In his focus article "How Is Testing Supposed to Improve Schooling?" Ed Haertel distinguishes between seven uses of educational tests as a function of the intended action and what or who will be influenced by the intended action. He then applies Mike Kane's interpretive argument approach (Kane, 2006) as a basis for speculating about the validity…

Many schools and educators prefer to use state tests. However, teachers can benefit a lot from the tests and quizzes they give in their classes over the course of a term or year. The minimum such tests can do is to afford information that teachers can use to assess how their class is learning and which changes in instruction need to be made to…

The author and other teaching faculty take pride in their ability to write creative and challenging examination questions. Their self-assessment is based on experience and their knowledge of their subject and discipline. Although their judgment may be correct, it is done usually in the absence of deep knowledge of what is known about the…