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"53 Ways to Check for Understanding" by Edutopia (from ESQREM 3005)

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"53 Ways to Check for Understanding" by Edutopia (from ESQREM 3005)

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Formative assessments are ways to check students' progressing understandings of what they are expected to learn as set by learning objectives/goals based on state standards.The article "53 Ways to Check for Understanding" (Edutopia), provides 53 types of formative assessment that can be used by teachers to observe and record students' growth as learners during ongoing lessons.

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"Your Image of the Child" by Malaguzzi (from EDUTL 5123)

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"Your Image of the Child" by Malaguzzi (from EDUTL 5123)

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As individuals in the teaching profession, we must explore and understand what our image of the child is because this will affect how we teach and assess students. We must try our best not to have biases against students based on their identities so we can encourage all students to grow through our teaching and assessing/giving constructive feedback.

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Your Image of the Child - Where Teaching Begins

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"Embedding Formative Assessment into the 5E Instructional Model" (from EDUTL 5129)

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"Embedding Formative Assessment into the 5E Instructional Model" (from EDUTL 5129)

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The 5E instructional model was introduced in my PreK - 3 science class. It includes engage, explore, explain, elaborate, and evaluate. When designing a lesson(s) using the 5E model, formative assessments can be implemented especially within the science classroom where inquiry is encouraged!

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Embedding Formative Assessment into the 5E Model

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English Language Arts: Primary Spelling Inventory (K-3) (from EDUTL 5102)

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English Language Arts: Primary Spelling Inventory (K-3) (from EDUTL 5102)

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This formative assessment can be used to observe and analyze students' knowledge of spelling and writing (grades K-3). This is commonly used...I have before in a previous education language/word study class at OSU and it is very successful!

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English Language Arts: Elementary Spelling Inventory (Grade 1 and up) (from EDUTL 5102)

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English Language Arts: Elementary Spelling Inventory (Grade 1 and up) (from EDUTL 5102)

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This formative assessment can be used to observe and analyze students' knowledge of spelling and writing (grade 1 and up). This is commonly used...I have before in a previous education language/word study class at OSU and it is very successful!

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Sociocultural Concepts during Formative Assessment in the Classroom

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Sociocultural Concepts during Formative Assessment in the Classroom (from EDUTL 5123)

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Sociocultural Concepts during Formative Assessment in the Classroom (from EDUTL 5123)

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This video, from an OSU preschool classroom, displays sociocultural concepts such as authentic social/cultural activity, dialogue/participation in the form of thinking/cognition, mediation, ZPD, etc. which all become natural parts of formative assessment.

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Giving students the opportunity to draw what they understand is a higher-ordered thinking question. It allows teachers to assess what students think is most important about the content they are learning. This is a unique practice I might use in my classroom if it is truly beneficial to my students' learning.

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Students don't need highly developed artistic skills to express what they're learning by sketching it out, and their drawings can often tell you more than a simple multiple choice quiz or writing assignment can. For more on this topic, check out Shveta Miller's article " Using Drawings for Formative Assessment."

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Assessing Student Understanding Through Drawings

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When students translate the concepts they're learning into visual representations, it reveals much about how deeply they understand the material.

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IXL Platform Used for *Personalized*  Learning and Assessment

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IXL Platform Used for *Personalized*  Learning and Assessment

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IXL is a Common Core platform used to assess students in Math, English Language Arts, Science, Social Studies, and Spanish based on their individual learning levels. It is used in my junior year field placement for Math. It is important to list as a resource because it helps teachers interpret and use students' data to continue planning lessons and assessments.

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IXL *is* personalized learning - Overview for teachers and administrators

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"How to Design Better Tests, Based on the Research" Edutopia

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"How to Design Better Tests, Based on the Research" Edutopia

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This article outlines some ways teachers can design better tests to help increase students' motivations to learn and gives actual evidence for better tests.

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Yet a third group was stupefied, questioning the teacher's ability to write good questions. "Think the person who came up with that question really doesn't know how an orchestra works!" the Wexford Sinfonia Orchestra tweeted.

It's a trick question, Longmoor admitted, one designed to keep her students on their toes, echoing a common sentiment among test makers that such questions force students to read carefully, ensuring that they attend to substantive questions later on. But do trick questions actually work as intended?

