Question 1

The term high-stakes test refers to
A) any teacher-made test that is used to determine students' grades.
B) a criterion-referenced test that prospective teachers take to receive state certification.
C) a norm-referenced test that veteran teachers take to become certified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.
D) a standardized achievement test whose scores are used to punish or reward students, teachers, and administrators.

Accepted Answer

High-stakes tests are standardized exams used to make important decisions about students, teachers, and schools, often involving rewards or penalties based on the outcomes.

Question 2

Define the term reliability as it relates to standardized testing.

Accepted Answer

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Question 3

If a standardized test score is reported as having a percentile rank of 53, the score would indicate that
A) the student scored as well as or better than 53 percent of the students in the norm group.
B) the students scored below 53 percent of the students in the norm group.
C) the student got 53 percent of the questions on the test correct.
D) the student scored as well or better than 53 percent of the students who took the test.

Accepted Answer

A percentile rank of 53 means the student scored as well as or better than 53 percent of the students in the norm group, not necessarily that they got 53 percent of the questions correct or how they compared to those who took the test.

Question 4

The standard deviation of a test indicates the extent to which
A) any given student outscores others who took the same test.
B) students score the same on the first half versus the second half of the test.
C) students score the same on repeated administrations of the test.
D) any score in a distribution varies from the mean.

Accepted Answer

The standard deviation is a measure of the amount of variation or dispersion of a set of values. A low standard deviation indicates that the values tend to be close to the mean (also called the expected value) of the set, while a high standard deviation indicates that the values are spread out over a wider range. Therefore, option D is correct as it directly refers to how scores vary from the mean of the distribution.

Question 5

The main benefit of computer adaptive testing over traditional approaches to testing is that it
A) allows teachers to administer tests without incurring duplicating costs.
B) individualizes the test and reveals each student's potential, given a bit of support.
C) assures that each student spends the same amount of time on each test item.
D) does not allow students to go back through the test to change their responses.

Accepted Answer

Computer adaptive testing individualizes the test experience for each student by adjusting the difficulty of questions based on the student's previous answers, thereby more accurately revealing each student's potential and providing a bit of support tailored to their level of understanding.

Question 6

A standardized test score that is reported as having a percentile rank of 67 indicates that
A) the student did worse than 67 percent of students in the norm group.
B) the student got 67 percent of the questions on the test correct.
C) the student achieved 67 percent of the objective criteria covered on the test.
D) the student did as well as or better than 67 percent of the students in the norm group.

Accepted Answer

A percentile rank of 67 means the student scored as well as or better than 67 percent of the students in the norm group, not that they got 67 percent of the questions correct or achieved 67 percent of the objectives.

Question 7

Define the term validity as it relates to standardized testing.

Accepted Answer

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Question 8

Which of the following is the most accurate characterization of the research on the effects of high-stakes testing?
A) A substantial amount of research has been done and the findings are strongly positive.
B) The research is limited but the results are mostly positive.
C) The research is limited and the results are largely disappointing.
D) There is no research at the present time on the effects of high-stakes tests.

Accepted Answer

The research on high-stakes testing is extensive, and a significant portion of it points to various negative outcomes or disappointing results, such as increased stress among students and teachers, narrowing of the curriculum, and teaching to the test.

Question 9

The benefit of giving students norm-referenced standardized achievement tests is that they allow parents and educators to
A) determine a student's predisposition for learning in specific subject areas.
B) compare a student's level of achievement with other, similar students.
C) collect additional evidence to be used for the assignment of grades.
D) determine a student's degree of mastery of instructional objectives.

Accepted Answer

Norm-referenced standardized achievement tests are designed to compare a student's performance to that of other students, providing a relative ranking or percentile that indicates how a student's achievement compares to a norm group.

Question 10

Explain the meaning of the term content validity.

Accepted Answer

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Question 11

Under which of the following conditions would the use of an aptitude test be most appropriate?
A) A teacher needs information about how well students use specific skills and study techniques.
B) A counselor needs information to determine which students have performed best in science.
C) A teacher must choose the ten students most likely to succeed in a limited-enrollment course.
D) A teacher needs to report each student's performance in mathematics to school administrators.

Accepted Answer

Aptitude tests are designed to predict a person's future performance or capacity to learn, making them most appropriate for situations where the goal is to identify individuals who are likely to succeed in a specific area or course, such as a limited-enrollment course.

Question 12

Which of the following arguments is made by those who support high-stakes testing programs?
A) The quality of instruction received by such groups as ethnic and racial minorities, students with disabilities, and limited English speakers and the progress they make will be monitored more closely than in the past.
B) Teachers will be motivated to use more effective instructional methods.
C) Students will work harder to improve their study skills and master state learning standards.
D) All of these answers.

Accepted Answer

Supporters of high-stakes testing argue that these programs encourage closer monitoring of diverse student groups, motivate teachers to improve instruction methods, and push students to enhance their study skills and meet learning standards.

