ABSTRACT
In this chapter we explore the topic of documentation to support test score interpretation and use, including the purposes of documentation and the types of information included, and we evaluate current practices in testing program documentation. The previous edition of the Handbook of Test Development included a chapter on technical reporting and documentation (Becker & Pomplun, 2006), which examined the topic using the guidelines established in a chapter in the 1999 edition of the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing (American Educational Research Association [AERA], American Psychological Association [APA] & National Council on Measurement in Education [NCME], 1999), and the Code of Fair Testing Practices (Joint Committee on Testing Practices, 2003). We update this previous work by evaluating current practices in testing program documentation in comparison to three authoritative sources: the revised Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing (AERA et al., 2014), peer review requirements under the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (No Child Left Behind Act, 2002) and current validity theory that requires constructing validity arguments to support score interpretations and uses and supporting those arguments with technical and other evidence. Our discussion is relevant to educational achievement testing and professional credentialing examination programs.
