Department News
NOVEMBER 9TH 2019:Validating Assessment Uses and Informing Policy: Reflections from a Statistician
November 05, 2018
Justine Radunzel, Ph.D., Validity and Efficacy Research at ACT, Inc.
Abstract:Assessments are commonly used in education for a variety of purposes that includes measuring academic achievement, identifying skills gaps, and informing high-stakes decisions. Come, hear, and learn about the applied work of a statistician at ACT, Inc., a Learning, Measurement, and Navigation organization. Guided by the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing, the various steps and techniques to be considered for accumulating evidence to validate the proposed interpretations and uses of a large-scale assessment, as well as to inform policy recommendations will be discussed. These topics will be illustrated using actual validity arguments and evidence that support the ACT, a standardized achievement test taken by millions of high school students each year.
Brief Biography:Justine Radunzel is a Principal Research Scientist in the Validity and Efficacy Department at ACT, Inc. She earned her doctoral degree in Applied Mathematics with a Statistics Emphasis from the University of Arizona. At ACT, she specializes in the validity and fairness of assessment scores as well as postsecondary outcomes research. She has authored several articles on educational research and presented at national conferences sponsored by the Consortium for Student Retention and the Associations for Institutional Researchers and College Admissions Counselors. Over the years, she has participated in various student success research initiatives and partnerships. She is a member of the American Statistical Association, the American Education Research Association, and the National Council of Measurement in Education.
Where: On the downtown Grand Rapids campus of Grand Valley State University, DEV 201 D
When: 5:00 p.m. Friday November 9, 2018