Assessment Terminology

Question 1

Ability

Answer 1

indicative of competence in a field

Question 2

Ability Testing

Answer 2

use of standardized tests to evaluate an individual’s performance in a specific area

Question 3

Achievement tests

Answer 3

standardized tests that measure knowledge and skills in academic subject areas

Question 4

Accommodations

Answer 4

describe changes in format, response, setting, timing or scheduling that do not alter in any significant way what the test measures or the comparability of scores.

Question 5

age equivalent

Answer 5

chronological age in a population for which a score is the median score

Question 6

alternative assessment

Answer 6

an alternative to a paper and pencil test
non-conventional methods of assessing achievement

Question 7

alternative forms

Answer 7

two or more versions of a test that are considered interchangeable
measure the same constructs in the same ways intended for same purposes

Question 8

aptitude

Answer 8

individuals ability to learn or to develop proficiency in an area if provided with appropriate education or training

Question 9

aptitude tests

Answer 9

measure an individuals collective knowledge; often used to predict learning potential

Question 10

assessment

Answer 10

process of testing and measuring skills and abilities

Question 11

battery

Answer 11

group or series of tests or subtests administered
most common test batteries are achievement tests that include subtests in different areas

Question 12

bell curve

Answer 12

see normal distribution curve

Question 13

benchmark

Answer 13

levels of academic performance used as checkpoints to monitor progress towards performance goals and/or academic standards

Question 14

CBM

Answer 14

curriculum based measurement

Question 15

ceiling

Answer 15

the highest level of performance or score that a test can reliably measure

Question 16

classroom assessment

Answer 16

assessment developed, administered, and scored by a teacher to evaluate individual or classroom student performance

Question 17

competency tests

Answer 17

tests that measure proficiency in subject areas like math and English
some states require that students pass competency tests before graduating

Question 18

composite score

Answer 18

practice of combining two or more subtest scores to create an average or composite score

Question 19

content area

Answer 19

an academic subject such as math, reading or English

Question 20

content standards

Answer 20

expectations about what the child should know and be able to do in different subjects and grade levels

Question 21

conversion table

Answer 21

a chart used to translate test scores into different measures of performance

Question 22

core cirriculum

Answer 22

fundamental knowledge that all students are required to learn in school

Question 23

criteria

Answer 23

guidelines or rules that are used to judge performance

Question 24

criterion referenced tests

Answer 24

individuals performance is compared to an objective or performance standard, not to the performance of other students

Question 25

curriculum

Answer 25

instructional plan of skills, lessons, and objectives on a particular subject

Question 26

curriculum based measurement

Answer 26

measure student progress in academic areas including math, reading, writing and spelling. child tested briefly each week scores recorded on a graph and compared to the expected performance on content for that year

Question 27

derived score

Answer 27

score to which raw scores are converted by numerical transformation

Question 28

diagnostic test

Answer 28

used to diagnose,, analyze or identify specific areas of weakness and strength determine the nature of weaknesses or deficiencies diagnostic achievement tests are used to measure skills

Question 29

equivalent forms

Answer 29

alternate forms

Question 30

expected growth

Answer 30

average change in test scores that occurs over a specific time for individuals at age or grade levels

Question 31

floor

Answer 31

the lowest score that a test can reliably measure

Question 32

frequency distribution

Answer 32

method of displaying test scores

Question 33

grade equivalents

Answer 33

test scores that equate a score to a particular grade level

Question 34

intelligence tests

Answer 34

tests that measure aptitude or intellectual capacities

Question 35

intelligence quotient (IQ)

Answer 35

score achieved on an intelligence test that identifies learning potential

Question 36

item

Answer 36

question or exercise in a test or assessment

Question 37

mastery level

Answer 37

cutoff score on a criterion referenced or mastery test

Question 38

mastery test

Answer 38

determines whether an individual has mastered a unit of instruction or skill provides information about what an individual knows

Question 39

mean

Answer 39

average score sum of individual scores divided by total number of scores

Question 40

median

Answer 40

middle score in a distribution

Question 41

mode

Answer 41

score or value that occurs most often

Question 42

modifications

Answer 42

changes in the content, format, and/or administration of a test to accommodate test takers who are unable to take test under standard conditions

Question 43

national percentile rank

Answer 43

indicates relative standing of one child when compared with others in the same grade

Question 44

normal distribution curve

Answer 44

distribution of scores used to scale a test bell shaped curve with most scores in middle

Question 45

norm-referenced tests

Answer 45

standardization tests designed to compare the scores of children to scores achieved by children at the same age who have taken the same test

Question 46

objectives

Answer 46

stated, desirable outcomes of education

Question 47

out of level testing

Answer 47

means assessing students in one grade level using versions of tests that were designed for students in other grade levels

Question 48

percentiles/percentile ranks

Answer 48

percentage of scores that fall below a point on a score distribution

Question 49

performance standards

Answer 49

definitions of what a child must do to demonstrate proficiency at specific levels in content standards

Question 50

portfolio

Answer 50

a collection of work that shows progress and learning can be designed to assess progress, learning, effort or achievement

Question 51

power test

Answer 51

measures performance unaffected by speed of response items usually arranged in order of increasing difficulty

Question 52

progress monitoring

Answer 52

scientifically based practice used to assess students' academic performance and evaluate the effectiveness of instruction can be implemented with individual students or entire class

Question 53

raw score

Answer 53

number of questions answered correctly on a test or subtests converted to percentile ranks, standard scores, grade equivalent and age equivalent scores

Question 54

reliability

Answer 54

consistency with which a test measures the area being tested describes the extent to which a test is dependable, stable and consistent when administered to the same individuals on different occasions

Question 55

response to intervention (RTI)

Answer 55

use of research based instruction and interventions to students who are at risk and who are suspected of having specific learning disabilities

Question 56

scaled score

Answer 56

represent approximately equal units on a continuous scale facilitate conversions to other types of scores can use to examine change in performance over time

Question 57

score

Answer 57

specific number that results from the assessment of an individual

Question 58

standard score

Answer 58

score on norm-referenced tests that are based on the bell curve and its equal distribution of scores from the average of the distribution allow for comparison between students or one student over time

Question 59

standard deviation

Answer 59

measure of the variability of a distribution of scores more scores clustered around the mean = smaller standard deviation. normal distribution: 68% of scores fall within one standard deviation

Question 60

standardization

Answer 60

consistent set of procedures for designing, administering and scoring an assessment ensure all individuals are assessed under the same conditions and are not influenced by different conditions

Question 61

standardized tests

Answer 61

uniformly developed, administered and scored

Question 62

stanine

Answer 62

standard score between 1 and 9, with a mean of 5 and a standard deviation of 2 first stannic is the lowest and the 9th stanine is the highest

Question 63

subtest

Answer 63

group of test items that measure a specific area

Question 64

t-score

Answer 64

standard score with a mean of 50 and a standard deviation of 10 t-score of 60 represents a score that is 1 standard deviation above the mean

Question 65

test

Answer 65

collection of questions that may be divided into subtests that measure abilities in an area or in several areas

Question 65

test bias

Answer 65

difference in test scores that is attributable to demographic variables

Question 66

validity

Answer 66

extent to which a test measures the skills it sets out to measure and the extent to which inferences and actions made on the basis of test scores are appropriate and accurate

Question 67

z-score

Answer 67

standard score with a mean of 0 and a standard deviation of 1