Chapter 14 Understanding and Using Standardized Tests Viewing

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Chapter 14 Understanding and Using Standardized Tests Viewing recommendations for Windows: Use the Arial

Chapter 14 Understanding and Using Standardized Tests Viewing recommendations for Windows: Use the Arial True. Type font and set your screen area to at least 800 by 600 pixels with Colors set to Hi Color (16 bit). Viewing recommendations for Macintosh: Use the Arial True. Type font and set your monitor resolution to at least 800 by 600 pixels with Color Depth set to thousands of colors.

Overview • Standardized tests • Using standardized tests for accountability purposes: High-stakes testing •

Overview • Standardized tests • Using standardized tests for accountability purposes: High-stakes testing • Standardized testing and technology Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company 2

Characteristics of standardized tests • Designed by people with specialized knowledge and training in

Characteristics of standardized tests • Designed by people with specialized knowledge and training in test construction • Every person who takes the test responds to the same items under the same conditions • The answers are evaluated according to the same scoring standards • The scores are interpreted through comparison to the scores obtained from a group that took the same test under the same conditions or through comparison to a predetermined standard Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company 3

Criteria for evaluating standardized tests • Reliability – Stability in test performance • Validity

Criteria for evaluating standardized tests • Reliability – Stability in test performance • Validity – Test accuracy – Content validity, predictive validity, construct validity • Normed excellence – Norm group representation compared to the general population • Examinee appropriateness – Appropriateness for a particular group of students Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company 4

Validity • Content validity evidence – How well a test’s items reflect a particular

Validity • Content validity evidence – How well a test’s items reflect a particular body of knowledge and skill • Predictive validity evidence – How well a test predicts a student’s future behavior • Construct validity evidence – How well a test measures some internal attribute of a person Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company 5

Types of standardized tests • Achievement tests – Reveal how much of a subject

Types of standardized tests • Achievement tests – Reveal how much of a subject or skill has been learned • Aptitude tests – Reveal how much knowledge and skill a student could acquire with effective instruction Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company 6

Types of achievement tests Type of Test Description Single-subject achievement test Assesses how much

Types of achievement tests Type of Test Description Single-subject achievement test Assesses how much one has learned in a particular school subject. Achievement battery Assesses how much one has learned in multiple school subjects. Diagnostic test Single-subject test designed to identify specific strengths and weaknesses. Competency test Assesses one’s competence in selected basic skill areas; often taken to graduate. Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company 7

Norm-referenced tests and criterion-referenced tests • Norm-referenced test – Test where one’s performance is

Norm-referenced tests and criterion-referenced tests • Norm-referenced test – Test where one’s performance is evaluated with reference to a norming group • Criterion-referenced test – Test where one’s performance is evaluated with reference to some standard or criterion Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company 8

Interpreting standardized test scores • Grade equivalent scores – Interprets test performance in terms

Interpreting standardized test scores • Grade equivalent scores – Interprets test performance in terms of grade level • Percentile ranks – Score that indicates the percentage of students who are at or below a given student’s score • Standard scores – Score that is expressed in terms of standard deviations • Stanine score – Type of standard score that divides a population into nine groups Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company 9

The normal probability curve Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company 10

The normal probability curve Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company 10

Relationship among z scores, T scores, and percentile ranks Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company

Relationship among z scores, T scores, and percentile ranks Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company 11

Percentage of cases in each Stanine Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company 12

Percentage of cases in each Stanine Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company 12

What is high-stakes testing? High stakes testing is… using standardized test scores, either by

What is high-stakes testing? High stakes testing is… using standardized test scores, either by themselves or in conjunction with other data, to determine whether students get promoted to the next grade or graduate from high school, whether teachers and administrators receive financial rewards or demotions, and whether school districts receive additional state funds or lose their accreditation. Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company 13

Current status of high-stakes testing • Type of test used (Education Week on the

Current status of high-stakes testing • Type of test used (Education Week on the Web, 2001) – 40 states use criterion-referenced tests in English – 34 states use criterion-referenced tests in math – Remaining states use norm-referenced tests in these subjects Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company 14

Current status of high-stakes testing • Use of test scores (Education Week on the

Current status of high-stakes testing • Use of test scores (Education Week on the Web, 2001) – 11 states hold schools accountable for student learning solely on the basis of students’ test scores – 20 states provide financial rewards to schools whose students perform at an acceptable level – 14 states can close, restaff, or overhaul schools with low test scores – 18 states require students to pass a state-mandated test in order to graduate – 3 states require students in certain grades to pass a statemandated test to be promoted Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company 15

Problems with high-stakes testing programs • • • The place of tests in educational

Problems with high-stakes testing programs • • • The place of tests in educational reform Characteristics of standardized tests Relationship of tests to state standards Breadth of assessment Use of test results to support remediation Use of test results to support improvements in instruction • Impact on curriculum and instructional methods • Effects on students Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company 16

Standardized testing and technology • Using technology to prepare students for assessments • Using

Standardized testing and technology • Using technology to prepare students for assessments • Using technology to assess mastery of standards – e. g. , American College Testing (ACT); Project Essay Grade (PEG) • Computer adaptive testing (CAT) – computers determine sequence and difficulty level of test items Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company 17

End of Chapter 14 Understanding and Using Standardized Tests

End of Chapter 14 Understanding and Using Standardized Tests