Andrew Butler, a professor of psychological and brain sciences at Washington University, doesn't think so. Trick questions are not "productive for learning" and can easily backfire, he says. The result: confused students, artificially reduced test performance, and a murkier picture of what students actually know.

Other research on test design suggests that all too often, we're not just assessing what students know, but also getting a peek into the psychological and cognitive eddies that disrupt a student's thinking-a high-stakes test that causes anxiety can become a barometer of a student's poise, rather than their knowledge. A well-designed test is rigorous and keeps implicit bias in check, while being mindful of the role that confidence, mindset, and anxiety play in test taking. Here are eight tips to create effective tests, based on a review of more than a dozen recent studies.

1. HELP STUDENTS DEVELOP GOOD TEST PREP HABITS

Students often overestimate how prepared they are for an upcoming test, which can result in unexpected low performance, according to a 2017 study. Consider asking students to make and show you a study plan involving productive study strategies like self-quizzing, teaching the major concepts to peers, or spacing out their studying into multiple sessions instead of cramming the night before.

To help address test anxiety, researchers recommend setting aside a little time for simple writing or self-talk exercises before the test-they allow students to shore up their confidence, recall their test-taking strategies, and put the exam into perspective. In a 2019 study, for example, elementary students who spent a few minutes before a test and "silently spoke words of encouragement to themselves that were focused on effort" saw their math scores rise. And in a 2019 study of ninth graders, researchers found that a simple 10-minute expressive writing activity that reframed test anxiety as "a beneficial and energizing force" led to course failure rates being cut in half for vulnerable students.

2. FIND THE SWEET SPOT FOR RIGOR

Design tests so they're at an appropriate level of difficulty for your students. Overly difficult tests not only sap students' motivation but also increase the likelihood that students will remember the wrong answers, according to a 2018 study.

In the end, "tests that are extremely easy or difficult are essentially useless for both assessment and learning," the study concludes. Students who study moderately should get roughly 70 to 80 percent of the questions correct.

3. BUT START WITH EASY QUESTIONS

Don't start a test with challenging questions; let students ease into a test. Asking difficult questions to probe for deep knowledge is important, but remember that confidence and mindset can dramatically affect outcomes-and therefore muddy the waters of your assessment.

A 2021 study found that students were more likely to do worse on a test if difficult questions were at the beginning instead of nearer to the middle or the end of the test. "Students might be disheartened by seeing a hard question early in the test, as a signal of the general difficulty of the rest of the test," the researchers explain.

4. BE AWARE OF IMPLICIT BIAS

Question format matters. In a 2018 study, researchers analyzed test scores for 8 million students and discovered that boys tend to outperform girls on multiple-choice questions, accounting for roughly 25 percent of the gender achievement gap. Girls performed significantly better than boys on open-ended questions. Consider the mix of your testing formats: Combine traditional testing formats-multiple choice, short answer, and essay questions-with creative, open-ended assessments that can elicit different strengths and interests.

Be mindful, as well, of how cultural or racial bias and background knowledge can infiltrate the language and framing of test questions. In an infamous example, an SAT analogy question required students to select "oarsman:regatta" in response to the word pair "runner:marathon," an expectation that was fraught with classist, racial, and geographic overtones.

Other studies reveal that without a threshold of background knowledge, students fail to grasp the intent of their reading-an incorrect answer on a test may signify the failure to determine the meaning of the question, rather than measure the student's understanding of the material. Keep test questions free of unnecessary jargon, revise tests to simplify questions, and consider allowing students to ask for clarification before you start the test.

5. AVOID TRICK QUESTIONS

While it may be tempting to include trick questions to make sure that students are paying attention, they can get stuck or confused, wasting precious time and compromising the rest of the test as a result, a 2018 study concludes.

Tests aren't just tools to evaluate learning; they can also alter a student's understanding of a topic. So if students try to recall information they're unsure about, they may reconstruct it incorrectly, increasing the likelihood that they will retain false information. For example, if you asked, "What was George Washington's goal with writing the Emancipation Proclamation?" some students may commit it to memory and connect the wrong president to the seminal historical document.

