Praxis Assessment Overview

Educational Testing Service

Kentucky Education Professional Standards Board

Frankfort, KentuckyJanuary 21, 2007

Copyright 2004 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved.

Teacher Licensure in EducationTeacher Licensure in Education

• Licensure – a state responsibility and necessary protection

• ETS is highly experienced and capable in the area of licensure assessment

• Praxis – used in 38 states, D.C., Dept. of Defense, 3 territories, and major agencies

Overview of Praxis Test Development Process

Standards of Professional Organizations

State Standards

State Licensing Requirements

Literature in the Domain

Sample Curricula

1. Primary Documents Review1. Primary Documents Review

Confirmation Survey of Domain Analysis

2. Test Development Committee2. Test Development Committee

Analyze Standards

Analyze Domain

Define Subset of Domain

Draft Test Specifications

Recommend Test Design

Overview of Praxis Test Development Process

3. National Advisory Committee3. National Advisory Committee

Confirm Subset of Domain to Be Tested

Review, Revise, Approve Test Specifications

Confirm Test Design

Overview of Praxis Test Development Process

4. Local Development Committee4. Local Development Committee

Test Questions

Develop Pools of Test Questions

Test Question Review

Overview of Praxis Test Development Process

5. ETS Test Development5. ETS Test Development

Construct Test Forms

Conduct Fairness Reviews of Questions and Test Forms

Review Test Forms

Overview of Praxis Test Development Process

6. National Advisory Committee6. National Advisory Committee

Review and Approve First Test Form

Overview of Praxis Test Development Process

7. States7. States

Select Test Titles for Review

Conduct Validation & Standard Setting Studies

Adopt Test

Overview of Praxis Test Selection Process

Overview of Praxis Standard Setting Study Process

The Standard Setting StudyThe Standard Setting Study

• Two Fundamental Outcomes

– Confirm the appropriateness of the content of the test

– Establish a recommended passing score

Overview of Praxis Standard Setting Study Process

The Standard Setting StudyThe Standard Setting Study

• Appropriateness of Content

– A test is only “valid” for a job if it measures what people must know and be able to do on that job

– Panels of Kentucky educators validated the content and rigor of the tests

Overview of Praxis Standard Setting Study Process

The Standard Setting StudyThe Standard Setting Study

• The recommended passing score

– From this study emerged a recommended passing score through professional judgments

– How many questions would a beginning teacher be able to answer correctly

Overview of Praxis Standard Setting Study Process

The Recommended Passing ScoreThe Recommended Passing Score

• Generated by Kentucky educators

• Reviewed and approved by the Kentucky Teacher Standards Board

Licensure Testing and Legal DefensibilityLicensure Testing and Legal Defensibility

• The nature of a licensure test – assesses core content knowledge across the full domain

• Licensure tests should be appropriately used

• Reliable, valid, and legally defensible

• ETS is committed to the successful implementation of licensure testing in Kentucky