---

34 C.F.R. § 668.148   Additional criteria for the approval of certain tests.

Title 34 - Education

Title 34: Education
PART 668—STUDENT ASSISTANCE GENERAL PROVISIONS
Subpart J—Approval of Independently Administered Tests; Specification of Passing Score; Approval of State Process

Browse Previous |  Browse Next

§ 668.148   Additional criteria for the approval of certain tests.

Except as provided in §668.143—

(a) In addition to satisfying the criteria in §668.146, to be approved by the Secretary, a test or a test publisher must meet the following criteria, if applicable:

(1) In the case of a test that is performance-based, or includes performance-based sections, for measuring writing, speaking, listening, or quantitative problem-solving skills, the test publisher must provide—

(i) A minimum of four parallel forms of the test; and

(ii) A description of the training provided to test administrators, and the criteria under which trained individuals are certified to administer and score the test.

(2) In the case of a test developed for a non-native speaker of English who is enrolled in a program that is taught in his or her native language, the test must be—

(i) Linguistically accurate and culturally sensitive to the population for which the test is designed, regardless of the language in which the test is written;

(ii) Supported by documentation detailing the development of normative data;

(iii) If translated from an English version, supported by documentation of procedures to determine its reliability and validity with reference to the population for which the translated test was designed;

(iv) Developed in accordance with guidelines provided in the 1985 edition of the “Testing Linguistic Minorities” section of the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing, with amendments dated June 2, 1989, prepared by a joint committee of the American Educational Research Association, the American Psychological Association, and the National Council on Measurement in Education incorporated by reference in this section. Incorporation by reference of this document has been approved by the Director of the Office of the Federal Register pursuant to the Director's authority under 5 U.S.C. 552(a) and 1 CFR part 51. The incorporated document is on file at the Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education, Room 4318, ROB–3, 600 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20202 and at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). For information on the availability of this material at NARA, call 202–741–6030, or go to: http://www.archives.gov/federal_register/code_of_federal_regulations/ibr_locations.php. The standards may be obtained from the American Psychological Association, Inc., 750 First Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20026; and

(v)(A) If the test is in Spanish, accompanied by a distribution of test scores that clearly indicates the mean score and standard deviation for Spanish-speaking students with high school diplomas who have taken the test within 5 years before the date on which the test is submitted to the Secretary for approval; and

(B) If the test is in a language other than Spanish, accompanied by a recommendation for a provisional passing score based upon performance of a sample of test takers representative of the intended population and large enough to produce stable norms.

(3) In the case of a test that is modified for use for persons with disabilities, the test publisher must—

(i) Follow guidelines provided in the “Testing People Who Have Handicapping Conditions” section of the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing;

(ii) Provide documentation of the appropriateness and feasibility of the modifications relevant to test performance; and

(iii) Recommend passing score(s) based on the previous performance of test-takers.

(4) In the case of a computer-based test, the test publisher must—

(i) Provide documentation to the Secretary that the test complies with the basic principles of test construction and standards of reliability and validity as promulgated in the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing, as well as specific guidelines set forth in the American Psychological Association's Guidelines for Computer-based Tests and Interpretations (1986);

(ii) Provide test administrators with instructions for familiarizing test takers with computer hardware prior to test-taking; and

(iii) Provide two or more parallel, equated forms of the test, or, if parallel forms are generated from an item pool, provide documentation of the methods of item selection for alternate forms; and

(b) If a test is designed solely to measure the English language competence of non-native speakers of English—

(1) The test must meet the criteria set forth in §668.146(b)(6), and §668.146 (c)(1), (c)(2), and (c)(4); and

(2) The test publisher must recommend a passing score based on the mean score of test takers beyond the age of compulsory school attendance who entered U.S. high school equivalency programs, formal training programs, or bilingual vocational programs.

(Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control number 1840–0627)

(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1091(d))

[60 FR 61841, Dec. 1, 1995, as amended at 61 FR 31035, June 19, 1996; 69 FR 18803, Apr. 9, 2004]

Browse Previous |  Browse Next