6. BREAK TESTS APART

Instead of a single high-stakes test, consider breaking it into smaller low-stakes tests that you can spread throughout the school year. That strategy alleviated test anxiety for 72 percent of middle and high school students, according to a 2014 study.

The likely reason? When students take high-stakes tests, their cortisol levels-a biological marker for stress-rise dramatically, impeding their ability to concentrate and artificially lowering test scores, a 2018 study found. Stress is a normal part of test-taking, but there are kinds of stress that should be avoided, such as whether the student thinks they'll be able to finish.

7. TRY TO MINIMIZE THE EFFECTS OF TIME LIMITS

Time limits are unavoidable, but you can mitigate their pernicious effects on anxiety levels. "Evidence strongly suggests that timed tests cause the early onset of math anxiety for students across the achievement range," explains Jo Boaler, mathematics professor at Stanford. This extends to other subjects as well, according to a 2020 study, which also found that timed tests disproportionately harm students with disabilities.

If a student aces most of the test but then gets the last few questions wrong or leaves them blank, it's possible that they panicked as the time limit approached-or knew the information intimately but simply couldn't finish the test. It may be helpful to time yourself taking the test and cut a few questions so that it's clearly shorter than your class period.

8. PERIODICALLY, LET STUDENTS WRITE THEIR OWN TESTS

Sometimes, less design is better: The research suggests that one effective strategy, at least periodically, is to ask students to write their own test questions.

In a 2020 study, students who generated test questions scored 14 percentage points higher than students who simply reviewed the material. "Question generation promotes a deeper elaboration of the learning content," explains psychology professor Mirjam Ebersbach. "One has to reflect what one has learned and how an appropriate knowledge question can be inferred from this knowledge." Model question-asking for students -highlighting your own examples first-and then teach them how to ask good questions. They may start with simple factual questions, but with enough practice, they can propose questions that start with "Explain" or that dig deeper into a topic with how and why questions.

9. AFTER-TEST STRATEGIES

Beyond test design, there's the important question of what happens after a test. All too often, students receive a test, glance at the grade, and move on. But that deprives them, and the teacher, of a valuable opportunity to address misconceptions and gaps in knowledge. Don't think of tests as an endpoint to learning. Follow up with feedback, and consider strategies like " exam wrappers "- short metacognitive writing activities that ask students to review their performance on the test and think about ways they could improve in future testing scenarios.

You might also rethink your policy around test retakes. While students can certainly take unfair advantage of some test-retaking policies, there are innovative approaches that preserve the integrity of the initial test while allowing students to recover partial credit for materials they haven't successfully learned. Set clear limits, pose a different set of questions-or allow partial credit for demonstrating deep knowledge of questions they missed on the test-or ask students to reflect on why they missed earlier questions and what they can do to improve in the future, teachers recommend.

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How to Design Better Tests, Based on the Research

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Yet a third group was stupefied, questioning the teacher's ability to write good questions. "Think the person who came up with that question really doesn't know how an orchestra works!" the Wexford Sinfonia Orchestra tweeted.

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This video explains how a school in Nevada accomplished their mission of making every child feel known. I believe that this is one of THE most important responsibilities we have as teachers. It is our job to make all of our students feel known and loved which, in turn, will help them learn better and happier.

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I-Ready Math is an online math program that allows students to practice their math skills (formative assessments) at their own pace. I've seen I-ready be used and successful for students in my junior year field placement for 4th grade.

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Science: "How to Bring Student Choice to Assessment in Science Classes"

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Science: "How to Bring Student Choice to Assessment in Science Classes"

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From my understanding, student choice is important for students' learning & assessments because it increases their self-efficacy to show what they truly know! Although uncommon, in the article linked above, a teacher gives students the opportunity to be assessed on something of their choice involving art (part of STREAM - Science, Technology, Reading, Engineering, Art, and Math). I will make sure to incorporate student choice into my lesson plans and assessments with strong criteria/rubrics.

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What happens when students can opt to skip tests and instead give oral presentations or create art to show what they know?

Art Directors & TRIP / Alamy Stock Photo

One day while I was giving a lecture on the life cycle of ferns in a Biology I class, I noticed several students doodling rather than taking notes. Having learned to pick my battles, I ignored this rather than making a big deal about it.

