 college of education | fall 2002 | Back to Contents | Program Focus | |
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Measurement and Quantitative Methods a Focal Point Amid Movement for Greater Educational Accountability, College’s Program in Measurement and Quantitative Methods a Focal Point for Understanding Testing and Assessment. Educational measurement
and accountability have emerged in the age of reform as central issues in
public schooling. About half the states now make graduation, for example,
contingent on passing what is referred to the research literature as a
high-stakes test. Estimates are that testing in American schools account
for more than $700 million in direct and indirect expenditures annually. But how reliable are
these tests? What does the data that these tests yield tells us about
teaching practices and student learning? How can statistical methods and
analysis help improve the nation’s schools? These are important questions and some of the issues that
drive researchers in the college’s doctoral program in Measurement and
Quantitative Methods (MQM). Essentially, the
program houses the college’s expertise in matters related to
mathematical and statistical concepts in education. The focus is on
developing and analyzing tests and other measurement tools, statistical
analysis of educational data, and the evaluation of educational programs. The program has long
been among the nation’s best, attracting leading researchers and top
graduate students from throughout the world. In fact, courses in
educational measurement and quantitative methods predate the College of
Education, which was established in 1952. Some of the earliest courses in
testing and measurements at MSU date to the 1920s when what became the
College of Education was known as the Department of Agricultural
Education. Over the decades, the program has been home to some of the leading figures in the world of educational measurement. The late Robert Ebel, who was on the faculty from 1963 to 1981, was a major presence in program and co-authored Essentials of Educational Measurement, a key textbook in the field. Emeriti faculty members include Herbert Rudman, who played an important role in the development of the SAT, and William Mehrens and Irvin Lehmann, who authored the influential book, Using Standardized Tests in Education. Today, the program’s faculty members are some of the college’s most outstanding and accomplished (see list). |
One
of the college’s two university distinguished professors, William
Schmidt, is a faculty member in the program. As director of the national
research center for the Third International Mathematics and Science Study
(TIMSS), Schmidt is one of the leading advocates for reform of the way
math and science is taught in the U.S. TIMSS was a 10-year survey of
mathematics and science achievement and involved more than 50 countries. The
program faculty also included Mark Reckase, who joined the faculty in 1998
after serving in a senior position at American College Testing (ACT). His
work on the development of educational tests and policy-related issues has
been widely published. For
doctoral students, the program offers two specialization options. Students
can emphasize educational measurement, psychometric theory, and program
evaluation, or educational statistics, and research design and
application. The strong faculty and national reputation draws graduate
students from throughout the country and internationally. If you would like to
know more about the program, log onto the college’s Web site at http://ed-web3.educ.msu.edu/cepse/mqm
. If you want to know more about the College of Education and all of its
programs, you can do so at www.educ.msu.edu
. MQM Faculty Betsy Jane Becker Robert E. Floden Kenneth A. Frank Kim Maier Mark Reckase William H. Schmidt Edward Wolfe
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