How the Tests Were Developed

The synopsis that follows describes the rigorous process that was used to carefully develop each test in the Illinois Licensure Testing System.

1. Develop the Test Frameworks

The content of each test is documented in the test framework. The Illinois State Board of Education rules and any relevant national standards form the basis of each test framework. A test framework is divided into subareas. A subarea contains one or more objectives, each aligned to Illinois rules and relevant national standards for that field. Each objective is further defined by a set of descriptive statements that further delineate that content within each objective. For some fields, the test framework also provides information on the relative weighting that will be applied to each content subarea. The Illinois State Board of Education reviewed and approved the test framework for each field.

2. Develop Draft Test Items

Next, test items were developed to assess the content defined by the test frameworks. Content specialists, item development specialists, content and bias reviewers, and psychometricians were involved in developing test items for the Illinois Licensure Testing System.

3. Illinois Review and Validation of Draft Test Items

Illinois teachers and teacher educators participated in the review and validation of draft test items for the program. An Illinois Bias Review Committee (BRC) reviewed test items for potential bias and inclusion of diversity. Illinois Content Advisory Committees (CAC) reviewed and revised items, if needed, to ensure that the test items are accurate, appropriate, free from bias, and job-related. Items approved by the review committees were validated by Illinois teachers and teacher educators.

4. Pilot Test Items

Reviewed and validated test items were pilot tested to determine if they have acceptable statistical and qualitative characteristics to include on operational test forms.

5. Illinois Standard Setting

Panels of Illinois teachers and teacher educators met and provided standard setting recommendations for each test. The recommendations made by each panel were provided to the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE). The ISBE established the passing score for each test.