Educational Assessment: Unit 11

mean

The arithmetic average that is determined by adding together a set of scores and dividing by the number of scores.

effort

grading on a basis of _ distorts the meaning of results. low achieving students who put forth great efforts would receive higher scores than those who are high achieving and don't have to put forth much effort.

learning ability

grading on the basis of _ _ has sometimes been used at the elementary level to motivate students with less ability.

electronic grading

grading that can be done with the use of a simple spreadsheet program that can be used to set up your own grading system for recording combining, and reporting grades.

1. percentile rank 2. grade equivalent scores 3. standard scores

most commonly used types of derived scores used in school achievement testing are:

-3 to +3

normal distribution of scores falls between _ and _ standard deviations from the mean

1. Inform students at the beginning of instruction what grading procedures will be used. 2. Base grades on student achievement, and achievement only. 3. Base grades on a wide variety of valid assessment data 4. When combining scores for grading, use a proper weighting technique. 5. Select an appropriate frame of reference for grading. 6. Review borderline cases by reexamining all achievement evidence.

the following guidelines provide a framework that should help clarify and standardize each task for the students

frequency

the number of students obtaining each score is listed in the _ column

high to low

the raw scores are ranked from _ to _ on a percentile rank

relative grading

the students are typically ranked in order of performance (based on a set of test scores or combined assessment results), and the students ranking highest receive a letter grade of A, the next highest receive a B, and so on.

cumulative frequency

the sum of the frequencies for adding each score frequency to the frequency of all lower scores

improvement

using the amount of _ as a basis of grading can be seen as an issue because scores are unreliable, little improvement can be shown if scores on entry tests are high, and grades lack meaning as indicators of achievement.

Absolute Grading

A common type is the use of letter grades defined by a 100-point system. In the case of an individual test, this 100-point system might represent the percentage of items correct or the total number of points earned on the test. When used as a final grade, it typically represents a combining of scores from various tests and other assessment results.

grade equivalent scores

A derived score that indicates the grade level at which an individual's score matches the average score (e.g., a grade equivalent score of 4.5 indicates the raw score matches the average score of students in the middle of the fourth grade).

criterion referenced interpretation

A description of an individual's performance in terms of the tasks he or she can and cannot perform. and _ _ _ require a check on how well the objectives, content, and skills of the test match the local instructional program; whether the construction of the test favors criterion-referenced interpretation; whether there is a sufficient number of test items for each type of interpretation; and how the performance standards are determined.

standard error of measurement

A method of expressing reliability that estimates the amount of error in test scores. It is the standard deviation of the errors of measurement and is used to compute the error bands (e.g., percentile bands) used in interpreting test scores.

normal-curve equivalent score

A normalized standard score that ranges from 1 to 99 with a mean of 50. It is used for reporting performance on standardized achievement tests.

percentile bands

A range of percentile ranks that sets reasonable limits within which an individual's true score is likely to fall. It takes into account the inconsistency of obtained scores due to errors of measurement (also called an error band or confidence band).

norms

Data that describe the performance of individuals in some reference group (e.g., national norms, local norms). _ represent average or typical performance and are not to be interpreted as standards.

stanine scores

A standard score that ranges from 1 to 9 with a mean of 5. Each_ is one-half of a standard deviation wide, except 1 and 9 at the ends of the distribution.

normal curve

A symmetrical bell-shaped curve based on a precise mathematical equation. It is widely used in interpreting standardized test scores because of its fixed mathematical properties (e.g., when standard deviations are plotted along the baseline of the curve, each portion of the curve contains a fixed percentage of scores)

standard score

A term used to describe a variety of derived scores that convert raw scores to a standard scale for a more useful interpretation of test results.

percentile rank

The percentage of individuals in a group scoring at or below a given score

percentage correct score

The percentage of items that an individual answers correctly on a test, or the percentage of tasks an individual performs correctly on a performance assessment.

raw score

The score that is obtained when first scoring a test or performance task (also called an obtained score). - frequently converted to some type of derived score for interpretation (e.g., percentile rank or standard scores).

battery of tests

Two or more tests standardized on the same sample of students, so that performance on the different tests can be compared using a common norm group.

developmental objectives

_ _ are concerned with higher level learning outcomes such as understanding, application, and thinking skills.

minimal objectives

_ _ are concerned with knowledge, skill, and other lower-level learning outcomes that represent the minimum essentials of the course.

letter grades

_ _ are typically assigned by comparing a student's performance to a prespecified standard of performance or to the performance of the members of a group.

comprehensive report form

a _ _ _ should contain a place for an achievement grade (uncontaminated by effort, tardiness, misbehavior, or similar factors), a separate grade for effort (if desired), and a list of the intended learning outcomes, work habits, and personal characteristics to be rated

z-score

a measure of how many standard deviations you are away from the norm (average or mean)

standardized achievement tests

are designed to determine how well students are achieving a common set of broadly based goals

Ability scores

scores received from a test of learning ability to the same norm groups as the achievement battery to make comparisons of learning ability and achievement possible. has a mean of 100 and SD of 16

t-scores

standard score with a mean of 50 and a standard deviation of 10 and are obtained from zscores by multiplying the zscore by 10 and adding the results to 50

1. Square each score in the set. 2. Add these squared values to obtain a total. 3. Divide the total by the number of scores in the set. 4. Square the mean of the set of scores. 5. Subtract the squared mean in step 4 from the result obtained in step 3. 6. Take the square root of the difference obtained in step 5. This is the standard deviation (SD or s).

steps to follow when calculating standard deviation

1. Select assessments to be included in the composite score and assign percentages. 2. Record desired weight for each assessment. 3. Equate range of scores by using multiplier. 4. Determine weight to apply to each score by multiplying "desired weight" by "multiplier to equate ranges."

steps to use when computing composite scores for grading

pass-fail

the _ _ decision should be based on whether the minimal objectives have been mastered.