Guidance for high-stakes testing within pharmacy educational assessment

Area of Science:

• Educational Measurement
• Pharmacy Education
• Psychometrics

Background:

• The term "high-stakes testing" is frequently used in pharmacy education but often inaccurately or incompletely.
• This Teachable Moments Matter (TMM) article addresses the critical need for scientific rigor in assessing student abilities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To define and explain high-stakes testing accurately.
• To underscore the importance of scientific rigor in the application and reporting of high-stakes assessments in pharmacy education.

Main Methods:

• Discussion of key psychometric principles relevant to high-stakes testing.
• Focus on evidence for validation, cut-score development, and reliability coefficients.

Main Results:

• Clarification of what constitutes high-stakes testing and what does not.
• Introduction to reliability measurement tools like Generalizability Theory and Item-Response Theory.

Conclusions:

• Promoting scientifically rigorous use and reporting of high-stakes testing in pharmacy education and research.
• Ensuring ethically fair high-stakes testing through proper psychometric application.