Assessment Vocabulary

A teacher-constructed list of characteristics used as criteria for ranking the quality of students’ work along with some type of guide for scoring or grading.  Usually, this guide describes the criteria along with a numerical range or scale to indicate the degree of quality or mastery shown by the work.  There are many different types of these; all of which are useful for the project, or performance assessment.

• Portfolio Assessment

• Rubric

• Diagnostic Test

• Summative Evaluation

A systematic sample of student performance obtained under prescribed conditions such as time allotted, verbal instructions required, etc..  Such tests are usually developed for state or national use and are norm-referenced in order to provide accurate and meaningful information regarding a student’s level of performance relative to others at the same age or grade level.  Many of these tests are high stakes tests and their scores may be the sole criterion upon which students, teachers or administrators are judged.  Because of this, such tests often take on great importance resulting in curriculum and instruction being aligned to test items and objectives.

• Standardized Test

• Rubric

• Battery

• Benchmarks

The results of this test will have a significant impact on the life of the student, teacher, administration and/or school.  Often the scores determine eligibility for programs, school admission, etc.  Examples include graduation tests, the SAT and ACT tests, end of grade tests, tests at the end of selected grades which indicate whether a student will be retained or promoted to the next grade level.

• Assessment

• Test

• High Stakes Test

• Mastery Test

Responsibility for student learning based on agreed-upon criteria such as rubrics or test scores.  It includes being responsible for and being able to document results.  In most systems of educational accountability, teachers are responsible for what they teach and what the child learns.  When the curriculum is diverse and flexible and involves higher level thinking skills it is more difficult to measure accountability via standardized testing.

• Aptitude

• Consistency

• Objectivity

• Accountability

The difference between the highest score and the lowest score plus 1

• Range

• Mean

• Standard Deviation

• Average

Describes the degree to which a given test measures what it says it is measuring.

A collection and evaluation of student products and performances selected for inclusion based on agreed-upon criteria.  These generally illustrate a range of abilities and special talents showing growth, self-reflection, and achievement.  They may be composed of the student’s best work or work that shows improvement over time.

A combination of natural and acquired talents, interests and/or abilities that a student may innately possess,or that he/she may have learned.  These usually indicate ability to learn more and develop proficiency in a given area, subject or skill.

A learning or inclination giving an unfair advantage or disadvantage.  An undesirable characteristic of tests in which factors unrelated to the test influence the scores.  Therefore, the content of test items discriminates in favor or against certain students or groups of students because of their experiences, race, gender, cultural exposure, economic status, etc..  An error in content, administration and/or interpretation built into the system which contributes to statistical difference between groups or types of people.

The age for which a given score on an intelligence test is considered average or normal.