DOMA Validity
DOMA Construct Validity and Specifications
Diagnostic Online Mathematics Assessment (DOMA) Series: Construct Validity
The validity of an assessment instrument refers to its ability to support valid assessment inferences. That is, do test results support a valid conclusion about a student's level of knowledge or skill? Building a valid test begins with accurate definitions of the constructs (i.e., the knowledge domains and skills) to be assessed. If the assessment activities in a test (i.e., the test items) tap into the constructs that the test is designed to assess, then the test has construct validity. Although additional factors affect overall test validity, construct validity is the basic logical bedrock of any test.
Let's Go Learn's math assessments' construct validity comes from best-practices in math curriculum. The development of these cutting-edge math products has been spear-headed by math specialist and teacher-trainer, Paul Giganti of UC Berkeley and Cal State Hayward. Prior to his work in professional development, Paul Giganti taught math in public schools for over 15 years. He has directed federally-funded professional development programs in California under the auspices of the California Post-Secondary Educational Commission. Currently he is the coordinator of the California Mathematics Council Festivals Programs and Professional Development. In addition to his classroom teaching and professional development career, Paul Giganti has published several children's picture books about mathematics.
In addition to the expertise of Paul Giganti, LGL derives construct validity for the DOMA Series of tests by its alignment to both national and state standards. DOMA: Basic Math Skills test was originally aligned to the California state mathematics standards in the Number and Measurement strands, as well as NCTM National Standards for Mathematics. Now DOMA: Basic Math Skills is aligned to state standards in all 50 states. Further, DOMA: Pre-Algebra and DOMA: Algebra are aligned to NCTM standards, as well as California standards.
Subtest Specifications: DOMA: Basic Math Skills
DOMA: Basic Math Skills consists of three sub-tests: Numbers and Operations, Measurement, and Fractions.
- Numbers and Operations: 204 criterion-referenced test items, in 56 constructs, from grade levels K-5
- Measurement: 104 criterion-referenced test items, in 28 constructs, from grade levels K-5
- Fractions: 58 criterion-referenced test items, in 18 constructs, from grade levels 2-5
Subtest Specifications: DOMA: Pre-Algebra
DOMA: Pre-Algebra consists of 14 sub-tests, as well as a pre-screening, math facts, and reading comprehension sections. The pre-screening is administered first as part of the OAASIS platform of adaptive test-taking, while the math facts and reading comprehension sections may be triggered by performance on the assessment. While other LGL assessments are criterion-referenced to specific grade-level expectations, DOMA: Pre-Algebra uses test items criterion-referenced to pre-requisite knowledge expectations.
- Pre-Screening: 14 criterion-referenced test items, one from each sub-test of the full assessment.
- Integer Operations: 11 criterion-referenced test items
- Fraction Operations: 12 criterion-referenced test items
- Decimal Operations: 9 criterion-referenced test items
- Comparing and Converting: 10 criterion-referenced test items
- Estimating and Rounding: 6 criterion-referenced test items
- Evaluating Exponents: 6 criterion-referenced test items
- Ratios and Proportions: 5 criterion-referenced test items
- Simplifying Expressions: 6 criterion-referenced test items
- Coordinate Graphing 8 criterion-referenced test items
- Linear Functions and Extending Patterns: 8 criterion-referenced test items
- Simple Equations: 6 criterion-referenced test items
- Geometry: 11 criterion-referenced test items
- Interpreting Data: 10 criterion-referenced test items
- Simple Probability: 7 criterion-referenced test items
Subtest Specifications: DOMA: Algebra
DOMA: Algebra, a course-specific diagnostic assessment, consists of 11 Algebra I-specific constructs, as well as a pre-screening section, much like the DOMA: Pre-Algebra assessment.
- Pre-Screening: 22 criterion-referenced test items, representing two questions from each sub-test
- Evaluating Advanced Exponents: 7 criterion-referenced test items
- Solving Linear Equations: 6 criterion-referenced test items
- Graphing and Analyzing Linear Equations: 9 criterion-referenced test items
- Relations and Functions: 7 criterion-referenced test items
- Solving and Graphing Inequalities: 5 criterion-referenced test items
- Solving and Graphing Systems: 8 criterion-referenced test items
- Polynomial Operations: 8 criterion-referenced test items
- Factoring Polynomials: 7 criterion-referenced test items
- Radical Expressions and Equations: 7 criterion-referenced test items
- Quadratic Equations: 7 criterion-referenced test items
- Rational Expressions and Equations: 8 criterion-referenced test items