About Us

The Center for Educational Testing and Evaluation (CETE) was authorized by the Kansas Board of Regents in 1983 to function as a research and evaluation unit under the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, Graduate Studies, and Public Service at the University of Kansas. CETE staff includes five Ph.D.'s. who work in the areas of assessment and psychometrics, program evaluation, and statistical analysis, an office manager, a highly skilled Master's level computer programmer, six graduate research assistants, postdoctoral appointees and clerical support staff. Additional professional staff for specific projects are obtained as needed through close, cooperative working arrangements with other units at the University as well as specialists at other institutions. In particular, faculty from the Department of Curriculum and Instruction and the Department of Educational Psychology and Research are involved continuously in Center projects.

Center support is derived from the University and from external grant and contract funds. Current annual levels of support have ranged from $1.2 to $1.9 million annually. The mainstay of CETE support is its contract as the sole source vendor to provide services for the Kansas' mandated testing programs in mathematics, science, social studies and communication (reading, and writing separately) skills. Relying on performance and objective forms of testing, these new generation examinations are designed to contribute to student portfolios, encourage and support diverse instructional/ assessment activities as cooperative learning, and to link directly and cooperatively instruction and performance assessment. Approximately 40,000 students are tested at each grade annually. The item development and selection process cycles through several phases, each requiring coordination and then working with review panels of content and curriculum personnel from (exclusively) Kansas K-12 and higher education and psychometric experts, in addition to panels of impacted groups for evaluation of test bias, sensitivity and offensiveness. Instruments are developed to be constructed to reflect the school reform curricular standards (e.g., NCTM, NSF, etc.). CETE is the first university based organization in the nation to have implemented statewide assessment under the emerging national testing mandates (Goals 2000, IDEA, and Title I expectations) for accountability that are expected to included authentic assessment, process-based scoring rubrics and constructed response evaluation for all students.

Along with the test development activities, annually the State commissions CETE to plan and conduct both basic and applied research and evaluation investigations into a variety of assessment issues as consequential and impact validation, test bias, identifying performance standards and associated cutscores, equating, evaluation of trends, and the impact of testing on schooling, public perception, teaching practices, instructional design and learning outcomes. In addition, the Kansas assessment's bridge learned skills with non-cognitive indicators to support school-based evaluation of student performance. In these initiatives, CETE is in the forefront on testing, assessment and psychometric applications to create assessment systems that support the teaching and learning process while being responsive to the needs for school accountability. CETE characteristically relies on several resource units at the University, e.g., Printing Services, Academic Computing Services, Student Services, Graphic Design, etc. Cooperation and collaboration among campus units and personnel has been at an exceptionally high level to meet the requirements of Center projects.

In addition to on-going involvement with the State of Kansas' testing program, the Center has completed or is currently engaged in several other large-scale research, assessment and program evaluation efforts in education. These include the following:

