Chapter 4

Project

A complex assignment involving more than one type of activity and production. Projects can take a variety of form; some example are mural construction, a shared service project , or other collaborative or individual effort.

Norm

A distribution of scores obtained from a norm group.The norm is the mid point (or medium) of scores or performance of the students in that group. 50% will score above and 50% below the norm.

Performance based assessment

A test of the ability to apply knowledge in a real life setting. Assessment of the performance is done using a rubric or analytic scoring guide to aid in objectivity.

Essay test

A test that requires students to answer questions in writing; responses can be brief or extensive.

Analytic Scoring

A type of rubic scoring that separates the whole into categories of criteria that are examined one at a time. For ex: student writing, might be scored on the basic of grammar, organization, and clarity of ideas. Useful as a diagnostic tool.

Item analysis

Analyzing each item on a test to determine the proportions of students selecting each answer;can be used to evaluate student strengths and weaknesses; may point to problems with the test's validity and to possible bias.

High Stakes testing

Any testing program whose results have important consequences for students, teachers, schools and/or districts. Such stakes may include promotion, certification, graduation, or denial/approval of services and opportunity.

Multiple choice test

A test in which students are presented with a question or an incomplete sentence or idea. The students are expected to choose the correct or best answers/completion from a menu of alternatives.

Subjective test

A test in which the impression or opinion of the assessor determines the score or evaluation of performance; this type of test does not provide the learner with answer in advance.

Criterion reference test

A test in which the result can be used to determine a student's progress toward mastery of a content area. Performance is compared to an expected level of mastery in a content area rather than to other students scores. The scores have meaning in terms of what the student knows or can do, rather than how the test taker compares to a reference or norm group.

Competency test

A test intended to establish that a student has met established minimum standards of skills and knowledge and is thus eligible for promotion, graduation, certification, or other official acknowledgement of achievement.

Process

A general method of doing something, involving steps or operations which are usually ordered and/or interdependent. Process can be evaluated as part of an assessment, as in the example of evaluating a student 's performance during pre-writing exercises leading up to the final production of an essay or paper.

Profile

A graphic compilation of the performance of an individual on a series of assessments.

Cognitive objective

A learning objective that has three main components: the condition, behavior and degree

Outcome

A operationally defined educational goal, usually a culminating activity, product or performance that can be measured.

Constructive response questions

A question that requires students to construct or create something to answer the question rather than choosing from a given list.

Norm group

A random group of students selected by a test developer to take a test to provide a range of scores and establish the percentiles of performance for use in establishing scoring standards.

Percentile

A ranking scale ranging from a low of 1 to high of 99, with 50 as the median score. A percentile rank indicates the percentage of a reference or norm group obtaining scores equal to or less than the test-taker's score. A percentile score does not refer to the percentage of questions answered correctly; it indicates the test taker's standing relative to norm-group standard.

Achievement Test

A standardized test designed to efficiently measure the amount of knowledge and/or skills a person has acquired, usually as a result of classroom instruction. Such testing produces a statistical profile used as a measurement to evaluate student learning in comparison with a standard or norm.

Portfolio

A systematic and organized collection of a student's work that exhibits to others the direct evidence of a student's efforts, achievements, and process over a period of time. The collection should involve the student in selection of its content and should include information about the performance criteria, the rubric or criteria for judging merit, and evidence of student self reflection or evaluation.

Objective test

A test for which the scoring procedure is completely specified, enabling agreement among different scorers.

Norm reference tests

A test in which a student's or group's performance is compared to that of a norm group. The student or group scores will not fall evenly on either side of the medium established by the original test takers. The results are relative to the performance of an external group and are designed to be compared with the norm group providing a performance standard. Often used to measure and compare students, schools, districts and states on the basis of norm established scales of achievement.

Standards

Agreed upon values used to measure the quality of student performance, instructional method, curriculum, etc.

Mastery test

An assessment that shows mastery of a given skill or concept. If a student struggles to pass, he or she may be lacking a prerequisite skill.

Standardized test

An objective test that is given and scored in a uniform manner. Are carefully constructed and items are selected after trials for appropriateness and difficulty.

Formative assessment

Assessment occurring during the process of a unit or a course.

