Introduction

The central concept in large-scale assessment is validity—the appropriateness of the inferences one can make from test scores. Undetected cheating destroys validity, and thus negates the utility of measuring devices. Whether it is because of better press coverage (e.g., see Kingston, 2013, regarding media coverage of the Georgia cheating scandal), or increased cheating, even the appearance of widespread cheating will damage the public faith in an assessment program. Thus we are in an ever escalating battle between cheaters who are ever inventing new ways to cheat and psychometricians and public agencies that must develop more sophisticated ways to detect and prevent cheating. This book attempts to aid in the battle against cheating by gathering together some of the latest research, thus allowing future researchers to readily build on the work of each other.