1. Assessment in Early Childhood Education Fifth Edition Sue C. Wortham
CHAPTER 3: Standardized Tests How They Are Used, Designed, and Selected
Assessment in Early Childhood Education
Fifth Edition
Sue C. Wortham
Wortham. Assessment in Early Childhood Education, 5e.
© 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

2. Chapter Objectives
1. Understand how standardized tests are used with infants and young children.
2. Understand the process of standardized test design.
3. Understand the differences between test validity and test reliability.
4. Use resources and strategies for selecting and evaluating standardized tests.
5. Understand issues in selecting and using standardized tests.
Wortham. Assessment in Early Childhood Education, 5e.
© 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

3. Tests for Infants and Preschoolers
Tests for young children have questionable validity and reliability because of infants’ and preschoolers’ short attention spans.
Wortham. Assessment in Early Childhood Education, 5e.
© 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

4. Screening Tests for Preschoolers
Detect if a child might have a developmental problem that needs further investigation.
Tests screen various developmental domains.
Wortham. Assessment in Early Childhood Education, 5e.
© 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

5. Mental Retardation Mild (55-70 IQ) Moderate (40-54) Severe (25-39)
Profound (< 25)
Poor adaptive skills
Before age 18
© 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Santrock, Educational Psychology, Second Edition, Classroom Update

6. Diagnostic Tests for Preschoolers
After a screening, tests for diagnostic
assessment are administered (if needed).
Adaptive behavior measures assess possible learning, social or motor disabilities.
- Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales (VABS)
Intelligence tests measure learning potential.
Wortham. Assessment in Early Childhood Education, 5e.
© 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

7. Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales II (VABS – II)
Parent/Caregiver Rating Form, Interview Form - 0 through 90
Teacher Rating Form - 3 through 21 years,11 months

8. Achievement Tests Determine Instructional Effectiveness
National tests:
compare student achievement across states to address higher standards for education
identify poor instructional areas, pinpoint weaknesses in a state’s instructional program and facilitate improvements
State developed tests are be used at school districts to:
determine each student’s progress
provide diagnostic information on a child’s needs for future instruction
describe student progress between and within schools
Wortham. Assessment in Early Childhood Education, 5e.
© 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

9. Standardized Tests and Teaching
The Nature of
Standardized Tests
The Purposes of Standardized
Tests
What Is a
Standardized Test?
Criteria for
Evaluating
Standardized Tests
15.9

10. The Nature of Standardized Tests
Have uniform procedures for administration and scoring.
Allow comparison of student scores by age, grade level, local and national norms.
Attempt to include material common across most classrooms.
15.10

11. Purposes of Standardized Tests
Diagnose students’
strengths and
weaknesses
Provide information for
planning
and instruction
Provide information about
student progress and
program placement
Contribute to
accountability
Help in program
evaluation
15.11

12. Steps in Standardized Test Design
The following steps ensure that the test achieves its goals
and purposes:
specify the purpose
determine the format
formulate objectives
test construction: write, try out, and analyze items
assemble the final form
administer the final test form
establish norms, determine the validity and reliability
develop a test manual
Wortham. Assessment in Early Childhood Education, 5e.
© 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

13. Steps in Standardized Test Design: Specifying the Purpose
A clearly defined purpose is the framework for
the construction of the test.
It allows evaluation of the instrument when design and construction steps are completed.
It helps explain what the test will measure, how the test results will be used, and who will take the test.
It describes the population for whom the test is intended.
Wortham. Assessment in Early Childhood Education, 5e.
© 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

14. Steps in Standardized Test Design: Determining Test Format
Format decisions are based on the purpose of the test
and the characteristics of the test takers:
how test items will be presented and how the test taker will respond
(e.g., tests designed for very young children are usually presented orally; paper and pencil tests for older students)
given as a group test or as an individual test
Wortham. Assessment in Early Childhood Education, 5e.
© 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

15. Steps in Standardized Test Design: Test Construction
The test’s purpose guides:
defining test objectives
writing test items for each objective
assembling experimental test forms
Wortham. Assessment in Early Childhood Education, 5e.
© 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

16. Steps in Standardized Test Design: Developing Experimental Forms
For a school achievement test:
test content is delimited
curriculum is analyzed to ensure that the test will reflect the instructional programs
teachers and curriculum experts review content outlines and objectives for the test; and later they review test items
writing, editing, trying out, and rewriting or revising test items
a preliminary test with selected test items is assembled for trial with a sample of students
Wortham. Assessment in Early Childhood Education, 5e.
© 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

17. Steps in Standardized Test Design: Developing Experimental Forms
Experimental test forms resemble the final form
Instructions are written for test administration
The sample of people who to take the preliminary test is similar to the population that will take the final form of the test
Wortham. Assessment in Early Childhood Education, 5e.
© 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

