Robert W. Lissitz

Biography

Robert W. Lissitz is a professor in the College of Education at the University of Maryland and the founder of the Maryland Assessment Research Center for Education Success. His work spans measurement theory, test equating, standard setting, and the use of assessment evidence in policy.

He earned a doctorate in psychology from Syracuse University with a specialization in measurement and statistics, then completed postdoctoral work at the Psychometric Laboratory in Chapel Hill. Before coming to Maryland in 1978, he taught at the University of Georgia.

At Maryland, he served as chair of the Department of Measurement, Statistics, and Evaluation for 26 years. He has also chaired campus committees and held leadership roles in the National Council on Measurement in Education and the American Educational Research Association.

Research interests

His research has addressed test equating, NAEP reporting and standard setting, teacher and school performance, accommodations, and value added modeling. He organized the center's early conference series on value added models and edited several books based on that work.

He has also consulted on test construction and evaluation for public agencies and directed a court ordered desegregation evaluation in St. Louis. At Maryland, he led the center's work with the Maryland State Department of Education on statewide assessment.

Selected publications

• Lissitz, R. W., editor. The Concept of Validity: Revisions, New Directions and Applications. Information Age Publishing, 2010.
• Lissitz, R. W., and Schafer, W. D., editors. Assessment in Educational Reform: Both Means and Ends. Allyn and Bacon, 2002.
• Lissitz, R. W., and Bourque, M. L. Reporting NAEP results using standards. Educational Measurement: Issues and Practice, 14(2), 1995.