Standardized Testing EDUC 307

Standardized test a test in which all the questions, format, instructions, scoring, and reporting of scores are the same for all test takers. Procedures for creating such tests are standardized, as are the procedures for creating, administering, and analyzing the test.

Criterion-Referenced Tests Compares students’ performance with some standard or criterion Useful to teachers

Norm-Referenced Tests Compares students with a representative sample of others who are the same age or in the same grade The scores indicate whether students did as well as the average, better than average, or below average.

Norm sometimes referred to as the 50th percentile. The norm divides test takers into two groups - above or below the 50th percentile. Though often used differently, the norm in test scores merely denotes a place in the middle of the distribution of scores.

Norm-Referenced Tests Used by school boards and administrators Not as useful to teachers Screening Device Might show patterns of strengths and weaknesses

Scale Score A continuous ranking of scores from lowest levels of a series of norm- referenced tests- for first grade, for example- through the highest levels- high school. They start at 000 and end at 999. They are useful for tracking long-term development through the grades.

Percentile Rank A norm-referenced score that tells the percentage of persons in a norm group scoring lower than a particular raw score. A student’s raw score falls on a scale of 1 to 99.

Stanine Score A type of normalized standard score that tells the location of a raw score in one of nine specific segments of a normal distribution. Derived from standard nine.

Mean An average score found by summing all the scores and dividing by the numbers

Median The point on the score scale at which 50% of scores are below and 50% are above

Mode The most frequently occurring score in a distribution

Raw Score The number of points(marks) you assign to a student’s performance on an assessment. Points may be assigned based on each task or points awarded on separate parts of an assessment.

High-stakes test a test that determines a critically important decision in a child's education, e.g. promotion or graduation.

LEAP and iLEAP Students can earn the following scores on annual assessments (LEAP and iLEAP): Advanced: A student demonstrates superior performance in the subject. Mastery: A student demonstrates competency of challenging subject matter and is well prepared for the next level of schooling. Basic: A student demonstrates only fundamental knowledge and skills in the subject. Approaching Basic: A student only partially demonstrates the fundamental knowledge and skills of the subject. Unsatisfactory: A student does not demonstrate the fundamental knowledge and skills.

iLEAP The series of annual assessments in grades 3, 5, 6, and 7 is known as the “integrated” Louisiana Educational Assessment Programs (iLEAP). The iLEAP is referred to as an integrated LEAP because it combines a criterion-based component, which measures whether a student has mastered the academic standards, with a norm-referenced component, which provides a percentile ranking of students.

LEAP Louisiana Educational Assessment Program (LEAP) is the series of annual assessments in English language arts, mathematics, science and social studies in 4th and 8th grades. Known as a criterion-based test, these tests are aligned to the state academic standards and determine whether a student has mastered the content of the academic standards. To be promoted from the fourth or eighth grades, students must score Basic or above in either English language arts or mathematics and Approaching Basic or higher in the other subject. Students who do not earn these scores must attend summer school or are retained.

End-of-Course Tests High school students take End-of- Course tests in six subjects: Algebra I, Geometry, English II and III, Biology and U.S. History.

Students can earn the following scores on End-of-Course tests: Excellent: A student demonstrates superior performance of the course content. Good: A student demonstrates mastery of course content and is well prepared for the next level of coursework in the subject. Fair: A student demonstrates only the fundamental knowledge and skills needed for the next level of coursework in the subject. Needs Improvement: A student does not demonstrate the fundamental knowledge and skills needed for the next level of coursework in the subject.

End of The Course Tests To earn a standard high school diploma, students must earn a score of Fair or above on three End-of-Course tests, including one in each category – Algebra I or Geometry, English II or English III, and Biology or U.S. History. Students who earn a score of Needs Improvement must receive 30 hours of remediation in the course and are eligible to retake the test at the next administration.

PARCC In , students will take annual assessments in English language arts and mathematics that are fully aligned to the Common Core State Standards. These assessments are being developed collaboratively by Louisiana and a coalition of states called the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC).

PARCC Students across all of these states will be using identical assessments which will allow Louisiana to benchmark its progress against other states. The Common Core Assessments will be administered in 3rd through 11th grade. These assessments will measure the full range of the Common Core State Standards and will be designed to ensure students are “on track” or “ready” for college and careers. The Common Core Assessments for all grades will be administered online.

The priority purposes of PARCC Assessments are: Determine whether students are college- and career-ready or on track. Assess the full range of the Common Core Standards, including standards that are difficult to measure. Measure the full range of student performance, including the performance high- and low-performing students. Provide data during the academic year to inform instruction, interventions and professional development. Provide data for accountability, including measures of growth. Incorporate innovative approaches throughout the assessment system.

PARCC PARCC will also use technology throughout the design and implementation of the assessment system. The overall assessment system design will include a mix of constructed response items, performance-based tasks, and computer-enhanced, computer-scored items. The PARCC assessments will be administered via computer, and a combination of automated scoring and human scoring will be employed.