Chapter 14 Understanding and Using Standardized Tests Viewing recommendations for Windows: Use the Arial TrueType 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 TrueType font and set your monitor resolution to at least 800 by 600 pixels with Color Depth set to thousands of colors.
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company14–2 Overview Standardized tests Using standardized tests for accountability purposes: High-stakes testing Standardized testing and technology
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company14–3 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 Company14–4 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 Company14–5 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 Company14–6 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 Company14–7 Types of achievement tests Assesses one’s competence in selected basic skill areas; often taken to graduate. Competency test Single-subject test designed to identify specific strengths and weaknesses. Diagnostic test Assesses how much one has learned in multiple school subjects. Achievement battery Assesses how much one has learned in a particular school subject. Single-subject achievement test DescriptionType of Test
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company14–8 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 Company14–9 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 Company14–10 The normal probability curve
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company14–11 Relationship among z scores, T scores, and percentile ranks
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company14–12 Percentage of cases in each Stanine
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company14–13 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 Company14–14 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 Company14–15 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 state-mandated test to be promoted
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company14–16 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 Company14–17 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
End of Chapter 14 Understanding and Using Standardized Tests