Conversations on Validity 2012

AERI's inaugural conference was held from March 28-29, 2012 at the Cowin Center at Teachers College, Columbia University. Sessions 1-3 were co-sponsored by Educational Testing Service (ETS) and Teachers College. Session 4 was sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and Teachers College. The conference was co-organized by Madhabi Chatterji (TC), Eugene Gonzalez (ETS), and Alina von Davier (ETS).

The inaugural conference was designed to discuss issues related to valid and meaningful use of educational assessment information around the world. It sought to promote conversations on validity among technical and non-technical audiences who have a stake in the appropriate use of educational assessments in applied educational settings.

Conference presentations addressed educational assessment systems designed to measure student achievement and the evaluation of teachers, schools and institutions. Leading scholars examined where and how validity breaks down and provided recommendations for improvements in practice and policy contexts. Participants included educators, funders, policymakers, managers and technical staff of assessment programs, and users of assessment information.

The conference was followed immediately by a two-day AERI Institute which offered a sampler of short courses on 7 course topics.