Editorial

This final issue of 2006 addresses the theme Towarda Psychology of Large-Scale Educational Achievement

Testing. I invited four papers to address considerations forsuch a psychology: (a) scientifically principled approaches toassessment design and development, by Robert Mislevy andGeneva Haertel; (b) scientifically principled, empirical ap-proaches to assessment item development, by Joanna Gorin;(c) special considerations for assessing academic achieve-ment of English language learners, by Jamal Abedi and Pa-tricia Gandara; and (d) special considerations for assessingacademic achievement of students with significant cognitivedisabilities, by Scott Marion and James Pellegrino. I alsoinvited two commentaries on the papers. David F. Lohmanand Paul Nichols comment from the point of view of progresssince the publication of Knowing What Students Know: TheScience and Design of Educational Assessment (or KWSK;National Research Council, 2001). Paul LaMarca frames hiscomments using No Child Left Behind testing and account-ability requirements and the eyes of a social psychologist andstate assessment director.

Whether you prefer more formal constructions like “sci-entifically principled assessment design” or more informalusage like “a psychology of educational achievement test-ing,” these phrases suggest to me that we are poised at thebeginning of a new era in educational achievement testing. Itry to make that case in my introduction to this special issue.The authors of the papers and commentaries illustrate thecase quite persuasively.

Cover VisualRobert Mislevy, Geneva Haertel, and their colleagues in thePrincipled Assessment Design for Inquiry (PADI) in scienceproject provided the visual on this issue’s cover. I appreciateits visual impact, which is enhanced when you can see it inits muted, pastel colors, and the theme that it communicatesimplicitly and explicitly. I particularly like the photographiccrispness and the composition of the objects, which directsyour eye to the diagram at the center. The visual is directlyrelated to the first article in this special issue of EMIP andits overall theme.

Here is what Mislevy says about the photograph: Thisgraphic serves as the cover illustration for the technicalreport series of the PADI project. The drafting theme evokesthe structured approach of evidence-centered assessmentdesign, and the computer-aided design tools emphasize howtechnology can help designers apply their creative arts moreefficiently. The photograph was taken by Lynn Peck Theis.The graphic in the center is Michelle Riconscente’s repre-sentation of the objects in a PADI task template.

A Message from Daniel Eignor, NCME PresidentBecause of scheduling issues, the information about the up-coming NCME meeting to be held in April 2007 in Chicagocannot be made available in this issue of EMIP. A brochurecontaining this information will be mailed to NCME mem-

bers in December. The information will also be posted onthe NCME website at that time. We are hopeful that this willnot greatly inconvenience any NCME members. We expectto have to do this in future years, so you should not expect tosee this information in EMIP in late 2007.

In ClosingThis is the final issue in my 3-year tenure as editor of EMIP. AsI have been telling colleagues and friends, I have thoroughlyenjoyed being editor—and I am glad to be moving on toother responsibilities. It has been a pleasure to work withthe many researcher-authors who have submitted papers,guest editors, outside reviewers, and the superb EditorialAdvisory Board. They taught me a lot about good research,good writing, and good problem solving. In fact, it has beenan honor to work with such dedicated, smart, insightful, andreliable people who give their time freely to support EMIP.Several NCME members heeded my calls to submit visualdisplays for 12 EMIP covers—my thanks to them for makingthe effort and for providing interest and insight to eachissue.

I also want to thank the staff of Blackwell Publishing, whofor the last 2 years have published EMIP for NCME. Theyhave been patient and professional with me as I stretcheddeadlines. Their work is excellent. (And thanks one moretime to the AERA staff who published the 2003 volume.)Also, I want to acknowledge Doug Becker of ACT and TerryAckerman of the University of North Carolina Greensboro,who chaired the Publications Committee for the NCME Boardof Directors, and Suzanne Lane, Dave Frisbie, Jim Impara,and Dan Eignor, who served as NCME presidents during mytenure. The NCME leadership has provided excellent sup-port, guidance, and encouragement that any journal editorwould appreciate. Finally, I want to express my gratitude tomy organization, the American Institutes for Research, forsupporting me as I borrowed time from many business daysto complete journal work, and to four colleagues at AIR whohave served in various capacities on the journal: Holly Baker,Mathina Calliope, Rachel Freed, and Kelly Westphalen.

I wish the very best to Susan Brookhart, EMIP Editor for2007–2009, and her Associate Editors, Launcelot I. Brownand Gibbs Y. Kanyongo. EMIP is in excellent hands.

Finally, my thanks to you, my colleagues in NCME, forallowing me the privilege to serve as editor of EMIP.

Steve FerraraEditor

Reference

National Research Council (2001). Committee on the Foundations ofAssessment. In J. Pellegrino, N. Chudowsky, & R. Glaser (Eds.),Knowing what students know: The science and design of educa-tional assessment. Board on Testing and Assessment, Center forEducation, Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Educa-tion. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.

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