Development and validation of an instrument to measure mathematics teacher's assessment literacy (ELIAS)

For years, teachers have regularly conducted standardized tests to obtain diagnostic information about students' competencies. The results of these tests are processed by quality agencies, ministries and universities, and are reported to the participating teachers, in order to provide them with information that can be used to evaluate and develop their own teaching. In order for this to be successful, teachers need to know how to interpret statistic information and which conclusions they can draw from it for their teaching practice. This competence is known as Assessment Literacy.

The project ELIAS aims at developing an instrument for testing the Assessment Literacy of mathematics teachers that distinguishes among three different levels: 1) identifying data, 2) understanding the data's significance/importance, and 3) deducing consequences for teaching practices. These levels are to be operationalized and tested on the basis of different tasks. Following test development, the instrument is validated using a sample group of mathematics teachers in Brandenburg and Berlin. This study tests whether the instrument is substantially valid, which internal structure it features, and how it is related to external criteria. The results of the project add to the theoretical and empirical foundation of teacher's Assessment Literacy. The final product can be applied to diagnose and develop professional competencies, e.g. in intervention studies.