Deck 18: Tests and Educational Decisions

Question 1

Organizations such as the Educational Testing Service and the American College Testing Program have been criticized for

A) creating difficult tests
B) expense of administering their tests
C) middle-class biasing
D) academic excellence

Answer 1

C

Question 2

The use of aptitude tests in classroom selection is designed to

A) maximize motivation while minimizing frustration
B) increase difficulty level of material presented, in order to exceed comprehension
C) minimize motivation while maximizing frustration
D) decrease difficulty level of material presented, in order not to exceed comprehension

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Tests affect decisions by

A) providing irrelevant data
B) always predicting areas of success
C) functioning as a useful tool
D) correctly placing people in the right position

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Test scores tend to correlate about ________ with future grades.

A) )10 to .15
B) )30 to .35
C) )50 to .60
D) )70 to .80

Question 5

The amount of variance in academic grades that is accounted for by scholastic test scores is

A) between 0 and 5 percent
B) between 5 and 10 percent
C) between 10 and 15 percent
D) between 20 and 25 percent

Question 6

Not placing students at the appropriate skill level would probably result in

A) motivation
B) frustration
C) overachievement
D) academic excellence

Question 7

Research has shown that "coaching" on aptitude tests

A) has no effect on scores
B) increases test scores by about 2 standard deviations
C) increases test scores by about 1 standard deviation
D) increases test scores by about 1/4 to 1/2 standard deviations

Question 8

Ability tests have helped identify

A) those students who suffer developmental delays in maturation
B) those students who are extremely gifted
C) both a and b
D) none of the above

Question 9

According to the authors, people who benefit most from coaching are those whose

A) academic skills are rusty
B) grades are low
C) academic skills are current
D) writing skills are sharp

Question 10

Comparing test performance to some objectively-stated goal of achievement is the essence of

A) norm-referenced testing
B) predictive-referenced testing
C) criterion-referenced testing
D) concurrent-referenced testing

Question 11

The authors suggest that problems with using tests reside primarily in

A) the tests themselves
B) the content validity of the tests
C) concerns by society over uses of the tests
D) the predictive validity of the tests

Question 12

At the primary and secondary school levels, individual tests of mental ability are most often used in identifying students with

A) special educational needs
B) sufficient academic abilities
C) both a and b
D) none of the above

Question 13

Differential performance by minorities on aptitude tests results in ________ if test scores are used as the sole method of determining educational admissions.

A) underrepresentation
B) overrepresentation
C) equal representation
D) a higher percentage of minorities

Question 14

Comparing the scores of examinees to those of others taking the same tests is the essence of

A) norm-referenced testing
B) predictive-referenced testing
C) criterion-referenced testing
D) concurrent-referenced testing

Question 15

Research on test bias suggests that

A) bias is due to test construction
B) bias is due to educational inequities in society
C) the data is erroneous
D) the causes of bias have not yet been determined

Question 16

Decisions are sometimes inaccurate. In academic settings, the most frequent inaccurate decision is a __________.

A) true negative
B) true positive
C) false negative
D) false positive

Question 17

Which of the following is not a technique commonly used as a "coaching" method on aptitude tests?

A) coaching clinics
B) self-help study books
C) computer/software
D) videotapes

Question 18

How are ability tests like the Scholastic Assessment Tests (SAT) or the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) used by institutions?

A) The test score is always looked at separately from other information.
B) The test score is examined in terms of standard deviation units.
C) Multiple hurdle techniques are used on the data.
D) The test score is used in conjunction with other data.

Question 19

Aptitude tests can be used to

A) predict success for college admission
B) predict success in certain career choices
C) identify ability, strengths and weaknesses
D) all of the above

Question 20

Tests produce their most impressive predictive successes when used with individuals who have

A) performed well in school due to ability
B) performed well in school, not due to ability
C) performed poorly in school due to ability
D) performed poorly in school, not due to ability

Question 21

Portfolio assessment has

A) not met the standards of reliability and validity that are expected of psychological assessment
B) been shown to work as well as performance-based assessment in industrial settings
C) been shown to work much better than performance-based assessment in industrial settings
D) never been investigated as a psychological assessment technique

Question 22

Using a specified content area as the basis for comparison illustrates

A) norm-referenced testing
B) predictive-referenced testing
C) criterion-referenced testing
D) concurrent-referenced testing