Assessment Terminology Flashcards
Ability
indicative of competence in a field
Ability Testing
use of standardized tests to evaluate an individual’s performance in a specific area
Achievement tests
standardized tests that measure knowledge and skills in academic subject areas
Accommodations
describe changes in format, response, setting, timing or scheduling that do not alter in any significant way what the test measures or the comparability of scores.
age equivalent
chronological age in a population for which a score is the median score
alternative assessment
an alternative to a paper and pencil test
non-conventional methods of assessing achievement
alternative forms
two or more versions of a test that are considered interchangeable
measure the same constructs in the same ways intended for same purposes
aptitude
individuals ability to learn or to develop proficiency in an area if provided with appropriate education or training
aptitude tests
measure an individuals collective knowledge; often used to predict learning potential
assessment
process of testing and measuring skills and abilities
battery
group or series of tests or subtests administered
most common test batteries are achievement tests that include subtests in different areas
bell curve
see normal distribution curve
benchmark
levels of academic performance used as checkpoints to monitor progress towards performance goals and/or academic standards
CBM
curriculum based measurement
ceiling
the highest level of performance or score that a test can reliably measure
classroom assessment
assessment developed, administered, and scored by a teacher to evaluate individual or classroom student performance
competency tests
tests that measure proficiency in subject areas like math and English
some states require that students pass competency tests before graduating
composite score
practice of combining two or more subtest scores to create an average or composite score
content area
an academic subject such as math, reading or English
content standards
expectations about what the child should know and be able to do in different subjects and grade levels
conversion table
a chart used to translate test scores into different measures of performance
core cirriculum
fundamental knowledge that all students are required to learn in school
criteria
guidelines or rules that are used to judge performance
criterion referenced tests
individuals performance is compared to an objective or performance standard, not to the performance of other students
curriculum
instructional plan of skills, lessons, and objectives on a particular subject
curriculum based measurement
measure student progress in academic areas including math, reading, writing and spelling.
child tested briefly each week
scores recorded on a graph and compared to the expected performance on content for that year
derived score
score to which raw scores are converted by numerical transformation
diagnostic test
used to diagnose,, analyze or identify specific areas of weakness and strength
determine the nature of weaknesses or deficiencies
diagnostic achievement tests are used to measure skills
equivalent forms
alternate forms
expected growth
average change in test scores that occurs over a specific time for individuals at age or grade levels
floor
the lowest score that a test can reliably measure
frequency distribution
method of displaying test scores
grade equivalents
test scores that equate a score to a particular grade level
intelligence tests
tests that measure aptitude or intellectual capacities
intelligence quotient (IQ)
score achieved on an intelligence test that identifies learning potential
item
question or exercise in a test or assessment
mastery level
cutoff score on a criterion referenced or mastery test
mastery test
determines whether an individual has mastered a unit of instruction or skill
provides information about what an individual knows
mean
average score
sum of individual scores divided by total number of scores
median
middle score in a distribution
mode
score or value that occurs most often
modifications
changes in the content, format, and/or administration of a test to accommodate test takers who are unable to take test under standard conditions
national percentile rank
indicates relative standing of one child when compared with others in the same grade
normal distribution curve
distribution of scores used to scale a test
bell shaped curve with most scores in middle
norm-referenced tests
standardization tests designed to compare the scores of children to scores achieved by children at the same age who have taken the same test
objectives
stated, desirable outcomes of education
out of level testing
means assessing students in one grade level using versions of tests that were designed for students in other grade levels
percentiles/percentile ranks
percentage of scores that fall below a point on a score distribution
performance standards
definitions of what a child must do to demonstrate proficiency at specific levels in content standards
portfolio
a collection of work that shows progress and learning
can be designed to assess progress, learning, effort or achievement
power test
measures performance unaffected by speed of response
items usually arranged in order of increasing difficulty
progress monitoring
scientifically based practice used to assess students’ academic performance and evaluate the effectiveness of instruction
can be implemented with individual students or entire class
raw score
number of questions answered correctly on a test or subtests
converted to percentile ranks, standard scores, grade equivalent and age equivalent scores
reliability
consistency with which a test measures the area being tested
describes the extent to which a test is dependable, stable and consistent when administered to the same individuals on different occasions
response to intervention (RTI)
use of research based instruction and interventions to students who are at risk and who are suspected of having specific learning disabilities
scaled score
represent approximately equal units on a continuous scale
facilitate conversions to other types of scores
can use to examine change in performance over time
score
specific number that results from the assessment of an individual
standard score
score on norm-referenced tests that are based on the bell curve and its equal distribution of scores from the average of the distribution
allow for comparison between students or one student over time
standard deviation
measure of the variability of a distribution of scores
more scores clustered around the mean = smaller standard deviation.
normal distribution: 68% of scores fall within one standard deviation
standardization
consistent set of procedures for designing, administering and scoring an assessment
ensure all individuals are assessed under the same conditions and are not influenced by different conditions
standardized tests
uniformly developed, administered and scored
stanine
standard score between 1 and 9, with a mean of 5 and a standard deviation of 2
first stannic is the lowest and the 9th stanine is the highest
subtest
group of test items that measure a specific area
t-score
standard score with a mean of 50 and a standard deviation of 10
t-score of 60 represents a score that is 1 standard deviation above the mean
test
collection of questions that may be divided into subtests that measure abilities in an area or in several areas
test bias
difference in test scores that is attributable to demographic variables
validity
extent to which a test measures the skills it sets out to measure and the extent to which inferences and actions made on the basis of test scores are appropriate and accurate
z-score
standard score with a mean of 0 and a standard deviation of 1
