Glossary of Assessment Terms

ssment, in which all students perform under the same conditions. This type of test compares a student or group of students with a specified reference group, usually others of the same grade and age for K-12 students, or for adults, those with similar characteristics, such as those in an adult basic education class.

Norms

The average or typical scores on a test for members of a specified group. They are usually presented in tabular form for a series of different homogeneous groups.

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Objective

A desired educational outcome such as "constructing meaning" or "adding whole numbers." Usually several different objectives are measured in one subtest.

Objective Test

A test for which a list of correct answers, one for each test item, can be provided so that subjective opinion or judgment is eliminated from the scoring procedure. Multiple-choice, true/false, and matching-item tests are purely objective, while short answer and completion-item tests are less so.

Percentile

One of the 99 point scores that divide a ranked distribution into groups, each of which contains 1/100 of the scores. The 73rd percentile denotes the score or point below which 73 percent of the scores fall in a particular distribution of scores. (See also the table under "stanine.")

Performance Assessment

An assessment activity that requires students to construct a response, create a product, or perform a demonstration. Usually there are multiple ways that an examinee can approach a performance assessment and more than one correct answer.

Performance Standard

A level of performance on a test, established by education experts, as a goal of student attainment.

Power Test

A test that samples the range of an examinee's capacity in particular skills or abilities and that places minimal emphasis on time limits. A "pure" power test is sometimes defined as one in which every examinee has sufficient time to complete the test.

Predictive Validity

The ability of a score on one test to forecast a student's probable performance on another test of similar skills. Predictive validity is determined by mathematically relating scores on the two different tests.

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Raw Score

The first score obtained in scoring a test, which is often the number of correct answers. Sometimes it is the number right minus a fraction of the number wrong, the time required to complete the test, the number of errors, or some other number obtained directly from the test's administration.

Readiness Test

A test of ability to engage in a new type of specific learning. Level of maturity, previous experience, and emotional and mental set are important determinants of readiness.

Reliability

The consistency of test scores obtained by the same individuals on different occasions or with different sets of equivalent items; accuracy of scores.

Rubric

A scoring tool, or set of criteria, used to evaluate a student's test performance.

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Scale

An organized set of measurements, all of which measure one property or characteristic. Different types of test-score scales use different units, for example, number correct, percentiles, or IRT scale scores.

Scale Scores

Scores on a single scale with intervals of equal size. The scale can be applied to all groups taking a given test, regardless of group characteristics or time of year, making it possible to compare scores from different groups of examinees. Scale scores are appropriate for various statistical purposes; for example, they can be added, subtracted, and averaged across test levels. Such computations permit educators to make direct comparisons among examinees, compare individual scores to groups, or compare an individual's pre-test and post-test scores in a way that is statistically valid. This cannot be done with percentiles or grade level equivalents.

Selected-Response Item

A question or incomplete statement that is followed by answer choices, one of which is the correct or best answer. Also referred to as a "multiple-choice" item.

Special Admissions Test

A test of a student's ability to participate in special programs or advanced learning situations. For example, an honors-level class or a magnet school may require the attainment of high scores on an assessment for admission.

Speed Test

A test in which one aspect of performance is measured by the number of tasks performed in a given time. A "pure" speed test is one in which examinees make no errors and that cannot be completed by any examinee in the allotted time.

Standard Deviation

A statistic used to express the extent of the divergence of a set of scores from the average of all the scores in the group. In a normal distributi

《Glossary of Assessment Terms》