I got a request from Person asking me to work 9.5 hours, three days in a row, for about $15/day, to review MTTC test items. I was glad to be asked. Excited even. I certainly know a lot in this area. Here’s what I wrote them in response:

Thank you for this invitation. I read it with great interest seeing as though I have been teaching about this topic and conducting research on it for decades. I can’t accept your invitation. Here is why:

You are asking for 9.5 hours of labor a day, up to three days. This is an unrealistic request for professionals who already have jobs. You cannot be serious. Furthermore, you are offering to pay $150 a day, for “sessions attended of two days or more.” This rate amounts to about $15/hour. You are offering minimum wage for highly specialized expertise. You cannot be serious.

Here’s the kicker: all of this shows that you have a test development system that undermines the validity of the test itself. Your labor request and inequitable compensation all but ensure you will not have the expertise needed to review these items. Let me say this again: Your test development process (in this case, item review) work to exclude the very expertise you need to review these items for a fair test.

Start over. Do better.