By: Michele Leslie B. David MAE-IM

WIDE USAGE To identify students who may be eligible to receive special services To monitor student performance from year to year To identify students’ academic strengths and weaknesses To identify and monitor achievement gaps To determine readiness for new academic work To select students for special programs To improve teaching To evaluate programs To give feedback to students and parents To compare schools and students To evaluate curriculum

High Stakes Usage To determine if performance standards for grade promotion and graduation have been demonstrated To evaluate teachers To evaluate principals To evaluate and accredit schools

TYPES OF LARGE-SCALE TESTS Standardized Achievement Tests Standardized Ability Tests Group Ability Tests Individual Ability Assessments

Standardized Achievement Tests What do students know? How much students have learned? - Reading - Math - Science - Social Science - English

Coverage is broad and common to all. Advantages Contents are shared by all schools Allows comparison throughout the country Disadvantage Mismatch between test and local curriculum

Survey Battery Norm-referenced standardized test Comprehensive set of subject matter Helps determine students’ strengths and weaknesses But does not provide the teachers the information which are helpful to developing instructions

Diagnostic Battery Criterion-referenced test Specific strength and weakness in a particular subject Helpful in developing instructional decisions

Standard-Based Large Scale Test -Customized to states and school districts -Criterion-referenced or standards-referenced (standards-based)

Purpose - Specific and has direct consequences for students and schools, promotion and accreditation - Also formative assessment - Also summative assessment

Formative Assessment Used to guide student instruction and learning, diagnose skill or knowledge gaps, measure progress, evaluate instruction, to determine what concepts require more teaching and what teaching techniques require more modification... To use results to evaluate instruction strategies, curriculum and teachers, and make adjustments for better student performance. (Pearson education, 2007)

National Assessment of Educational Progress (USA) 1969 – title of “The nation’s report card” Criterion-referenced 3 main scoring – basic, proficient and advanced Includes all subjects Back to type

Standardized Ability Test Measures cognitive ability, potential, intelligence, reasoning or capacity to learn To predict future performance or behavior Covers both in-school and out of school experiences Changed from being an aptitude test which focused on innate knowledge only

Group Ability Tests Used as screening device to identify students whose abilities deviate from the norm

Individual Ability Assessment Conducted by a trained examiner with one examinee done face to face Consideration on variables like motivation, handicapping conditions, and persistence

Administering the test Teachers will proctor Instructions shall be read in a verbatim manner Proctors shall answer questions related to instructions only

Preparing the examinees Read or listen to directions carefully Read or listen to test items carefully Set a pace that will allow adequate time to complete the test Bypass difficult items and come back to them later ( do easy items first) Make informed guesses rather than omitting items

Preparing the examinees Eliminate as many options as possible before guessing Follow directions for marking answers carefully Check to be sure that the item number in the booklet matches the item number in the answer sheet Check answers if time permits Review item formats and strategies to get the answer Look for grammatical clues to the right answer Read all options before selecting one

others Classroom environment (teacher’s attitude) Physical environment (lighting, space, ventilation) No distractions Remove visual aids Seating arrangement Time of test (AM or PM?)

How is the environment of this room?

How do you find this arrangement?

INTERPRETING SCORES The vast majority of scores that are used are the modifications or transformations of the raw scores into derived scores.

2 types of derived scores Absolute derived score – which is referred to as percentage correct Relative derived score – this is a comparison with how the others did on the same assessment

Norm-Referenced Scores Percentile scores – indicate the percentage of students in the reference group (norm group) who were outperformed. Standard scores – are derived scores, transformed from raw scores, that are expressed as units of standard deviation. Grade equivalent scores – sometimes called grade norm score that indicates student performance in relation to grade level and months of the school year.

Standards-Based Scores The basis for interpreting standards-based scores is the number of items answered correctly or the judgment of an expert who reviews a sample of a student work.

Interpreting Test Reports Identify the nature of information presented. Find an explanation for it in an interpretive guide.

Use of Test Results Planning prior to instruction To evaluate the effectiveness of instruction after content and skills have been taught To provide indication of general ability level of the students in the class Establish reasonable, realistic expectation for students and to influence the nature of instructional materials

Use of Test Results If students’ scores are lower than expected, the results may be used for further retesting, special attention or counselling Used also for selection and placement into special programs Used to evaluate effectiveness of instruction and curriculum Used to evaluate programs by examining trends in areas that have been emphasized or not

Use of Test Results Used to indicate areas within the curriculum that need further instruction To examine specific methods of teaching To evaluate teachers

How important is it? Standardized tests have value because of their technical soundness and their ability to identify strengths and weaknesses, show gains from year to year, and compare programs to establish effectiveness.

Large-Scale Tests in the Phils. National Career Assessment Examination National Secondary Achievement Test National Elementary Achievement Test Philippine Validating Test Accreditation and Equivalency Program Accelerated Learning Program for Elementary Schools

2007 NCAE

Examinees with High Score in General Scholastic Aptitude Test

National Achievement Tests (Grades 4 - 6) SY (In Percent).

. National Achievement Tests (Fourth Year High School) SY (In Percent)

. Mean Percentage Scores of the National Achievement Test in Grade 6 by Subject Area, SY

. Mean Percentage Scores of the National Achievement Test in Fourth Year High School by Subject Area, SY

. Mean Percentage Scores of the National Achievement Test in Grade 6 and Fourth Year High School By Region, SY

Sources: again-with-more/ NATIONAL EDUCATIONAL TESTING AND RESEARCH CENTER CEM Diagnostic Tests of James Matthew B. David and Jullienne Margaret B. David GLT of the reporter