Scaling Approaches for Education Assessments

Colin Watson focused his presentation on avenues to link national assessments to global standards, introducing the Assessment for Minimum Proficiency Level (AMPL). AMPLs are robust tools to measure the attainment of a single proficiency level (a or b) for reading and mathematics at a given level of the education cycle, identifying those achieving minimum proficiency levels. The AMPL utilizes a learning progression scale with MPL benchmarks at various proficiency levels aligned to key schooling levels, using a pairwise comparison method. ACER conducted studies to determine the efficacy of the approach. The benefits are that it is cheaper and faster than other statistical linking methods; panellist training is simple and does not require extensive preparation; and it can be implemented consistently using an online application.