Evaluation

Both qualitative and quantitative descriptions of process towards and attainment of project goals; using collected information( assessment) to make informed decisions about continued instruction, programs and activities.

Assessment

Educational context;the process of observing learning;describing,collecting,recording,scoring and interpreting information about a student's or one's own learning. Used to determine placement, promotion,graduation or retention. Is an essential tool evaluate the effectiveness of changes in the teaching learning process.

Authentic Assessment

Evaluating by asking for the behavior the learning is intended to produce; ideally mirroring and measuring student performance in a "real-world" context. Tasks used in authentic assessment are meaningful and valuable, and are part of the learning process. It is also the concept of model, practice, feedback in which students know what excellent performance is and are guided to practice an entire concept rather than bits and pieces in preparation for eventual understanding. A variety of techniques can be employed in authentic assessment. The goal of authentic assessment is to gather evidence that student can use knowledge effectively and be able to critique their own efforts.

Summative Assessment

Evaluation at the conclusion of a unit or units of instruction or activity or plan, to determine or judge student skills and knowledge or effectiveness of a plan activity.

Holistic method

In assessment, assigning a single score based on an overall assessment of performance rather than by scoring or analyzing dimensions individually. The product is considered to be more than the sum of its parts, and so the quality of a final product or performance is evaluated rather than the process of dimension of performance.

Rubric

In general, a scoring guide used in subjective assessments . Can be explicit description of performance characteristics corresponding to a point on the rating scale.

Anecdotal Records

Informal evaluate. A teacher records observation of student performance and over time they can see patterns of growth.

Scale scores

Scores based on scale ranging from 001 to 999 . Useful comparing performance in one subject area across classes, schools, districts and other large populations, especially in monitoring change over time.

Mean

One of several ways of representing a group with a single, typical score. It is figure by adding up all the individual scores in a group and dividing them by the number of people in the group. This is also known as the average and can be affected by extremely low and high score.

Portfolio assessment

Portfolios may be assessed in a variety of ways. Each piece may be individually scored, or the portfolio might be assessed merely for the presence of required pieces, or a holistic scoring process might be used and an evaluation made on the basis of an overall impression of the student's collected work.

Measurement

Quantitative description of student learning and qualitative description of student attitude.

Score criteria

Rules for assigning a score or the dimensions of proficiency in performance used to describe student's response to task. May include rating scales,checklist,answer keys, and other scoring tool.

Benchmark

Student performance standards( the levels of student competence in content area); an actual measurement of group performance against an established standard at defined points along the path toward the standard. Subsequent measurement of group performance use the benchmarks to measure progress toward achievement.

Journals

Students' personal records and reactions to various aspects of learning and developing ideas. A reflective process often found to consolidate and enhance learning.

Quartile

The breakdown of an aggregate of percentile rankings into four categories: 0-25th percentile, 26th-50th percentile, etc.

Curriculum alignment

The degree to which a curriculum's scope and sequence matches a testing program's evaluate measures.

Metecognition

The knowledge of one 's own thinking processes and strategies and the ability to consciously reflect and act on the knowledge of cognition to modify those processes and strategies.

Self assessment

The learner uses an assessment list or rubric and benchmarks to assess his or her own work.

Reliability

The measure of consistency for an assessment instrument. The instrument should yield similar results over time with similar populations in similar circumstances.

Median

The point on a scale that divides a group into two equal subgroup.

Performance criteria

The standard by which student performance is evaluated. Performance criteria help assessor maintain objectively and provides students with important information about expectation, giving them a target or goal to strive for.

Product

The tangible and stable result of a performance or task. An assessment is made of student performance based on evaluation of the product of a demonstration of learning.

Validity

The test measure the desired performance and appropriate inferences can be drawn from the results. The assessment accurately reflects the learning it was designed to measure.

Alternative Assessment

To describe alternatives to traditional, standardized, norm- or criterion referenced traditional paper and pencils testing. Might require students to answer an open-ended question, work out a solution to a problem, perform a demonstration of a skill, or in some way produce work rather than select an answer from choices on a sheet of paper .

Running record

Used to assess reading as a student reads from benchmark book or selection.