Test Development Participation Opportunities
The ¶«¾©ÈÈ (NYSED) asks all educators who wish to participate in test development activities to complete our online application located at .
The Department offers many opportunities for New York State (NYS) certified teachers and administrators and other qualified professionals (including Higher ¶«¾©ÈÈ faculty and administration) to contribute to the creation and review of state assessments including:
- Item Writing/Development
- ¶«¾©ÈÈal Passage Review
- Test Form Construction
- Item Review
- Final Eyes Review
- Bias Review
- Rangefinding/Marker Response
- Standard Setting and Verification
- Performance Level Description Development
- Scoring Material Development
These activities, and others that arise on an ad-hoc basis, are key steps in the NYSED Test Development Process. NYSED relies on expert guidance from hundreds of educators every year to successfully develop assessments for NYS students. The teachers’ and administrators’ expertise in their subject areas, and their knowledge of their students’ needs and proficiencies, make it possible for the Department to achieve the critical goal of developing fair, reliable and valid tests.
Participation in each of these activities provides an excellent opportunity for professional development as educators learn more about New York State Testing Program (NYSTP) assessments and the test development process, collaborate with colleagues from around the state, and share their knowledge as content experts.
All NYSTP exams are developed in accordance with national industry and professional standards for educational testing. State assessments are used to measure examinees’ knowledge and skills and to determine whether schools, districts, and the State meet the required progress targets specified in the NYS accountability system and in the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015.
Educators are asked to consider participating in test development activities for one or more of the following assessment programs:
- Grades 3-8 English Language Arts and Mathematics Tests
- Grades 5 and 8 Science (Elementary- and Intermediate-level) Science Tests
- High School Regents Examinations
- New York State English as a Second Language Achievement Test (NYSESLAT) and New York State Identification Test for English Language Learners (NYSITELL)
- New York State Alternate Assessment (NYSAA)
NYSED will directly contact educators via email or phone when there is an opportunity for participation. These communications will be made as far in advance of any opportunity as possible in order to allow for educators to make necessary arrangements.
We ask all educators who are interested in contributing to this process to complete an online application at .