When class was over, I asked one of the doodlers if I could see his notebook. I was flabbergasted to see that he'd made a series of spot-on sketches on the life cycle of ferns.

He explained that he was experimenting with a new note-taking technique using art. He'd been sketching his way through several other classes and was fairly certain that he was understanding and remembering the content better. I told him to continue doing whatever helped and to keep me posted.

Throughout the semester I noticed ways that other students excelled. One enjoyed giving oral reports that incorporated video clips and digital pieces of supporting evidence. Another crafted beautifully written essays, and another was an encourager in her small group, leading her group through some rather sophisticated problem-solving.

How Students Show What They Know

I made a list of all of the ways in which I evaluated my students throughout the semester. There were seven: journaling, lab work, oral reports, a writing cluster (drama, fiction, poetry, and essays), small group work, artwork, and written tests.

When the spring semester began, I told my students that I would be evaluating them using a new approach what would bring student choice to assessment.

Here's the system I set up: Each student would choose at least three modes from the list above for the nine-week grading period. If they didn't want to take tests, they wouldn't have to-they would use other modes to demonstrate the learning that I would previously have tested. Once they made their choices, they had to stick with them for the whole grading period.

It's important to note that students were evaluated only with the modes that they selected. Let's say that a student didn't chose lab work. When we went into the lab, that student went with us-and could participate-but would not receive a grade. I never left any students unattended, and they always had the option to participate.

To evaluate their art and writing-not a common practice in science-I developed Fact Sheets, one for art and one for writing, that were a relatively easy way to do this objectively. If a student created a poster to show their learning, they had to attach an Art Fact Sheet that included 10 facts from the content for that objective that were evident in the poster. On a poster of a typical animal cell, for example, they might write, "Animal cells have mitochondria that are involved in energy production." They would prepare a legend that allowed me to easily identify their facts.

I used the same approach for writing. If a student wrote a short play based on bioengineering principles, for example, they would attach a Writing Fact Sheet and underline the facts from the content for that objective, numbering each one for easy identification.

Writing in science journals can be very subjective: How would I assign a grade to a student's thoughts? Sometimes I used specific questions that had to be addressed. If the student did address the questions, credit was given. At other times I asked that they write a half-page on a given topic. If they did, I gave them full credit.

To make sure their parents and guardians understood this system, I held three open houses and invited several of our local business partners to participate by bringing snacks and a few cool door prizes-I really wanted to encourage participation because it was important that parents understand how my system would work. About 75 percent of my students' homes were represented.

What Students Chose

It was no surprise that very few students signed up to take tests. For the two or three students in each class who chose traditional testing as one of their modes, I made sure they had a comfortable space in the breezeway between the classroom and the lab. Other students worked on their projects while test-takers were busy. It worked out quite well.

Although the student choices were all over the board, the overall percentages that first semester looked like this:

lab work: 95 percent of students

small group work: 93 percent

journaling: 90 percent

oral reports: 40 percent

writing cluster: 15 percent

artwork: 12 percent

written tests: 6 percent

The most common choice combination was lab work, small group work, and journaling-a combination that seems naturally tailored for an active science classroom and lab. Students did not have to participate in the activities of the modes they didn't choose, so 5 percent of my students didn't do the lab work, 7 percent of them didn't participate in small group work, and so on.

Students often forgot what choices they made, so I posted their choices in lists on the back of the classroom door. I also posted the protocols, guidelines, and deadlines on large poster boards.

In order to prevent deadline overload, I staggered deadlines so that no student had more than one project due on any single day-the products in each mode were due on different days.

Reality Check: My Principal's Input

My principal was curious about my new system-and concerned about whether my students were meeting all of the standards and objectives. He asked me to administer one written test at the end of each grading period. Although I didn't think this was necessary, he was the principal.

As it turned out, most of my students performed well on those tests, and after a year my principal seemed convinced that the new system worked well without them.

My original goals in giving students a choice in how I would evaluate them were to provide ownership in the process, to put the burden of responsibility of learning on the students' shoulders, and to help each student be as successful as possible. I also wanted them to discover on their own which modes worked best for them. Most found it refreshing to know that if they made poor choices, they could change them in the next grading period.

