Theory-based metrological traceability in education: A reading measurement network

Abstract

Huge resources are invested in metrology and standards in the natural sciences, engineering, and across a wide range of commercial technologies. Significant positive returns of human, social, environmental, and economic value on these investments have been sustained for decades. Proven methods for calibrating test and survey instruments in linear units are readily available, as are data- and theory-based methods for equating those instruments to a shared unit. Using these methods, metrological traceability is obtained in a variety of commercially available elementary and secondary English and Spanish language reading education programs in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Australia. Given established historical patterns, widespread routine reproduction of predicted text-based and instructional effects expressed in a common language and shared frame of reference may lead to significant developments in theory and practice. Opportunities for systematic implementations of teacher-driven lean thinking and continuous quality improvement methods may be of particular interest and value.

Keywords: Commercial applications; Education; Predictive theory; Psychometrics; Reading ability; Social studies of science; Test equating; Traceability; Unit standards.

Fig. 1

Map of U.S. states employing a common unit of reading measurement (two tones indicate common units in use for both reading and mathematics).

Fig. 2

Individual student online reading measurement tracking system report, text domains from left to right are: High School (11–12), SAT I ACT AP, Military, Citizenship, Workplace, Community College, University, Graduate Record Exam.

Fig. 3

Empirical vs. theoretical Lexile text complexity estimates.