Iowa End-of-Course Assessments  

• Program Structure
• Administration

Development

Key to the success of the IEOC program is the quality of the items that constitute the assessments and the measurement expertise brought to bear on the project. 

The development process employed by Iowa Testing Programs produces high-quality test items and valid and reliable test forms.  For the IEOC program, the item development process utilizes the expertise and experience of content specialists and high school educators to produce assessments that are defensible and that reliably measure the end-of-course standards. 

The highlights of this development process include:

• All items are written by highly qualified personnel with content expertise and experience in teaching students at the high school level. Iowa Testing Programs staff review and edit all items to assure conformity with professional assessment guidelines.
• Meticulous training materials and programs help practicing teachers produce items that are technically sound.
• Intensive reviews help ensure that the items developed by the teachers are aligned with end-of-course content and process standards as well as the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing.
• All items are subjected to a multistage, multipurpose review for editorial, content, and fairness concerns in preparation for submitting them to field testing.
• All items are field tested with students completing the appropriate coursework.  Approximately 250 students respond to each item.
• Item statistics are reviewed and items matching the content and technical specifications of the test are selected for inclusion on an operational form.
• The operational forms are reviewed for content accuracy and fairness by a panel of experts.