Employment
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Excerpts from: Communications and Math Employment Readiness Assessment (CAMERA) Test Development Report (April 30, 2007)
Author/researcher: Gail Stewart
Organization: PTP Adult Learning and Employment Programs
The original CAMERA design was based on theoretical and content underpinnings drawn from a variety of sources, which included LBS performance indicators, authentic workplace document analysis, Essential Skills Profiles and ES complexity level descriptions. Task types for the assessment were posited according to their suitability for the intended target audience under the anticipated assessment conditions.
Essential Skills research played an important role in shaping the content and design of draft tasks, which were constructed to reflect authentic negotiation of a text or document according to the demands of a workplace setting. The items associated with each draft task were designed to target particular abilities associated with specified LBS skills and levels. All draft tasks were reviewed by an external test development consultant and refined by the test developers prior to pilot testing. The main goal of the pilot data analysis was to determine the LBS level of each task and item in the battery. Based on these results, the original assessments were constructed so that each would comprise an adequate range of tasks to ensure sufficient domain coverage and distinction across LBS levels. Tasks selected for inclusion in the assessment were those deemed most suitable for the assessment purpose – to place learners in the appropriate LBS levels and to monitor learning progress over the course of study in workforce literacy programs.
The refinement project began with a literature review geared toward situating CAMERA within the broader context of adult educational assessment. This investigation of currentlyheld perspectives on competency-based assessment provided important information to support the enhancement of CAMERA’s potential and the identification of its apparent strengths and limitations. Following the literature review, a qualitative analysis was undertaken of the original CAMERA components to determine which content areas should be retained or emphasized and which should be eliminated or modified. PTP assessors were a valuable source of insight for this stage of the project. They provided much useful feedback both through a focus group and in subsequent written format.