure spring with (e.e Cummings)
BREAKFAST/BUSINESS MEETING
APRIL 4-MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
National Computer Systems has agreed to sponsor our breakfast/business meeting again this year. As in the past, it will be the first morning, April 4. The location has not been determined. The February newsletter will contain details.
NATD OFFICERS, 1990-91
President, Carole Perlman, Chicago, IL
Vice President, Ernest Bauer, Oakland, MI
Secretary, Lynn Winters, Palos Verdes, CA
Treasurer, Kevin Matter, Cherry Creek, CO
Immediate Past President, Bob Ziomek, Cedar Rapids, IA
BOARD MEMBERS
’91 Sharon Johnson-Lewis, Detroit, MI
’92 Peter Wolmut, Portland, OR
’93 Glynn Ligon, Austin, TX
’94 Cordelia Alexander, Dallas TX
Editors Note: The next issue will be distributed in February 1991. Please send information regarding what you have done professionally, honors you have won, publications you would like to share, or requests for information you’d like form other NATD members. Please send your information to:
Linda L. Elman
Planning, Research and Evaluation
Tacoma Public Schools
P.O. Box 1357
Taocoma, WA 98401-1357
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