California Standards Tests (CST)

Technical Report

Spring 2006 Administration

February 2007

Educational Testing Service (ETS)

STAR Program

Table of Contents Chapter 1: Introduction......................................................................................................................................... 1

Background ......................................................................................................................................................... 1

California Standardized Tests (CSTs)................................................................................................................. 2

Significant Developments in 2006 ....................................................................................................................... 3

New Science CSTs in 2006............................................................................................................................. 3

Below Grade Testing ....................................................................................................................................... 3

Writing Scoring ................................................................................................................................................ 3

Item Review ..................................................................................................................................................... 3

Overview of the Technical Report ....................................................................................................................... 4

Appendix 1.A2006 CST Item and Time Chart ................................................................................................. 5

Chapter 2: CST Development Procedures.......................................................................................................... 6

Test Assembly Procedures ................................................................................................................................. 6

Test Specifications .............................................................................................................................................. 6

Statistical Specifications .................................................................................................................................. 6

Content Specifications..................................................................................................................................... 6

Item Development ............................................................................................................................................... 8

Item Review Process........................................................................................................................................... 9

Internal Reviews .............................................................................................................................................. 9

Assessment Review Panels ..........................................................................................................................10

SPAR Review Panel......................................................................................................................................12

Technical Characteristics of the Assembled Tests ...........................................................................................12

Item Development for 2006 ...............................................................................................................................13

Reference ..........................................................................................................................................................15

Appendix 2.AReporting Clusters....................................................................................................................16

English-Language Arts ..................................................................................................................................16

History-Social Science...................................................................................................................................19

Mathematics ..................................................................................................................................................20

Science ..........................................................................................................................................................24

Appendix 2.BTechnical Characteristics Tables and Plots .............................................................................29

Chapter 3: CST Equating Procedures ...............................................................................................................38

Test Construction and Review ..........................................................................................................................38

Post-Administration Operational Equating ........................................................................................................38

Calibration .....................................................................................................................................................38

Scaling ...........................................................................................................................................................39

True Score Equating......................................................................................................................................41

Equating the Braille Versions of the CSTs ........................................................................................................42

Equating Samples .............................................................................................................................................42

Scaling the CSTs for Integrated Science ..........................................................................................................44

References ........................................................................................................................................................47

Appendix 3.ANew Form Conversions Tables................................................................................................48

Chapter 4: Validity...............................................................................................................................................69

Validity Evidence Based on Test Content .........................................................................................................69

Evidence Based on Relations to Other Variables .............................................................................................69

CST for ELA versus CAT/6 Survey Reading/Language/Spelling..................................................................70

CST for Math versus CAT/6 Survey Math .....................................................................................................70

CST for Science versus CAT/6 Survey Science ...........................................................................................71

References ........................................................................................................................................................72

Appendix 4.ATest Correlations Tables ..........................................................................................................73

Chapter 5: Score Reports ...................................................................................................................................75

Descriptions of Scores ......................................................................................................................................75

Raw Score .....................................................................................................................................................75

Scale Score ...................................................................................................................................................75

Proficiency Levels..........................................................................................................................................75

CST Technical Report | Spring 2006 Administration Page i February 2007

STAR Program

Score Reporting.................................................................................................................................................76

Score Report Applications .............................................................................................................................76

Score Report Contents ..................................................................................................................................77

Score Distributions and Summary Statistics .....................................................................................................77

Reference ..........................................................................................................................................................81

Appendix 5.ATypes of Score Reports Tables................................................................................................82

Appendix 5.BScale Score Distribution Tables ...............................................................................................86

Chapter 6: Test Fairness ..............