This annual award honors a scholar whose work bridges educational measurement and some other significant area of research (e.g., assessment policy, learning theory, curriculum and instruction) and has resulted in a widespread positive impact on the field of educational measurement. These contributions may include theoretical or technical developments, conceptualizations of educational measurement issues that have enhanced public understanding of these issues, or innovative ideas that improve the validity and effectiveness of educational assessments.
Neil J. Dorans is in the Center for Statistical and Psychometric Theory and Practice in the Research & Development division at Educational Testing Service. He received his Ph.D. in quantitative psychology from the University of Illinois in 1978. Dorans was involved with SAT score equating and linking for over three decades. He was the architect for the recentered SAT scales that were implemented in 1995. He also performed linking studies relating the SAT to the ACT. Dorans co-edited Linking and Aligning Scores and Scales, published in 2007. Throughout his career, Dorans focused on fairness assessment at the item and score levels. He introduced the standardization approach to assessing item-level fairness in 1983. Since 2000, he has advocated checking the population of score linking functions to assess score-level fairness.
Congratulations, Neil.