Technical Advisory Committee (TAC)

Jamal Abedi, Ph.D. is a Professor at the Graduate School of Education at the University of California, Davis and a research partner at the National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing (CRESST). Dr. Abedi's research interests include studies in the area of psychometrics and test and scale development. Among his interests and his recent work are studies on the assessment and accommodations for English language learners (ELLs) and research on the opportunity to learn for ELLs. Results of his recent studies on the impact of linguistic factors on the assessment and accommodation for ELLs have been used and reported nationwide. Abedi is the recipient of the 2003 national Professional Service Award in recognition of his “Outstanding Contribution Relating Research to Practice” by the American Educational Research Association. Dr. Abedi’s educational background is in psychometrics and research methodology. He holds a Master’s and a Ph.D. degree from Vanderbilt University in psychometrics.

Akihito Kamata, Ph.D. is Associate Professor and Department Chair of the Department of Educational Psychology and Learning Systems at Florida State University. Dr. Kamata is a psychometrician who specializes in test data analysis methodology, focusing on multilevel aspects of test data. More specifically, his concentration areas are item-response theory models and multilevel item response models, along with related quantitative methods, such as hierarchical linear modeling and structural equation modeling. His recent work includes projects funded by IES and the State of Florida to examine how ELLs and students with disabilities are affected in their performance on test items, such as in the NAEP and statewide assessment program in Florida (FCAT). He teaches graduate-level courses on psychometrics and quantitative methods at Florida State University.

Carol Myford, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor in the Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She teaches courses in assessment, measurement, and program evaluation. Prior to coming to the university, she worked for 12 years as a research scientist at the Educational Testing Service, conducting studies of a number of large-scale tests including the Test of Written English (TWE) and the Test of Spoken English (TSE). Dr. Myford's program of research focuses on scoring issues in large-scale performance and portfolio assessments. She has published studies related to rater training, scoring rubric design, quality control monitoring, improving rater performance, and the detection and measurement of different types of rater effects. She has served on the technical advisory committees for several statewide testing programs and provides psychometric consulting services to various licensing and certification boards. Recently she joined the roster of qualified candidates for the Fulbright Specialists Program.