An unexpected side effect was that I was never bored-the students constantly surprised me with their creations and apparent understanding of content. And switching from orthodox methods of evaluating student progress-written tests, canned lab activities, and the occasional report-to a choice system created an environment that fostered authentic understanding of scientific principles and concepts. Students began to see themselves thinking and behaving like scientists.

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Bringing Student Choice to Assessment in Science Classes

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What happens when students can opt to skip tests and instead give oral presentations or create art to show what they know? Art Directors & TRIP / Alamy Stock Photo One day while I was giving a lecture on the life cycle of ferns in a Biology I class, I noticed several students doodling rather than taking notes.

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Social Studies: "Formative Assessments in Social Studies"

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Social Studies: "Formative Assessments in Social Studies"

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This article highlights 10 formative assessments to try in the elementary classroom. My favorite of them all is "Bingo"! I will most definitely use these ideas in my future classroom when teaching Social Studies.

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This video is a pep talk to teachers and students from Kid President! It is meant to encourage other coworkers (teacher friends) and students!

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Kid President's Pep Talk to Teachers and Students!

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"How Students and Principals Understand ClassDojo: Emerging Insights"

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"How Students and Principals Understand ClassDojo: Emerging Insights"

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Often times, as teachers, we want to grade students based on their effort and behavior, but we know that grading should only be reflective of what a student knows/does not know on formative/summative/performance assessments. This article discusses how schools (including principals and teachers) use ClassDojo, a behavior management reward system for students. This is a great alternative to grading students based on effort and behavior.

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"3 Steps to Evolving as a Lifelong Learner"

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"3 Steps to Evolving as a Lifelong Learner"

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This article by Rowell emphasizes that as teachers, we are lifelong learners and she gives 3 steps for doing just that:
1. Reframe our mindset.
2. Be less helpful.
3. Ask more questions.
Read to find out more!

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3 Keys to Evolving as a Lifelong Learner

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Engaging in a process of learning, unlearning, and relearning puts educators on a path to continuous improvement.

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This website provides all the resources about student report cards in the state of Ohio. This resource is helpful for teachers who have/will have their licensure in the state of Ohio. All of what we assess students on will most likely be reported through this state system if we work for Ohio public schools.

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General Report Card Information

Ohio School Report Cards give your community a clear picture of the progress of your district and schools in raising achievement and preparing students for the future. They also include a performance management section users can access by clicking the "Financial Data" button at the top of each report card. The information measures district and school performance in the areas most critical to success in learning, as well as information on academic and financial performance metrics. Ohio School Report Cards data shows educators, school administrators and families where their schools are succeeding as well as areas where they need to improve.

Districts and schools report information for the Ohio School Report Cards on specific measures within six broader components. The components are Achievement, Progress, Gap Closing, Improving At-Risk K-3 Readers, Graduation Rate and Prepared for Success. Districts and schools earn letter grades on each of the six components, most of the individual measures and an overall summative rating. This helps give Ohio parents and schools a snapshot of the quality of education they are providing to students. The 2020-2021 report cards will have no grades or ratings due to short-term changes in Ohio law and approved waivers from the U.S. Department of Education.

Career Technical Planning District Report Cards

The Career-Technical Planning District Report Cards include specific marks of performance, called measures, within broad categories called components. They receive grades for up to six measures and four components. The 2020-2021 report cards will have no grades or ratings due to short-term changes in Ohio law and approved waivers from the U.S. Department of Education.

District and School Details

Dropout Prevention and Recovery Schools

Community schools that serve a majority of their students through dropout prevention and recovery programs receive the dropout prevention and recovery report card. Rather than A-F grades, these schools receive one of the following ratings for report card measures - Exceeds Standards, Meets Standards, or Does Not Meet Standards. The 2020-2021 report cards will have no grades or ratings due to short-term changes in Ohio law and approved waivers from the U.S. Department of Education.

Ohio recognizes schools for maintaining high academic achievement among their students, including many from economically disadvantaged circumstances that can make learning difficult.

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Report Card Resources | Ohio Department of Education

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The state’s accountability system and Ohio School Report Cards for the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 school years will look different because of short-term changes in Ohio law and the accountability waivers approved by the U.S. Department of Education. Therefore, updated spreadsheets reporting the letter…

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This article explains how to understand test results from a mathematical/stats POV and showcases evidence of it in practice.

