In recent decades testing has become a much more visible and high-stakes accountability mechanism that is now seen as a powerful tool that can be used to drive school improvement. The purpose of this book is to identify and analyze the key issues associated with test-based educational accountability and to chart the future of educational accountability research. Chapter contributions are intended to be forward looking rather than a compendium of what has happened in the past. The book provides an accessible discussion of issues such as validity, test equating, growth modeling, fairness for special populations, causal inferences, and misuses of accountability data.

In recent decades testing has become a much more visible and high-stakes accountability mechanism that is now seen as a powerful tool that can be used to drive school improvement. The purpose of this book is to identify and analyze the key issues associated with test-based educational accountability and to chart the future of educational accountability research. Chapter contributions are intended to be forward looking rather than a compendium of what has happened in the past. The book provides an accessible discussion of issues such as validity, test equating, growth modeling, fairness for special populations, causal inferences, and misuses of accountability data.

THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER from the star of Netflix's The Duchess, 8 Out of 10 Cats, Your Face or Mine and host of All That Glitters 'A fearless origin story' Caitlin Moran 'Outrageously brilliant! I'm buying this for all my friends' Laura Whitmore ***** 'I've come to accept that being audacious is a gift I can't escape.' People 'know' my on-stage comedy persona or my scripted ballsy characters and wrongly assume that at home, I must stomp around all day in designer dresses eviscerating those who dare to cross my path and denouncing the existence of men in general. But mostly, I'm just sat eating pickles and being nice to some dogs. Whatever strangers think of me is fine with me. How audacious is that? I can always take a joke, I don't waste time worrying about things I can't control, and I have zero anxiety. I embrace the reality that you just can't please everyone, so you might as well put yourself out there and have a laugh. As my mother always said, 'Katherine, if we all liked the same thing, we'd all be married to your father'. I'm often asked how I developed my lurid level of courage and assurance and for tips on how others can match. The Audacity is my chance to share my blueprint for just that. You will learn: How to Become The Most Popular Girl in School How to Waste All Your Money on Designer Dogs How to Attract Toxic Men... AND Keep Them Interested! And so much more... Plus, secrets! Secrets are my favourite things to be told and I figured I'd better tell a few juicy ones myself. Why not? No matter what I do, there will always be something about me that reads as simply, outrageously audacious. And I wouldn't have it any other way.

THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER from the star of Netflix's The Duchess, 8 Out of 10 Cats, Your Face or Mine and host of All That Glitters 'A fearless origin story' Caitlin Moran 'Brilliant!' Aisling Bea 'Outrageously brilliant! I'm buying this for all my friends' Laura Whitmore 'Witty as hell' Tom Allen Wildly readable... tremendous' The Times ***** Hi, I'm TV's Katherine Ryan. I'm known to live my life embracing the reality that you just can't please everyone, so you might as well put yourself out there and have a laugh. As my mother always said, 'Katherine, if we all liked the same thing, we'd all be married to your father.' Being audacious led me to becoming the calm, contented woman I am today - who doesn't care what strangers think of her and can always take a joke. I'm often asked how I developed my lurid level of courage and assurance and for tips on how others can match. This is my blueprint for just that, a collection of my most relatable advice. How To Attract Toxic Men AND Keep Them Interested! How To Have A Baby How To Impress Famous Celebrities and so much more... No matter what I do, there will always be something about me that reads as simply, outrageously audacious. And I wouldn't have it any other way.

This book documents a major study comparing the Cambridge First Certificate in English (FCE) with the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) to investigate similarities in test content, candidature and use. While both tests were designed to measure many of the same abilities, they represent radically different approaches to language test development, reflecting deeper differences between educational measurement traditions in the US and UK. The thorough investigation of the fundamental characteristics and operational utility of two of the most widely used English tests for foreign students makes this study a valuable contribution to language testing research. As such, it will be of considerable interest to language testing specialists and examination boards, as well as to academic researchers and graduate students in the field of language assessment more generally.