How valid are international assessments? Are test questions that are appropriate for students in one country necessarily appropriate for students in another country?
Test questions for each assessment are developed in a collaborative, international process. For each study, an international subject area expert group is convened by the organization conducting the assessment. This expert group drafts an initial framework, which reflects a multinational consensus on the assessment of a subject area. Based on the framework, the national representatives from each country review every test item to be included in the assessment. While not every item may be equally familiar to all students, if any questions are considered inappropriate or offensive for a participating country or an identified subgroup within a country, that item is eliminated. Test items are field-tested prior to administration. Before the administration of the assessment, a field test is conducted in the participating countries. An expert panel convenes after the field test to review the results and look at the items to see if any were biased due to national, social or cultural differences
Related Questions
- How valid are international assessments? Are test questions that are appropriate for students in one country necessarily appropriate for students in another country?
- Do international students need to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or other English language proficiency exam?
- CAN THE TEST OF ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE (TOEFL) BE WAIVED FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS?
