Education
- 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
Areas of Expertise
- Validity
- Standard Setting
- Applied Educational Measurement
- Testing Policy
- Large-Scale and Classroom Assessment
- Cheating on Tests
- Program Evaluation
Background
Gregory J. Cizek teaches courses in applied psychometrics, statistics, program evaluation, and research methods. Prior to joining the faculty, Dr. Cizek managed national licensure and certification testing programs for ACT, 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. He has served as President of the National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME) and as chairperson of the Committee on Standards, Design, and Methodology for the National Assessment Governing Board, which oversees the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).
Research
Cizek’s scholarly interests include validity 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 ubiquitous levels of cognitive functioning codified by Bloom — Knowledge, Comprehension, Application, Analysis, Synthesis, Evaluation. But empirical support for six levels was 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 and reconsidering what ‘everyone knows’ regarding the nature of validity and the practice of validation.