Cosmah Assessment Vocabulary 2025

Information and data gathered along the way that is used to improve, modify, or revise a program, curriculum, or unit of instruction to enhance student learning. This type of evaluation helps guide ongoing classroom instruction. Fill in the blank: ____________

• Formative Evaluation

• Summative Evaluation

• Diagnostic Assessment

• Norm-Referenced Assessment

Theoretically, an average score at a given grade level. This score relates a student's raw score to the average scores obtained by norming groups at different grade levels. This score is often greatly distorted because there are so many variations in what is actually taught at each grade level. Fill in the blank: ____________

• Grade Equivalent

• Percentile Rank

• Standard Score

• Stanine

The extent to which a score differs from a certain reference point, usually the norm, midpoint, or average. Fill in the blank: ____________

• Deviation

• Correlation

• Frequency

• Regression

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

• Aptitude

• Attitude

• Habit

• Knowledge

Describes the degree to which a given test measures what it says it is measuring. Fill in the blank: ____________

• Content Validity

• Reliability

• Objectivity

• Usability

Agreed-upon values used to measure levels of attainment that students should work toward in content, process, performance, or lifelong learning—specific indicators of what students should know and be able to do due to their education. Fill in the blank: ____________

• Standards

• Assessments

• Curricula

• Benchmarks

A test that assesses specific skills to determine individual strengths and weaknesses, usually in reading and math. Teachers should use this type of test to guide them in planning instruction based on student needs. Such tests should be tied to curriculum and content objectives. What is this type of test called?

• Diagnostic Test

• Aptitude Test

• Achievement Test

• Placement Test

A numeric rating scale of attitudes or values indicating most to least, strongly agree to strongly disagree, etc. The respondent uses this scale to indicate attitudes about people, places, ideas, concepts, activities, or objects. It helps put a numeric measurement onto qualitative ideas and other things that are hard to measure objectively. Fill in the blank: ____________

• Likert Scale

• Guttman Scale

• Semantic Differential

• Thurstone Scale

The use of an assessment to determine the effectiveness of a unit, course of study, or program after completion. An example is a final exam or the test at the end of a unit of study. It should be reliable and generally allows for comparisons among students. It is often used to grade students but may also be used for future curriculum and instruction planning. Fill in the blank: ____________

• Summative Evaluation

• Formative Assessment

• Diagnostic Test

• Placement Test

What is the term for the division of achievement distribution into four equal parts, where the scale is 0-25, 26-50, 51-75, and 76-100, and the number of persons per 'division' is the same?

• Quartile

• Decile

• Percentile

• Tertile