1. A series of comprehensive validation studies and the setting of passing scores for the National Teacher Examinations for the State Board of Education, and similar validation and standards work for admission to teacher education programs on behalf of the Kansas Board of Regents working with the PPST and PRAXIS I: Computer Based Test. Involved as part of these projects has been the responsibility for recommending performance standards. Extensive use of review panels and State committees were major components of these projects including those for bias review.
2. The development and evaluation of a teacher internship assistance/assessment protocol. This project was a three-year effort jointly sponsored by the U.S. Office of Educational Research and Evaluation and the Kansas State Department of Education. CETE was responsible for the implementation studies for the assistance/assessment instrument. Project staff was responsible for training groups of trainers and public school personnel in the administration of the assessment protocol. Qualitative and quantitative evaluation analyses were carried out on a variety of aspects of the program to monitor the implementation processes as well as program impact. Monitoring activities were administered monthly and the data were analyzed to keep the program on target. These activities were accomplished through telephone calls, on-site conferences, questionnaires and on-site interviews. Data were analyzed across the years to obtain information for revising the protocol and establishing policy and standards.
3. Serving as the primary contractor for the California Community Colleges establishing and implementing standards, policies, and procedures for the review and evaluation of testing devices in the state's 107 community colleges that serve 1.5 million students. Throughout the project, CETE staff have worked closely with California officials and school personnel to meet the diverse needs of a large and complex state organization.
4. Exploring the utility of item response theory (IRT) and non-IRT indices of item response patterns for identifying exceptional students. Focusing on individuals across the K-12 grade levels and comparing the performance of exceptional and regular education students, this federally funded three year project has evaluated the usefulness of (a) IRT ability estimates, (b) IRT appropriateness indices, and (c) non-IRT appropriateness indices for the identification of LC students. Similarly, the skills and content which differentiate an LD student from others have been detailed using (a) IRT bias indices, (b) the IRT item information index, and (c) non-IRT item response indices.
5. An investigation supported by USDOE Title I Office linking the Kansas assessments to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NEAP) to determine the feasibility of constructing a national to state performance scale.
6. The evaluation of the South Dakota Beginning Teacher Induction program. This project involved both questionnaire and field interview data collection with teachers and administrators. Panels of stakeholder groups utilizing focus group methodology were convened for both are and post data collection to provide for the evaluation and to verify the interpretation being given to the analysis of the survey data.
7. The evaluation of the Kansas Teacher Internship Program. The methodology primarily utilized in this evaluation followed that of the responsive evaluation model, relying heavily on field-based data collection focusing on individual group case studies plus panel group responses from teachers and administrators.
8. CETE served as the research and evaluation unit for the Star Schools funded Midlands Consortium. This project addressed a range of issues and concerns in the area of mediated distance learning. CETE is taking a national leadership role in researching the impact and consequences of video broadcast instruction and technology that serves historically underserved and geographically isolated students, teachers and their schools.
9. Providing for the secondary data analysis of U.S. Office of Special Education data sets on State placement practices concerning the "least restrictive environment." Data sets are analyzed and the comparability of State practices evaluated for the USG's annual report to Congress through contractual agreement with National Association of State Directors of Special Education.
10. Collection, management and reporting of data from Kansas Adult Education Programs. This project developed a data management and reporting system for individual and combined Adult Education Programs to meet Federal and State requirements. Data were systematically gathered from instructor, administrators and project personnel using questionnaires and field interviews.
11. Individual assessment and evaluation projects in the states of California, Alabama, Texas, Arizona, Kentucky, South Carolina, Ohio, and Arkansas to provide expertise in the review and development of State test and assessment instruments for K-12, college students and experienced teachers. Of particular attention has been the methodology and consequence for performance standards, and the preparation of non-traditional assessment systems.
12. Over a period of two years CETE received funding from the state of Kansas to design and carry out surveys and field interviews with teachers, their students and building administrators to monitor and evaluate the impact of school reform. Initially stimulated by standards driven and assessment reform, this project identified schools that had shown marked increases on the state assessments, then set out to explore factors associated with local school change. Also monitored were schools that reported addressing a school reform agenda, but did not evidence test score change. Results identified factors that influence continuous school improvement in schools.
13. CETE served as the agent for the project "A Feasibility Study of Outcomes Assessment for Kansas Students with Disabilities." This project involved focus groups and a statewide survey to determine the appropriateness of the Kansas Curriculum Standards for special education programs. Work is now underway designing and constructing alternate assessments for special education populations.
14. CETE has a grant to evaluate the implementation of Charter Schools in Kansas. The project uses a variety of both qualitative and quantitative evaluative methodologies to monitor the consequences of Charter Schooling on a variety of audience outcomes including students, staff, community, etc.

As evidenced by CETE activities, the experience, expertise, facilities and capabilities exist to handle large and complex assessment development projects, education program evaluation at all levels, basic and applied research management, testing, education research and data analysis projects in addition to field-based evaluation and assessment studies. CETE approaches project design and implementation from a multi-disciplinary perspective, involving personnel from necessary areas to provide comprehensive services. The strength of CETE is founded on its relationship with the state department of education, and the weaving of School of Education faculty into grant and contract projects. Over the years CETE has developed a well deserved national reputation for working closely with as well as being responsive to the needs and expectations of local educators, policy makers and professionals.