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The Media and Educational Testing: In Pursuit of the Truth or in Pursuit of a Good Story?
Author(s) -
Camara Wayne J.,
Shaw Emily J.
Publication year - 2012
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/j.1745-3992.2012.00233.x
Subject(s) - presentation (obstetrics) , dissemination , test (biology) , value (mathematics) , focus (optics) , public relations , computer science , engineering ethics , psychology , political science , medicine , engineering , telecommunications , paleontology , physics , machine learning , biology , optics , radiology
The measurement community needs to better understand how to interact with the media to effectively disseminate important findings from educational testing efforts. To this end, the current paper will review media coverage of educational testing and related issues and elaborate on areas of concern and opportunities for improved communication between measurement professionals and the media. Common misinterpretations of test results and measurement concepts will be discussed and suggestions for the clearer presentation and explanation of such information will be offered. Also, practical advice and strategies for handling different types of interactions with the media will be provided. The implications of focusing on this topic in the measurement profession and the inherent public value of this focus are highlighted throughout the paper.