April 2004 Test Redisign Project to be reviewed
by the National Academies
The Board on Testing and Assessment, part of the National Academies,
has
been asked by USCIS to to "establish an independent committee to
provide
guidance on the validity, reliability, and fairness of redesigned
naturalization tests of English and U.S. history and government."
"The committee will review the ongoing design decisions of the
project,
examine pertinent data about the possible options, review technical
issues
regarding test development, and consider the impact of constraints and
trade-offs on the appropriateness of the decisions that affect the
psychometric quality of the resulting tests. The committee's conclusions
and
recommendations will take into account the practical, financial, legal,
and
political constraints that limit both the types of tests that USCIS
can
propose and the length and cost of the process for developing those
tests."
The public is invited to provide comments on the project at any time
over
its duration thorugh a "feedback" feature on the BOTA website,
which also
includes more information on the project scope, background of committee
members, and meeting agendas.
BOTA
Naturalization Test Redesign Project