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In order to understand test results from standardized tests it is important to be familiar with a variety of terms and concepts that are fundamental to "measurement theory," the academic study of measurement and assessment. Two major areas in measurement theory, reliability and validity, were discussed in the previous chapter; in this chapter we focus on concepts and terms associated with test scores.

The basics

Frequency distributions

A frequency distribution is a listing of the number of students who obtained each score on a test. If 31 students take a test, and the scores range from 11 to 30 then the frequency distribution might look like Table 1. We also show the same set of scores on a histogram or bar graph in Figure 1. The horizontal (or x-axis) represents the score on the test and the vertical axis ( y-axis) represents the number or frequency of students. Plotting a frequency distribution helps us see what scores are typical and how much variability there are in the scores. We describe more precise ways of determining typical scores and variability next.

Central tendency and variability

There are three common ways of measuring central tendency or which score(s) are typical. The mean is calculated by adding up all the scores and dividing by the number of scores. In the example in Table 1, the mean is 24. The median is the "middle" score of the distribution-that is half of the scores are above the median and half are below. The median on the distribution is 23 because 15 scores are above 23 and 15 are below. The mode is the score that occurs most often. In Table 1 there are actually two modes: 22 and 27. Thus, this distribution is described as bimodal. Calculating the mean, median and mode are important as each provides different information for teachers. The median represents the score of the "middle" students, with half scoring above and below, but does not tell us about the scores on the test that occurred most often. The mean is important for some statistical calculations but is highly influenced by a few extreme scores (called outliers) but the median is not. To illustrate this, imagine a test out of 20 points taken by 10 students, and most do very well but one student does very poorly. The scores might be 4, 18, 18, 19, 19, 19, 19, 19, 20, 20. The mean is 17.5 (175/10) but if the lowest score (4) is eliminated the mean is now is 1.5 points higher at 19 (171/9). However, in this example the median remains at 19 whether the lowest score is included. When there are some extreme scores the median is often more useful for teachers in indicating the central tendency of the frequency distribution.

The measures of central tendency help us summarize scores that are representative, but they do not tell us anything about how variable or how spread out are the scores. Figure 2 illustrates sets of scores from two different schools on the same test for fourth graders. Note that the mean for each is 40 but in School A the scores are much less spread out. A simple way to summarize variability is the range, which is the lowest score subtracted from the lowest score. In School A with low variability the range is (45 − 35) = 10; in the school B the range is (55 − 22 = 33).

However, the range is only based on two scores in the distribution, the highest and lowest scores, and so does not represent variability in all the scores. The standard deviation is based on how much, on average, all the scores deviate from the mean. In the example in Figure 2 the standard deviations are 7.73 for School A and 2.01 for School B. In Exhibit 1 below we demonstrate how to calculate the standard deviation.

Exhibit 1: Calculating a standard deviation

The scores from 11 students on a quiz are 4, 7, 6, 3, 10, 7, 3, 7, 5, 5, and 9. Complete the following steps:

1. Order scores.

2. Calculate the mean score.

3. Calculate the deviations from the mean.

4. Square the deviations from the mean.

5. Calculate the mean of the squared deviations from the mean (i.e. sum the squared deviations from the mean then divide by the number of scores). This number is called the variance.

6. Take the square root and you have calculated the standard deviation.

Completing the Steps

Step 2: Calculate Mean

[latex]\displaystyle\text{mean}=\frac{66}{11}=6\\[/latex]

Step 3: Calculate Deviations

[latex]\displaystyle\text{mean}=\frac{40}{11}=4.73\\[/latex]

Step 4-5: Complete the Calculations

[latex]\displaystyle\text{Standard deviation}=\frac{\sqrt{\sum\left(\text{score}-\text{mean}\right)^2}}{N}\\[/latex]

N = Number of scores

Step 6: Find the Standard Deviation

[latex]\displaystyle\text{Standard deviation}=\sqrt{4.73}=2.17\\[/latex]

The normal distribution

Knowing the standard deviation is particularly important when the distribution of the scores falls on a normal distribution. When a standardized test is administered to a very large number of students the distribution of scores is typically similar, with many students scoring close to the mean, and fewer scoring much higher or lower than the mean. When the distribution of scores looks like the bell shape shown in Figure 3 it is called a normal distribution. In the diagram we did not draw in the scores of individual students as we did in Figure 2, because distributions typically only fall on a normal curve when there are a large number of students; too many to show individually. A normal distribution is symmetric, and the mean, median and mode are all the same.

