UNC School of Education

Curriculum Vitae (PDF)

“The union of the mathematician with the poet, fervor with measure, passion with correctness – this surely is the ideal.”

– William James

Overview

Gregory J. Cizek teaches courses in applied psychometrics, statistics, program evaluation and research methods. Prior to joining the faculty, he managed national licensure and certification testing programs for American College Testing, served as a test development specialist for a statewide assessment program, and taught elementary school for five years in Michigan. Before coming to UNC, he was a professor of educational research and measurement at the University of Toledo and, from 1997-99, he was elected to and served as vice-president of a local board of education in Ohio.

Cizek’s scholarly interests include standard setting, testing policy, classroom assessment and cheating on tests. “The most enjoyable aspect of research for me is locating problems that are considered solved, or those for which little work has been done because ‘everyone knows’ the answer,” he says. As an example, he cites research he conducted on the familiar Taxonomy of Educational Objectives popularized by Benjamin Bloom and his associates. “Popularly, everyone knew about the six cumulative hierarchical levels of cognitive functioning codified by Bloom—Knowledge, Comprehension, Application, Analysis, Synthesis, Evaluation. But empirical support for six levels was, we found, essentially non-existent,” Cizek says. “Our research suggested that, in actuality, two—or at most, three – distinct levels of cognitive functioning can be identified.” Along these same lines, Cizek’s research interests now focus on reconceptualizing validity theory and practice.

Educational Background

• Ph.D. 1991 - Michigan State University, Measurement, Evaluation, and Research Design
• M.A. 1983 - Michigan State University, Curriculum and Instruction
• B.A. 1979 - Michigan State University, Elementary Education

Research Interests

• Applied Measurement
• Standard Setting
• Testing Policy
• Large-Scale Achievement Testing
• Cheating on Tests
• Test Validity

Teaching Areas

• Introduction to Educational Measurement and Evaluation
• Applied Psychometric Theory
• Statistics I
• Fundamentals of Educational Research
• Tests and Measurement for School Counselors
• Program Evaluation

Courses

• EDUC 609: Tests and Measurements
• EDUC 680: Introduction to Educational Research
• EDUC 683: Educational Measurement and Evaluation
• EDUC 684: Statistical Analysis of Educational Data I
• EDUC 783: Applied Measurement Theory for Education
• EDUC 785: Program Evaluation in Education
• EDUC 786: Problems in Educational Psychology
• EDUC 787: Problems in Educational Measurement

Honors & Awards

• 2006 - American Educational Research Association (AERA) Division D Award for Significant Contribution to Educational Measurement and Research Methodology
• 2007 - National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME) Award for Dissemination of Educational Measurement Concepts

Selected Professional Affiliations

• American Educational Research Association
• National Council on Measurement in Education
• Editorial Boards: Applied Measurement in Education, Journal of Educational Measurement, Educational and Psychological Measurement

Public Service

• Member, National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB) (2007-2009)

Selected Publications

Books & Book Chapters

Cizek, G. J., Rosenberg, S. L., & Koons, H. K. (in press). Mental Measurements Yearbook as a context for investigating validity evidence for high-stakes tests. In J. A. Bovaird, K. F. Geisinger, & C. W. Buckendahl (Eds.), High stakes testing in education: Science and practice in K-12 settings. Washington, DC: APA Books.

Andrade, H., & Cizek, G. J. (Eds.). (2010). Handbook of formative assessment. New York: Taylor and Francis.

Cizek, G. J. (2010). An introduction to formative assessment: History, characteristics, and challenges. In H. Andrade & G. Cizek, (eds.) Handbook of formative assessment (pp. 3-17). New York: Taylor and Francis.

Journal Articles

Cizek, G. J. (2009). Response to “Accountability testing: Getting situated.” Educational Researcher, 38, 471-472.

Cizek, G. J. (2009). Reliability and validity of information about student achievement: Comparing the contexts of large-scale and classroom testing. Theory Into Practice, 48, 63–71.

Cizek, G. J., Rosenberg, S., & Koons, H. (2008). Sources of validity evidence for educational and psychological tests. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 68, 397-412.