Ethical Issues in Testing:

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Ethical Issues in Testing

• Following the Rules -
• The Basics and Beyond

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Department of EducationOffice of Educational
Assessment Accountability

• Marilyn Roberts, Director, OEAA
• Michael Radke Ph.D. Supervisor, MEAP

• Jim Griffiths Manager, MEAP Test
  Administration
• Kim Young, State Coordinator, NAEP

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Objectives By the end of this session you should
be able to -

• Identify testing ethics issues, guidelines and
  processes
• Define administrative, ethical, student and other
  testing issues

• Propose preventative and corrective solutions
• Recognize prohibited testing practices and
  initiate resolution

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The Purpose of the Michigan Educational
Assessment Program

• To assess what students know and can do in
  relation to the state curriculum/benchmarks
• To provide valid and reliable results for parents
  and students, teachers and school administrators
• To assist in providing quality teaching and
  learning
• To provide information for AYP, and Education
  YES! and MERIT Awards

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Curriculum Alignment

• The state establishes curricula, related
  benchmarks and content standards
• Districts and schools define their own curricula
  and align them with the state content standards
• MEAP tests student performance in relation to the
  state content standards

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What makes a practice ethical?

• Any action that provides a fair and equal
  opportunity for a student to get a valid score
• Problematic practices are those that give a
  student an unfair advantage or disadvantage and
  an invalid score

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MEAP Testing Practices Ethics Policies

• Prohibited practices before testing
• Use of unreleased test questions
• Teach SOLELY to skills, strategies, and concepts
  measured by MEAP test Questions
• Drill on test questions/require students to
  memorize answers
• Exclude students from testing
• Administer tests to ineligible 10th graders
• Other practices that compromise validity

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Prohibited Practices During Testing

• Actions that may guide a student response
• Alter a response (darkening, erasing, editing,
  etc.)
• Read, define, explain, or interpret except when
  expressly directed by instructions
• Allow collaboration or communication among
  students

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Prohibited Practices During Testing

• Schedule a break during a part of a test
• Post answers or any other material specifically
  related to tests
• Prompt students to reconsider, review, or
  reevaluate responses
• Allow a student to complete, revise, delete,
  correct or alter responses on another test part
• Other practices that compromise validity

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Prohibited Practices After Testing

• Failure to return or destroy testing materials as
  required
• Copy testing materials except as allowed
• Alter responses
• Allow students to retrieve answer folders or
  alter responses
• Participate inor fail to report prohibited
  actions
• Other practices that compromise validity

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Prohibited Student PracticesBefore During or
After Testing

• Communicate or collaborate with someone
• Copy anothers answers, request/accept help
• Use materials not expressly permitted
• Answer or provide assistance for another student
• Other practices that compromise validity

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How are issues reported?

• Student Issues Bubble Unethical Practice
• Other issues Contact MEAP 517-373-8393
• Self report
• Third party report
• Scoring alert

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Scoring Alerts

• Readers are trained to look for potential issues
• 4 types of alerts
• Individual Student Issues
• Teacher/School Interference
• At-Risk
• Erasure analysis (MCs)

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How are issues addressed?

• Schools report immediately upon becoming aware of
  possible issue
• Conduct internal school investigation accurate
  description of what occurred
• Investigation in cooperation with MEAP
• Resolution and follow up (test reports, public
  relations, consequences)
• Retesting when required and possible

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What types of issues arise?

• Administrative errors An error made that may
  affect the validity of the test with no intention
  of improving scores
• Ethical issues Practice occurred to improve
  scores that may affect validity
• Student Issues Student practice affecting
  validity
• Non-issues After investigation is completed,
  prohibited practice did not occur and is
  determined not to affect validity

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Prevention is the best solution MEAP Coordinators

• Schedule testing sessions
• Plan student preparation activities
• Train staff for administration
• Clarify test security guidelines
• Define requirements for material receipt return
  
• Communicate with administrators and teachers
• Use the manuals effectively and consistently
• Contact MEAP with questions !

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Prevention is the best solutionTeachers and
Proctors

• Read and follow the manual consistently
• Prepare the room for testing
• Administer tests in a single session
• Read students the testing directions as written
• Monitor during testing
• Follow test security and return materials
  promptly
• Contact your MEAP coordinator with questions

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Keys to resolution What is in the students best
interest?

• Early reporting
• Complete disclosure
• Cooperation between MEAP and the school
• Thorough investigation
• Retesting where appropriate

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Sample Issues Solutions

• Part 2 (Reading) of the ELA was given before Part
  1(Writing)
• Is this an inappropriate practice (administrative
  error, or unethical)?
• Should it be reported?
• How could this have been prevented?
• Solution?

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Sample Issue 2

• Student writes a math constructed response in the
  wrong place on the answer folder.
• Is this an inappropriate practice (administrative
  error, unethical, or student)?
• Should it be reported?
• How could this have been prevented?
• Solution?

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Sample Issue 3

• You just transferred to the high performing
  building in your district. The principal
  distributes a binder of MEAP questions that are
  not among the released items on the website - for
  use during the building MEAP prep classes.
• Is this an inappropriate practice (administrative
  error, or unethical)?
• Should it be reported?
• How could this have been prevented?
• Solution?

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Sample Issue 4

• Students were allowed to use inappropriate
  supplementary materials or not given access to
  supplementary materials where allowed
• Is this an inappropriate practice (administrative
  error, or unethical)?
• Should it be reported?
• How could this have been prevented?
• Solution?

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Sample issue 5

• During MEAP testing, a classroom is found to have
  posters on the wall that list, describe and give
  examples of the Core Democratic Values
• Is this an inappropriate practice (administrative
  error, or unethical)?
• Should it be reported?
• How could this have been prevented?
• Solution?

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Sample Issue 6

• A student bubbles in answers for the test to
  create a design/pattern on the answer folder
• Is this an inappropriate practice (administrative
  error, unethical, or student)?
• Should it be reported?
• How could this have been prevented?
• Solution?

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Sample Issue 7

• Principal passes out the current year test
  booklets at a staff meeting for review prior to
  testing. Staff is told not to discuss the
  contents with students prior to the assessment.
• Is this an inappropriate practice (administrative
  error, or unethical)?
• Should it be reported?
• How could this have been prevented?
• Solution?

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Sample Issue 8

• A colleague tells you that they allowed some
  students to complete their ELA test the next
  morning (or after a break).
• Is this an inappropriate practice (administrative
  error, or unethical)?
• Should it be reported?
• How could this have been prevented?
• Solution?

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Sample Issue 9

• Two of your best students run out of space to
  answer to a constructed response mathematics
  question. You tell them to complete it on a
  separate piece of paper?
• Is this an inappropriate practice (administrative
  error, or unethical)?
• Should it be reported?
• How could this have been prevented?
• Solution?

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Sample Issue 10

• Your best friend says he will lose his job if the
  MEAP scores dont go up this year. After MEAP
  testing is done for the day, you observe a staff
  member erasing and writing something on MEAP
  answer folders. You also see a list of numbers
  with As, Bs, Cs, and Ds on it.
• Is this an inappropriate practice (administrative
  error, or unethical)?
• Should it be reported? What other follow up is
  needed?
• How could this have been prevented?
• Solution?

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What suggestions do you have for revising the
current MEAP Testing Practices policy

• Email us with suggestions at
• YoungK1_at_michigan.gov
• GriffithsJ_at_michigan.gov
• RadkeM_at_michigan.gov
• RobertsM_at_michigan.gov\