MELS 601 Ch. 7

If curriculum can be defined most simply as what is taught in the school, then instruction is the how —the methods and techniques that support and aid students in their learning (p. 115). What strategies does your school employ to meet the individual differences among your children?

 A Norm-Referenced test uses the group as a basis for comparison  Examples are Achievement Tests  **The purpose of these tests is to allow educators to compare groups or norms, not necessarily to measure what a student knows about a specific body of knowledge**

 Raw Score  How many questions were answered correctly, they have very little meaning  Standard Score  Standard scores are computed by comparing an individual student’s raw score to the scores of the norming population.  Stanines  The stanine score is useful for interpreting where a particular child performs relative to the group.  Normal Curve Equivalent  The normal curve equivalent is another way of describing where a student’s score falls along the normal curve.

 Scaled Score  A scaled score is a mathematical transformation of a raw score, it takes into account the differences in the difficulty of items and is calculated to provide a more precise measure of the knowledge or skills tested.  Gain Score  A gain score is a measure of how much a child’s test scores have climbed the test scale from one administration of the test to the next, or across multiple administrations of the test potentially spanning the child’s entire testing career.

 Value-Added Assessment  A value-added assessment is a statistical tool for gauging how much students gain in academic achievement in a given year. Stated in another way, it reflects how much “value” ahs been added to the development of a child by his or her schooling.

 A criterion-referenced test measures a student’s specific knowledge or skills against a certain criteria or curriculum standard. These criteria are generally the curriculum prescribed for the classroom, school, district, or state.

 How does your school use data in making decisions?  What is an appropriate way to group students to maximize learning?  Are there inappropriate ways? If so, what are they and how do you as a new principal change this practice?

 In your three groups discuss Activity 2 on pg. 138 of your text.  Reflect on the instructional strategies and behaviors in your respective school.  Identify one or more areas where restructuring should take place.  Why do you believe so?  Apply concepts of this chapter to your school.  How would you proceed to restructure your school’s instructional program.  Be prepared to report out similarities and differences you discussed in your group