The development process may include the following activities:
Test frameworks—sets
of objectives that define the
content of each test—are
prepared for fields under development.
The objectives are broad statements
of knowledge and skills that are
important for performing the job
of an educator in Illinois public
schools. The draft frameworks
are based on sources including
Illinois and national standards
for each field. The draft frameworks
are reviewed and approved by committees
of Illinois public school educators
and educator preparation faculty.
The Framework Review Conference
is typically a one-day meeting.
The purpose of the content validation survey is to ensure that the objectives identified for each field represent important aspects of the field and are consistent with the practice of Illinois public school educators. Public school educators throughout Illinois and faculty in educator preparation programs are asked to participate in the survey.
Test questions are prepared based on the validated frameworks and other relevant materials obtained from Illinois educators. Draft test questions are reviewed and approved by the committees of Illinois public school educators and educator preparation faculty. The Item Review Conference is a one- to- two-day meeting.
Test questions are field tested to gather information about their quality and technical characteristics. The field test provides teacher candidates and other individuals at Illinois institutions the opportunity to prepare for future tests.
Content Advisory Committee members convene to review and approve exemplary responses to constructed-response assignments. These responses will serve as "score-point markers" for training scorers to accurately score test takers' responses. The Marker Response Selection Meeting is typically a one-day meeting.
The schedule and other information for ILTS test administrations
can be found on the ILTS Web site
at www.il.nesinc.com
.
A passing score review meeting typically occurs shortly after the first administration of the test. At this meeting, educators participate in a process of making judgments and recommendations regarding a passing score for the test to Illinois State Board of Education. The Passing Score Review meeting is typically a one-day meeting.
Educators convene to review draft test materials, including test objectives and test items, for bias prevention and the inclusion of diversity in test materials. These are typically one- or two-day meetings held just before the content review meetings.
Top of Page