Terra Nova By Tammy Stegman, Robyn Ourada, Sandy Perry, & Kim Cotton

General Information n Publisher: McGraw-Hill n Copyright: 1997 n Time: approximately 4-5 hours * * Additional time needed for administering and breaks

Purpose n To provide valuable information about the progress of individuals and groups n To provide information on the effectiveness educational programs n Provides indicators of growth for individual student or groups n Can serve as a basis for making inferences about overall achievement in the areas measured

Population n Careful attention was given to ethnic, racial, gender, regional, and age bias to ensure equity n Therefore, it is appropriate for all populations

Description of Content n Social Studies n Science n Mathematics –Mathematics Computation n Reading/Language Arts –Word Analysis –Vocabulary –Language Mechanics –Spelling

Appropriateness of Method n Method varies depending on form of test (Basic Battery /Multiple Assessment) n Performance –Constructing Graphs and Charts –Open ended questions n Selected Response –Multiple Choice only on Battery –Multiple Assessment has all forms

Norms: Types n Scale scores n Percentile rank n Stanines n Normal curve equivalents n Grade equivalents

Norms: Standardization Sample n Size: 295 school districts 860, ,720,000 students n Stratification Variables: geographical region community type school size socioeconomic status school type n Procedure: Fall, Winter, Spring (No sub group norms)

Reliability: Types n Standard Error of Measurement: –Range from n Inter-rater reliability scores: –Range from

Validity n Construct –Thinking Skills Framework –Growth in scale scores and raw scores –Special Needs n Criterion- Related: –Future studies to obtain relationships with NAEP, TIMSS, ACT, and SAT

Validity cont... n Content -Related: –Standards –Multiple modes of assessment –Real-life –Usability studies –Bias reduction

Strengths / Weaknesses Strengths / Weaknesses n Opportunity for two formats n Valid sample n Various themes n Math manipulatives available n Opportunity for practice test n Cost & Time n No norms for special populations n Page numbers start over with each new section

Summary n The overall test appears to be a reliable source for gathering a wide range of content and assessment options. The test appears to be student friendly in layout and design, other than page numbers. At the elementary level, the tests are divided into reasonable time frames. n Terra Nova / CAT Multiple Assessments uses both selected and constructed response items and measures important basic and applied skills. n The Terra Nova CAT Complete Battery uses only selected response items to provide detailed comparative and diagnostic information.