Question 13

Which of the following statements accurately describes T scores?
A) They indicate how far a standard score is from the mean of a distribution.
B) A T score of 50 is equivalent to a z score of zero.
C) They indicate student performance with reference to a nine-point scale.
D) A T score of 65 indicates a below average performance.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of the following statements accurately describes...

Question 14

Consider the following statistics:   Test 1 Test 2 Test 3 Test 4 Mean 56.59 68.24 76.47 89.14 Standard Deviation 14.29 11.34 8.98 4.21 Which of the above tests would produce the widest distribution of scores?
A) Test 1
B) Test 2
C) Test 3
D) Test 4

Accepted Answer

The widest distribution of scores is indicated by the largest standard deviation, which for these tests is 14.29 for Test 1.

Question 15

Which of the following is a requirement of the No Child Left Behind law?
A) All students in grades three through eight must be tested once a year in math and reading.
B) Each year an increasing percentage of students must score at least at the proficient level in math and reading.
C) So-called report cards must be issued to parents and the general public describing how groups of students in a school district have performed on a state's annual assessment.
D) All of these answers.

Accepted Answer

The No Child Left Behind law includes all of these requirements: annual testing in math and reading for students in grades three through eight, a mandate for yearly progress in test scores towards proficiency, and the issuance of report cards to inform parents and the public about student performance on state assessments.

Question 16

List three major uses of standardized test scores listed by teachers.

Accepted Answer

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Question 17

A beginning teacher in your school wants to know if the requirements of NCLB will affect the way in which he teaches. Based on your reading of the research, which of the following statements represents the most accurate response you can make?
A) He will probably find himself giving more help to those students whose scores were just below the cutoff the previous year than to students who scored much higher.
B) He may find himself considering using teaching methods that he would not have otherwise used.
C) He will probably pay more attention to how well the content of his daily lessons is aligned with state standards.
D) He will probably spend more time than he thought he would preparing students for the next state test.

Accepted Answer

The answer of A beginning teacher in your school wants...

Question 18

If someone were to tell you that the research on high-stakes tests supports supports the goals of NCLB, what would be the most reasonable response?
A) To disagree because there is no research at the present time on the effects of high-stakes tests.
B) To disagree because the research to date ranges from no positive effect on achievement to small positive effects.
C) To tentatively agree because although the research is limited, most of the results are positive.
D) To agree because a substantial amount of research has been done and most of the findings are positive.

Accepted Answer

The research on high-stakes testing, which is relevant to the goals of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, has shown mixed results, with studies indicating either no positive effects or only small positive effects on student achievement. This suggests that the impact of high-stakes testing on improving educational outcomes is not as significant as proponents of NCLB might hope.

Question 19

A third-grade teacher wishes to evaluate students regarding their knowledge of the social studies unit that they have just completed. The teacher should use a _______________ test to best accomplish this task.
A) norm-referenced
B) criterion-referenced
C) diagnostic
D) competency

Accepted Answer

Criterion-referenced tests are designed to measure student performance against a fixed set of predetermined criteria or learning standards, making them suitable for evaluating knowledge on specific subjects like a social studies unit.

Question 20

A stanine score of 5 indicates that the student's raw score
A) is average.
B) is 2 standard deviations above average.
C) is 1 standard deviation below average.
D) has a percentile rank of 90.

Accepted Answer

Stanine scores range from 1 to 9, with 5 being the midpoint, indicating an average performance.

Quiz 15: Understanding Standardized Assessment

The term high-stakes test refers to

Define the term reliability as it relates to standardized testing.

If a standardized test score is reported as having a percentile rank of 53, the score would indicate that

The standard deviation of a test indicates the extent to which

The main benefit of computer adaptive testing over traditional approaches to testing is that it

A standardized test score that is reported as having a percentile rank of 67 indicates that

Define the term validity as it relates to standardized testing.

Which of the following is the most accurate characterization of the research on the effects of high-stakes testing?

The benefit of giving students norm-referenced standardized achievement tests is that they allow parents and educators to

Explain the meaning of the term content validity.

Under which of the following conditions would the use of an aptitude test be most appropriate?

Which of the following arguments is made by those who support high-stakes testing programs?

Which of the following statements accurately describes T scores?

Consider the following statistics: Test 1 Test 2 Test 3 Test 4 Mean 56.59 68.24 76.47 89.14 Standard Deviation 14.29 11.34 8.98 4.21 Which of the above tests would produce the widest distribution of scores?

Which of the following is a requirement of the No Child Left Behind law?

List three major uses of standardized test scores listed by teachers.

A beginning teacher in your school wants to know if the requirements of NCLB will affect the way in which he teaches. Based on your reading of the research, which of the following statements represents the most accurate response you can make?

If someone were to tell you that the research on high-stakes tests supports supports the goals of NCLB, what would be the most reasonable response?

A third-grade teacher wishes to evaluate students regarding their knowledge of the social studies unit that they have just completed. The teacher should use a _______________ test to best accomplish this task.

A stanine score of 5 indicates that the student's raw score