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An Argument in Search of Evidence: A Response to Camara et al. (2019)
Author(s) -
Marion Scott,
Domaleski Chris
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
educational measurement: issues and practice
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.158
H-Index - 52
eISSN - 1745-3992
pISSN - 0731-1745
DOI - 10.1111/emip.12307
Subject(s) - argument (complex analysis) , accountability , unintended consequences , transparency (behavior) , set (abstract data type) , watson , epistemology , political science , positive economics , sociology , economics , law , philosophy , computer science , medicine , programming language , natural language processing
This article offers a critique of the validity argument put forward by Camara, Mattern, Croft, and Vispoel (2019) regarding the use of college‐admissions tests in high school assessment systems. We challenge their argument in two main ways. First, we illustrate why their argument fails to address broader issues related to consequences of using admissions tests as an achievement indicator in high school accountability systems. Second, we find the evidence put forth by Camara et al. argument incomplete and/or overstated, even if evaluated against a more limited set of claims. We offer several additional comments regarding the construction of their validity argument, the lack of transparency for evaluating many of the claims, and the potential unintended negative consequences associated with the use of the ACT or SAT as the primary achievement indicator in a state accountability system.