Standardized Tests

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Unit 9
Chapter 12 Standardized Tests
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Course Goals
Remember
By the end of the term you will

• Understand the meaning of excellence in classroom
  assessment.
• MMake a personal professional commitment to
  meeting standards of assessment excellence.

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This unit focuses on the following guided
question
What role should periodic large-scale
standardized tests play in communicating about
student achievement?
?
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As you read through chapter 12, place the
material in context by thinking about
standardized test requirements in Oregon. When
you come to campus on May 19th, Margaret Bates
from the Oregon Department of Education will be a
guest speaker in our class.
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Some definitions...
Norm referenced standardized tests that permit
users to compare a students achievement to that
of other students who took the test Criterion
referenced standardized tests that permit users
to compare a students score to a preset standard
of acceptable performance
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Testing has a long history in the United
States. Objectively scored multiple-choice
paper and pencil tests didnt come onto the scene
until the early 1940s. Prior to that time,
teachers used essay tests and oral exams. As
school officials bought into the efficiency of
the selected response tests, they started the
60-year march toward ever-more centralized
assessment of student achievement, which resulted
in the layers of standardized testing programs
that we see in place today.
Stiggins, p. 380
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College admissions testing SAT, ACT, GRE,
MAT District wide testing multi-subject,
standardized achievement test batteries (e.g.,
California Achievement Test) Statewide testing
48 states have some type of state testing
program most states (including Oregon) use tests
to see if students are meeting state standards of
educational attainment (criterion
referenced). National tests National Assessment
of Educational Progress used to gauge
performance of national samples of 9-, 13-, and
17-year olds so policy makers can make informed
decisions. International assessment designed to
determine relative standing of nations with
respect to student achievement
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One of the major problems with standardized
testing the discrepancy between what most
educators and the public think standardized tests
can do and what they are actually capable of
delivering.
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Our long-term societal habits of assigning great
power to standardized tests, ascribing
unwarranted precision to the scores they produce,
striving to make them instructionally relevant,
and generally misunderstanding them even while
attacking them have conspired to create a major
dilemma in education today. We have permitted
these tests to form the basis of a school
accountability system that is incapable of
contributing to much-needed school improvement
efforts.
Stiggins, p. 385
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As a classroom teacher, it is very important that
you understand the role of standardized tests,
including their strengths and weaknesses. In
addition, you must be able to explain to students
and their parents how standardized tests fit into
the total assessment picture.
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Test development for standardized tests follow
the same strict guidelines that we have
established for tests you develop in your
classroom

• Clear targets
• Clear purposes
• Proper method
• Sound sampling
• Bias control

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Interpretation of test scores
Raw score the number of test items a student
answered correctly Percent correct percent of
test items a student answered correctly Percentil
e score percent of the norm group that the
student outscored Stanine based on percentile
score the percentile scale is divided into 9
segments, each of which represents a standard
nine or stanine (see table 12.3 on page 395)
stanines 1-3 are below average, 4-6 are average,
7-9 are above average Grade equivalent scores
reflects the approximate grade level of students
in the norm group who attained that raw score
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This is an example of an individual student score
profile for a standardized test (see p. 399)
Mary Brown grade 7
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Study the example on the previous slide. In which
subject area is Mary most proficient? In which
area is she least proficient? How do you
know? Answer these questions before moving to
the next slide.
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According to this assessment, Mary is most
proficient in math. Her percentile score was 82
which indicates that she scored better than 82
percent of the students who took the test during
norming. The range score for math was 74-89. If
Mary took the test several times, her percentile
scores would range between a low of 74 and a high
of 89. Standardized test scores do NOT represent
pinpoint accuracy rather, they are estimates and
these estimates vary due to errors of
measurement. She had a grade equivalent of 10.9
(10th grade, nine months). This does not mean
that she is capable of the 10th grade math (grade
equivalent scores are not criterion referenced).
It does, however, suggest that she is much better
at math than most 7th grade students. Her
stanine score for math was 7 (i.e., above
average).
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Marys least proficient area on this standardized
test was language. She had a percentile score of
53. This indicates that she scored better than 53
percent of the students who took this test during
norming. Marys percentile range is 43-63 for
language. Her grade equivalent score is 7.4 (7th
grade, fourth month). Based on this information,
she seems to be right on the mark for language as
a 7th grader. Her stanine is 5. In other words
average.
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OBJECTIVES PERFORMANCE INDEX
OBJECTIVE TITLES
Mastery OPI
20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
0 10
Reading
91
Basic understanding
92
Analyze text
65
Evaluate extend meaning
70
Identify reading strategies
This is also part of Marys score sheet. These
are criterion referenced scores for the reading
area. Notice there are 4 objectives for reading.
The Objective Performance Index (OPI) is used to
indicate mastery of each objective. An OPI of 75
and above represents Mastery 50-74 indicates
Partial Mastery below 50 indicates Non-Mastery.
(see p. 399 for the other subject areas)
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According to this assessment, Mary has mastered
two of objectives of reading

• basic understanding
• analyze text
• and she has partial mastery of the other two
  objectives
• evaluate and extend meaning
• identify reading strategies.

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• As a teacher, you have a three-part
  responsibility with respect to standardized
  tests
• Protect the well being of your students
• help ensure that your teaching strategies
  maximizes their achievement on the tests
• enhance students self-confidence

Promote community awareness Maintain
perspective standardized tests are only one form
of assessment.
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Although standardized tests provide limited value
to teachers, they do serve both policy and
instructional support functions. And, they are
definitely a part of the educational system in
Oregon. Therefore, you must make sure that your
curriculum covers material identified in the
Oregon Benchmarks, and you must understand how to
interpret standardized test results for students
and parents.
Summary