Glossary of Assessment Terms

on, approximately two-thirds (68.3%) of the scores lie within the limits of one standard deviation above and one standard deviation below the mean. One-sixth of the scores lie more than one standard deviation above the mean, and one-sixth lie more than one standard deviation below the mean.

Standard Error of Measurement

A measure of the amount of error to be expected in a score from a particular test. The smaller the standard error of measurement, the greater the accuracy of the test score. The standard error of measurement is the standard deviation of a theoretical distribution of a set of variations, each of which is the difference between the obtained score and true score. Thus, if a standard error of measurement is 5, the chances are two to one that an obtained score lies within five units of the true score.

Standard Score

A derived score scaled to produce an arbitrarily assigned mean and standard deviation. For example, deviation IQs are standard scores with a mean of 100 and, usually, a standard deviation of 16.

Standardization

The process of administering a test to a nationally representative sample of examinees using carefully defined directions, time limits, materials, and scoring procedures. The results produce norms to which the performance of other examinees can be compared, provided they took the test under the same conditions.

Standardization Sample

That part of the population that is used in the norming of a test, i.e., the reference population. The sample should represent the population in essential characteristics, some of which may be geographical location, age, or grade for K-12 students, or, for adults, participation in a specific type of program (for example, adult basic education).

Standardized Test

A test constructed of items that are appropriate in level of difficulty and discriminating power for the intended examinees, and that fit the pre-planned table of content specifications. The test is administered in accordance with explicit directions for uniform administration and is interpreted using a manual that contains reliable norms for the defined reference groups.

Stanine

A unit of a standard score scale that divides the norm population into nine groups with the mean at stanine 5. The word stanine draws its name from the fact that it is a STAndard score on a scale of NINE units.

Comparison Table of Stanines and Percentiles

Stanines

Approximate Percentiles

Percentage of Examinees

9 Highest Level

96-99

4%

8 High Level

90-95

7%

7 Well above average

78-89

12%

6 Slightly above average

60-77

17%

5 Average

41-59

20%

4 Slightly below average

23-40

17%

3 Well below average

11-22

12%

2 Low Level

5-10

7%

1 Lowest Level

1-4

4%

Test Battery

See "Battery".

Test Item

See "Item".

Test Objective

See "Objective".

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Validity

The capability of a test to measure what its authors or users intend it to measure.

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《Glossary of Assessment Terms》