Normal curve distributions are very important in education and psychology because of the relationship between the mean, standard deviation, and percentiles. In all normal distributions 34 percent of the scores fall between the mean and one standard deviation of the mean. Intelligence tests often are constructed to have a mean of 100 and standard deviation of 15 and we illustrate that in Figure 4.

In Figure 4, 34 percent of the scores are between 100 and 115 and as well, 34 percent of the scores lie between 85 and 100. This means that 68 percent of the scores are between -1 and +1 standard deviations of the mean (i.e. 85 and 115). Note than only 14 percent of the scores are between +1 and +2 standard deviations of the mean and only 2 percent fall above +2 standard deviations of the mean.

In a normal distribution a student who scores the mean value is always in the fiftieth percentile because the mean and median are the same. A score of +1 standard deviation above the mean (e.g. 115 in Figure 4) is the 84 percent tile (50 percent and 34 percent of the scores were below 115). In Exhibit 10 we represent the percentile equivalents to the normal curve and we also show standard scores.

Kinds of test scores

A standard score expresses performance on a test in terms of standard deviation units above of below the mean (Linn & Miller, 2005). There are a variety of standard scores, including z-scores, T-scores, and stanines.

One type of standard score is a z-score, in which the mean is 0 and the standard deviation is 1. This means that a z-score tells us directly how many standard deviations the score is above or below the mean. For example, if a student receives a z score of 2 her score is two standard deviations above the mean or the eighty-fourth percentile. A student receiving a z score of -1.5 scored one and one half deviations below the mean. Any score from a normal distribution can be converted to a z score if the mean and standard deviation is known. The formula is:

[latex]\displaystyle\text{z-score}=\frac{\text{score }-\text{ mean score}}{\text{standard deviation}}\\[/latex]

So, if the score is 130 and the mean is 100 and the standard deviation is 15 then the calculation is:

[latex]\displaystyle\text{Z}=\frac{130-100}{15}=2\\[/latex]

If you look at Figure 4 you can see that this is correct-a score of 130 is 2 standard deviations above the mean and so the z score is 2.

A T-score has a mean of 50 and a standard deviation of 10. This means that a T-score of 70 is two standard deviations above the mean and so is equivalent to a z-score of 2.

Stanines (pronounced "staynines") are often used for reporting students' scores and are based on a standard nine point scale and with a mean of 5 and a standard deviation of 2. They are only reported as whole numbers and Figure 11-10 shows their relation to the normal curve.

Grade equivalent sores

A grade equivalent score provides an estimate of test performance based on grade level and months of the school year (Popham, 2005, p. 288). A grade equivalent score of 3.7 means the performance is at that expected of a third grade student in the seventh month of the school year. Grade equivalents provide a continuing range of grade levels and so can be considered developmental scores. Grade equivalent scores are popular and seem easy to understand however they are typically misunderstood. If, James, a fourth grade student, takes a reading test and the grade equivalent score is 6.0; this does not mean that James can do sixth grade work. It means that James performed on the fourth grade test as a sixth grade student is expected to perform.

Testing companies calculate grade equivalents by giving one test to several grade levels. For example a test designed for fourth graders would also be given to third and fifth graders. The raw scores are plotted and a trend line is established and this is used to establish the grade equivalents. Note that in Figure 5 the trend line extends beyond the grades levels actually tested so a grade equivalent above 5.0 or below 3.0 is based solely on the estimated trend lines.

Grade equivalent scores also assume that the subject matter that is being tested is emphasized at each grade level to the same amount and that mastery of the content accumulates at a mostly constant rate (Popham, 2005). Many testing experts warn that grade equivalent scores should be interpreted with considerable skepticism and that parents often have serious misconceptions about grade equivalent scores. Parents of high achieving students may have an inflated sense of what their child's levels of achievement.

References

Linn, R. L., & Miller, M. D. (2005). Measurement and Assessment in Teaching 9th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

Popham, W. J. (2005). Classroom Assessment: What teachers need to know. Boston:, MA: Pearson.

