Test Development

All educational assessments that seek to provide accurate information about the test takers’ knowledge, skills and understanding in the domain of interest share a number of common characteristics. These include tasks which elicit responses that contribute to building a sense of the test takers’ capacity in the domain. This also means that the tests draw on knowledge and understanding that are intrinsic to the domain and are not likely to be more or less difficult for any individual or group because of knowledge or skills that are irrelevant to the domain. The tests must be in a format that is suited to the kind of questions being asked, provide coverage of the area of learning that is under investigation and they must be practically manageable. Juliette Mendelovits describes the additional challenges for LSAs to comply with these general ‘best practice’ characteristics as international LSAs start with the development of frameworks that guide the development of tests that are subsequently administered to many thousands of students in diverse countries, cultures and contexts.