TOEFL iBT Test Framework and Test Development TOEFL iBT KSA ECD
- Author(s):
- Educational Testing Service; Norris, John M.
- Publication Year:
- 2020
- Source:
- TOEFL Research Insight Series, v1 n1, 3rd edition, 2020
- Document Type:
- Periodical
- Page Count:
- 11
- Subject/Key Words:
- TOEFL iBT, Knowledge Skills and Abilities (KSA), Evidence-Centered Design (ECD), Test Development, Test Fairness, Test Scoring, Item Analysis
Abstract
The TOEFL iBT test design is the result of years of research—both investigation of the language-related knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) that English language learners need to succeed in academic environments where English is the medium of instruction and research to identify the most effective methods of assessing these KSAs (described in Chapelle, Enright, & Jamieson, 2008). Leading experts from both inside and outside ETS in the fields of educational measurement, language testing, and language teaching contributed to the design of the TOEFL iBT test using an assessment design methodology known as evidence-centered design (ECD), originally developed at ETS by Mislevy, Steinberg, and Almond (2003) and now applied in a wide range of testing contexts across the globe. ECD is a process that requires explicit definitions of measurement claims and close examination and questioning of the strength of the evidence that supports them. As part of the ECD process, a team of ETS assessment specialists and statisticians reviewed a series of working papers defining the language use domains of the TOEFL iBT test along with evidence gathered through developmental research, resulting in the TOEFL iBT test framework (Pearlman, 2008). This framework established the test’s format, structure, and content.