A psychometric understanding of socio-cultural factors in test validity: The development of standardised test materials for Māori medium schools in New Zealand/Aotearoa

Abstract

Māori, the indigenous people of New Zealand, are approximately 15% of the national population (4.4 million) and 20% of the school population. After decades of decline, Māori language has experienced a revival since the 1970s with some 14% of Māori children attending Māori-medium schooling. From 2000 to 2007, the government funded the development of a computer-assisted, standardised testing system (known as asTTle) for use in Māori-medium schools. Consistent with psychometric theories of validity and with a pluralist approach to sociocultural differences, the Māori test materials were developed in a culturally-responsive and sensitive manner, an approach recommended for other language groups.