Chapter 4: The Technical Realities of Measuring History

Although a range of assessments is utilized in educational settings (e.g., classroom tests, diagnostic measures, formative exams), this chapter focuses on large-scale standardized exams. Use of such mandated testing to evaluate programs (e.g., Title 1) and to hold students accountable has been part of the public educational landscape in the United States for more than 30 years (Haney, Madaus, & Lyons, 1993; Heubert & Hauser, 1999), and almost exclusively, such judgments have been made on the basis of reading and math scores.

Because history exams traditionally have not been considered among the tests necessary for graduation, promotion, or school- or district-evaluation (D’Agostino, 2000; Farrar, 1972; Pipho, 1978), there has been relatively less public attention paid to the technical underpinnings of their construction, administration, and validation. However, the complexities of creating a large-scale standardized exam that captures student knowledge of a historical genre are worthy of examination.