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In order to understand test results from standardized tests it is important to be familiar with a variety of terms and concepts that are fundamental to "measurement theory," the academic study of measurement and assessment. Two major areas in measurement theory, reliability and validity, were discussed in the previous chapter; in this chapter we focus on concepts and terms associated with test scores.

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"A Framework for Conceptualizing and Evaluating the Validity of Instructionally Relevant Assessments"

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"A Framework for Conceptualizing and Evaluating the Validity of Instructionally Relevant Assessments"

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This article is meant "to clarify the concept of validity, including key components of the interpretive argument, while considering the types and forms of evidence needed to construct a validity argument for classroom assessments. The framework's utility is illustrated by presenting an application to the analysis of the validity of assessments embedded within an elementary mathematics curriculum" (Pellegrino, 2016).

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"Determining Your Purpose for Assessing Student Learning"

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"Determining Your Purpose for Assessing Student Learning"

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This article published by Stanford University helps teachers to, as the title suggests, determine the teacher's purpose for assessing student learning because the decisions that we make about assessments (the why behind them) is absolutely necessary before we ever administer them. Click the link to learn more/see evidence!

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Determining Your Purpose for Assessing Student Learning | Tomorrow’s Professor Postings

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"Effects of Standardized Testing in Schools"

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"Effects of Standardized Testing in Schools"

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This article explains the role and reason for all standardized tests in relation to how teachers interpret, use, and report these assessment results. It supports that standardized testing is somewhat beneficial to students' learning and teachers' analyzation of what students know/do not know, but has its cons as well.

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Effects of Standardized Testing on Students & Teachers | American University

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What are the effects of standardized testing on students and teachers? Explore how standardized tests are used, including their key benefits and challenges.

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This article presents the "Assessment Purpose Triangle" which " illustrate[s] the balancing of purposes that needs to be considered in assessment for educational quality" and "argues that each of the three basic purposes of assessment, assessment to support learning; assessment for accountability; assessment for certification, progress, and transfer need to enjoy appropriate attention to support quality education" (Archer, 2017). Click the link to learn more/see evidence!

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"The Roles of Standardized Reading Tests in Schools"

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"The Roles of Standardized Reading Tests in Schools"

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This article explains the role and reason for standardized reading tests in relation to how teachers interpret, use, and report these assessment results. It supports that standardized reading testing is somewhat beneficial to students' learning and teachers' analyzation of what students know/do not know, but has its cons as well.

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Aligning Assessments with Learning Goals Project by Ava George (from ESQREM 3005)

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Aligning Assessments with Learning Goals Project by Ava George (from ESQREM 3005)

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This is one of my assignments from EDUTL 3005. According to the rubric, "The purpose of this assignment is to write measurable learning goals extracted from standards; relate the content to appropriate taxonomy levels; and design assessment(s) to determine progress or mastery. To situate this assignment, you will provide a scenario describing the academic subject, grade level, standards from which the learning goals were derived, and point in the unit of study" (Morris, 2022). From this assignment, I learned how to align assessments with learning goals in direct alignment with Ohio's learning standards.

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Aligning Assessments with Learning Goals Project - Ava George

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Performance Assessment and Rubric Development Project by Ava George (from ESQREM 3005)

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Performance Assessment and Rubric Development Project by Ava George (from ESQREM 3005)

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This is another one of my assignments from EDUTL 3005. According to the rubric, "The purpose of this assignment is to create a performance task and to develop an analytic rubric that can be used to grade the performance assessment. Provide a rationale for the assessment, including standards/outcomes to be mastered. Select a early/middle childhood aged student to work with to administer the performance assessment and use the rubric to score their performance. Write a one page summary of how the rubric was used, where (setting) and with whom it was used (age and grade of student), the utility and efficiency of the performance assessment and rubric, and the interpretation of results. Also, explain any changes you would make to the rubric after using it with a student. Points will be awarded for having your task and rubric critiqued by peers or practicing teachers before using it with a student (you must show/share drafts with critiques)" (Morris, 2022). From this assignment, I learned how to create a performance task, administer it to 4th graders, and grade it!

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Performance Assessment and Rubric Development - Ava George