Performance Assessment Services

Expertise, attention to detail, practicality, and dedication to the accuracy of student scores—these are the hallmarks of Questar Assessment's performance assessment services.

At Questar Assessment, our goal is to ensure that each student receives scores that accurately reflect performance. This is accomplished with our handscoring staff, which includes some of the most experienced, reputable experts in the field of handscoring for large-scale statewide assessments. These professionals have managed high profile, high stakes handscoring efforts for, among others, the states of Kentucky, South Carolina, Virginia, North Carolina, Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Arkansas, Florida, and Louisiana, with excellent results.

The Questar Assessment handscoring staff has been instrumental in developing numerous scoring rubrics for a variety of content areas, all tailored to the clients’ particular scoring needs and the purpose(s) of the testing programs. We have developed domain scoring rubrics for writing; item-specific holistic rubrics for constructed responses in reading, mathematics, social studies, science, and listening; and specialized alternative rubrics for scoring portfolios from special student populations (English language learners and students with cognitive disabilities).

Clients appreciate that Questar Assessment personnel are expert in creating reader training and scoring procedures that are sound, effective, cost-conscious, and efficient. Foremost in the development of these procedures is a dedication to ensuring that student responses receive scores that are a true reflection of the client’s intent for that particular testing situation. More often than not, we implement reader quality control measures beyond those required by the client. We have built our considerable reputation on meticulous quality control and the accuracy of scores that result from it.

The handscoring staff at Questar has participated in all activities associated with performance assessment: prompt and item development; bias and content review; rangefinding; design of reader training procedures, materials, and quality control reports; scoring performance and production monitoring; item/prompt/rubric review and evaluation; and standard setting.

In addition to performance assessment work, we have designed and led numerous professional development workshops in clients’ states—everything from test administrator workshops to reader training for educators. Our performance assessment experts understand the power of clear, organized information that is tailored to the audience. Our primary goal in professional development sessions is to promote increased understanding and acceptance of the client’s testing program.

Expertise, attention to detail, practicality, and dedication to the accuracy of student scores—these are the hallmarks of Questar Assessment's performance assessment services.

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