Using the Standards to Evaluate the Redesign of the U.S. Naturalization Tests: Lessons for the Measurement Community

In 2001, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) began the process of redesigning the U.S. naturalization tests due to concerns that the current testing procedure may not be sufficiently uniform, and that the test content may not be appropriate. A National Research Council committee issued recommendations, based largely on the Standards, to ensure that the redesigned tests would be scientifically and politically defensible; however, USCIS chose not to follow much of the committee's advice. This article summarizes some lessons for the measurement community and possible strategies for getting policymakers to pay more attention to the Standards.