Examining Evidence for External and Consequential Validity of the First Term General Chemistry Exam from the ACS Examinations Institute

Abstract

Validity of educational research instruments and student assessments has appropriately become a growing interest in the chemistry education research community. Of particular concern is an attention to the consequences to students that result from the interpretation of assessment scores and whether those consequences are swayed by invalidity within an assessment. This study examines external and consequential validity of a first-term general chemistry exam from the ACS Examinations Institute. The measure was used as a final exam in the intended course at the research setting. As a result, student performance on the exam contributed to the grading decision in the course. Owing to the prerequisite relationship, this grading decision then informed the decision to permit student enrollment in second-semester general chemistry. This study evaluates the appropriateness of the first-term general chemistry exam to inform this decision. Results indicate that the exam offers meaningful information into students' performance in the follow-on course with a consistent decision process across student subgroups.