Most Recent Lecture
William H. Angoff,
1919–1993
The 16th William H. Angoff Memorial Lecture, "Do Educational Assessments Yield Achievement Measurements?" was delivered in March 2017 by Mark Reckase, University Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Measurement and Quantitative Methods at Michigan State University. The lecture contrasted two different theoretical underpinnings for the interpretation of educational assessment results as measurements.
Download a paper based on the lecture (PDF)
View the full-length video (1 hr., 28 min., 35 sec.) of the lecture.
View the accessible transcript.
View a short video interview (9 min., 12 sec.) in which Professor Reckase discusses two basic types of tests, the continuum model (i.e., measuring height and weight) and the domain model (i.e., how much of a curriculum a student has learned). Professor Reckase discusses the advantages of both test types. He also explains why policymakers sometimes place unrealistic demands on test designers, and the compromises that may be necessary to resolve conflicting demands on achievement tests. In addition, Professor Reckase discusses the difficulty of delivering subscores while at the same time keeping the tests short. View the accessible transcript.
About the Lecture Series
The Angoff Lecture Series was established in 1994 to honor the life and work of William H. Angoff, an ETS research scientist who distinguished himself as a prominent contributor in the field of educational measurement in more than 40 years at ETS. During that time, Angoff authored some of the classic publications on psychometrics, including the definitive text "Scales, Norms, and Equivalent Scores," which appeared in Robert L. Thorndike's Educational Measurement (2nd edition).
The lecture series honors Angoff's legacy by encouraging and supporting the relatively nontechnical discussion of public interest issues related to educational measurement.
Past Lectures
- Evaluating the Quality of Accountability Systems: Beyond Reliability and Validity
By Dr. Brian Gong (April 2015)
Angoff Lecture No. 15 - Reliability And Validity Of Inferences About Teachers Based On Student Test Scores
By Edward H. Haertel (March 2013)
Angoff Lecture No. 14 - No Country Left Behind: Rhetoric and Reality of International Large-Scale Assessment
By Michael J. Feuer (August 2012)
Angoff Lecture No. 13 - Errors of Measurement, Theory, and Public Policy
By Michael T. Kane (January 2010)
Angoff Lecture No. 12 - Schooling, Statistics, and Poverty: Can We Measure School Improvement?
By Stephen W. Raudenbush (November 2004)
Angoff Lecture No. 9 - Standards, Assessments, and Educational Policy: In Pursuit of Genuine Accountability
By Linda Darling-Hammond (January 2006)
Angoff Lecture No. 8 - The Second Century of Ability Testing: Some Predictions and Speculations
By Susan Embretson (February 2003)
Angoff Lecture No. 7 - The Evolution of Educational Assessment: Considering the Past and Imagining the Future
By James W. Pellegrino (July 2004)
Angoff Lecture No. 6 - Understanding Educational Quality: Where Validity Meets Technology
By Eva L. Baker (November 2000)
Angoff Lecture No. 5 - National Tests and Education Reform: Are They Compatible?
By Lyle V. Jones (November 1997)
Angoff Lecture No. 4 - Measuring Achievement: What Does It Mean to Test for Robust Understanding?
By Lorrie A. Shepard (October 1997)
Angoff Lecture No. 3 - Setting Performance Standards: Content, Goals, and Individual Differences
By Bert F. Green (November 1995)
Angoff Lecture No. 2 - Assessment-Based Reform: Challenges to Educational Measurement
By Robert L. Linn (August 1995)
Angoff Lecture No. 1