ETS Assessment Ethics 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A school district uses a single standardized test score to determine whether a student is placed in a special education program. This practice violates which ethical guideline?
- The principle of multiple measures in high-stakes decisions (Correct answer)
- The requirement for annual testing
- The rule against norm-referenced assessment
- The prohibition on criterion-referenced tests
Correct answer: The principle of multiple measures in high-stakes decisions
Ethical standards and IDEA require that high-stakes special education placement decisions be based on multiple sources of evidence, not a single test score.
Question 2: A researcher wants to use archived student test data for a study on achievement gaps. Under typical IRB guidelines, this research most likely requires:
- Full informed consent from each student whose data is used
- A waiver of consent if the data is de-identified and the study poses minimal risk (Correct answer)
- Approval from the local school board only, not an IRB
- No oversight because the data is already collected
Correct answer: A waiver of consent if the data is de-identified and the study poses minimal risk
IRBs can grant waivers of informed consent for minimal-risk research using de-identified existing data, as specified in the Common Rule.
Question 3: Which of the following best illustrates the concept of 'informed consent' in an assessment context?
- Telling students the time limit after they have started the test
- Providing examinees with information about test purpose, use, and their rights before they agree to participate (Correct answer)
- Requiring students to sign a non-disclosure agreement after testing
- Informing teachers of cut scores after the exam is graded
Correct answer: Providing examinees with information about test purpose, use, and their rights before they agree to participate
Informed consent requires that participants receive complete, understandable information about the assessment and agree to participate before testing begins.
Question 4: An ETS item review panel includes members from diverse demographic groups primarily to:
- Speed up the item writing process
- Identify items that may be biased or offensive to specific groups (Correct answer)
- Ensure all items are at the same difficulty level
- Reduce the cost of item development
Correct answer: Identify items that may be biased or offensive to specific groups
Diverse review panels are assembled specifically to detect items that may contain cultural bias, stereotyping, or content that disadvantages particular groups.
Question 5: A test publisher markets an unvalidated personality test as a predictor of job performance. This practice is most directly an ethical violation related to:
- Score reliability
- Appropriate score interpretation and use claims (Correct answer)
- Standardization of administration procedures
- Test security protocols
Correct answer: Appropriate score interpretation and use claims
Claiming predictive validity without supporting evidence misrepresents the test's capabilities and leads to inappropriate use, violating ethical standards for test use.
Question 6: Which scenario best represents 'stereotype threat' and its relevance to assessment ethics?
- A student cheats because they fear failing
- A student underperforms due to awareness of a negative stereotype about their group (Correct answer)
- A teacher refuses to administer a biased test
- A publisher removes items that disadvantage minority students
Correct answer: A student underperforms due to awareness of a negative stereotype about their group
Stereotype threat occurs when individuals underperform because they are aware of a negative stereotype about their group, which can compromise the validity of test scores.
Question 7: When reporting test results to parents, which ethical obligation must educators prioritize?
- Using technical jargon to ensure precision
- Presenting results in a way that is accurate, understandable, and contextualized (Correct answer)
- Withholding negative results to protect the child's self-esteem
- Comparing the child's score to individual classmates
Correct answer: Presenting results in a way that is accurate, understandable, and contextualized
Ethical reporting requires that results be communicated accurately and in language that parents can understand, including appropriate context for interpreting scores.
ETS Assessment Ethics 3
A school district uses a single standardized test score to determine whether a student is placed in a special education program.
This practice violates which ethical guideline?