18. Steps in Standardized Test Design: Item Analysis in The Test Tryout Phase
Study each item’s:
Difficulty level: how many test takers in the trial group answered the question correctly
Discrimination: the extent to which the question distinguishes between test takers who did well or poorly; test takers who did well on the test should be more successful on the item than those who did poorly
Grade progression in difficulty: for tests that are taken in different grades, in each successively higher grade, a greater percentage of students should answer it correctly
Wortham. Assessment in Early Childhood Education, 5e.
© 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

19. Steps in Standardized Test Design: The Final Test Form Is Assembled
In item analysis, test items were revised, or eliminated
Test items that measure each test objective are selected for the test
Alternative forms of one test must ensure that each of the forms are equivalent in content and difficulty
Test directions are finalized-- with instructions for test administrators about the testing environment and testing procedures; and instructions for test takers
Wortham. Assessment in Early Childhood Education, 5e.
© 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

20. Steps in Standardized Test Design: Standardizing the Test
The final test form is administered to another, larger
sample of test takers to acquire norm data.
Norms allow for comparisons of children’s test
performance with the performance of a reference or
norming group.
The norming group is chosen to reflect the makeup of the population for whom the test is designed.
Wortham. Assessment in Early Childhood Education, 5e.
© 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

21. Evaluating Standardized Tests
Reliability – Are test scores stable, dependable and relatively free from error?
Validity – Does the test measure what it is purported to measure?
15.21

22. Correlation r = + 0.37 Indicates strength of relationship
(0.00 to 1.00)
Correlation
coefficient
r = +
0.37
OBJECTIVE 3-4| Describe positive and negative correlations and explain how correlational measures can aid the process of prediction.
Correlation Coefficient is a statistical measure of relationship between two variables.
Indicates direction
of relationship
(positive or negative)
Psychology 7e in Modules

23. Pearson correlation coefficient
r = the Pearson coefficient
r measures the amount that the two variables (X and Y) vary together (i.e., covary) taking into account how much they vary apart
Pearson’s r is the most common correlation coefficient; there are others.

24. Computing the Pearson correlation coefficient
To put it another way: Or

25. Sum of Products of Deviations
Measuring X and Y individually (the denominator):
compute the sums of squares for each variable
Measuring X and Y together: Sum of Products
Definitional formula
Computational formula
n is the number of (X, Y) pairs

26. Correlation Coefficent:
the equation for Pearson’s r:
expanded form:

27. Example
What is the correlation between study time and test score:

28. Calculating values to find the SS and SP:

29. Calculating SS and SP

30. Calculating r

31. Correlation Coefficient Interpretation
Range
Strength of
Relationship
Practically None
Low
Moderate
High Moderate
Very High

32. Reliability
Test-retest: The extent to which a test yields the same score when given to a student on two different occasions
Alternate-forms: Two different forms of the same test on two different occasions to determine the consistency of the scores
Split-half: Divide the test items into two halves; scores are compared to determine test score consistency
15.32

33. Standard Error of Measurement
an estimate of the amount of variation to be expected in test scores.
If the reliability correlations are poor, the standard error of measurement will be large.
The larger the standard error of measurement, the less reliable the test.
Wortham. Assessment in Early Childhood Education, 5e.
© 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

34. Variables That Affect the Standard Error of Measurement
The following affect test reliability:
Population sample size --the larger the population sample, the more reliable the test
Test length --longer tests are usually more reliable because there are more test items, resulting in a better sample of behaviors
Range of test scores of the norming group --the wider the spread of scores, the more reliably the test can distinguish between good and poor students
Wortham. Assessment in Early Childhood Education, 5e.
© 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

35. Methods of Studying Reliability
Interrater Reliability- The consistency of a test to
measure a skill, trait, or domain across examiners.
This type of reliability is most important when
responses are subjective or open-ended.

36. Types of Validity…
Content: Test’s ability to sample the content that is being measured
Criterion-related:
Concurrent: The relation between a test’s score and other available criteria
Predictive: The relationship between test’s score and future performance
Construct: The extent to which there is evidence that a test measures a particular construct
15.36

37. Considerations in Choosing and Evaluating Tests
To select the best test to meet the developmental
characteristics of young children, the following need to
be considered:
the purpose of the testing
the characteristics to be measured
how the test results will be used
the qualifications of those who will interpret the scores and use the results
any practical constraints: cost, time, ease of scoring and use of test results
Wortham. Assessment in Early Childhood Education, 5e.
© 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

38. Reviewing the Test Manual
The test manual should include information that is adequate for users to determine whether the test is practical and suitable for their purposes.
The manual should address the following:
Purpose of the test
Test design
Establishment of validity and reliability
Test administration and scoring
Wortham. Assessment in Early Childhood Education, 5e.
© 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved.