Assessing a Critical Aspect of Construct Continuity When Test Specifications Change or Test Forms Deviate from Specifications

We make a distinction between two types of test changes: inevitable deviations from specifications versus planned modifications of specifications. We describe how score equity assessment ( SEA) can be used as a tool to assess a critical aspect of construct continuity, the equivalence of scores, whenever planned changes are introduced to testing programs. We also report on how SEA can be used as a quality control check to evaluate whether tests developed to a static set of specifications remain within acceptable tolerance levels with respect to equatability.