Deck 14: Standards, Achievement, and Accountability

Question 1

Which of the following is not a factor associated with opportunity-to-learn standards?

A) Content coverage
B) Content exposure
C) Content emphasis
D) Quality of instructional delivery
E) Content benchmarks

Answer 1

E

Question 2

Benchmarks are best defined as

A) The wear and tear that working with tools leave on the work bench
B) The indicators that identify specific expectations for certain grade levels or groups of grade levels
C) The scoring guides that identify what students are supposed to accomplish on certain assessments
D) Federally-mandated passing levels for passing scores on state tests

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Which of the following best describes the difference between face validity and content validity?

A) Face validity deals with criterion-referenced tests while content validity deals with norm-referenced tests.
B) Face validity deals with norm-referenced tests while content validity deals with criterion-referenced tests.
C) Face validity deals with the appearance of whether or not a test measures what it should measure and content validity deals with whether the test provides an adequate sample or representation of the information that is supposed to be assessed.
D) Face validity deals with the whether the test provides an adequate sample or representation of the information that is supposed to be assessed and content validity deals with the appearance of whether or not a test measures what it should measure.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Which of the following is not the best reason to support holistic accountability systems?

A) Teachers prefer holistic accountability.
B) Teachers are more motivated by holistic accountability.
C) Students may be more motivated to succeed with holistic accountability.
D) Holistic accountability is a more comprehensive measure of all the factors that influence achievement compared to using only test scores.

Question 5

Which of the following would not be a good measure in an effective, holistic accountability system?

A) The teacher's undergraduate GPA
B) The teacher's licensure exam score
C) The teacher's marital status
D) The teacher's proximity to retirement
E) All are correct
F) None are correct

Question 6

Which of the following are legitimate reasons American schools should be held accountable?

A) Our economy depends on students learning to high levels.
B) Our national defense depends on students learning to high levels.
C) Our students depend on learning to high levels for their future
D) All are correct
E) None are correct

Question 7

Which of the following is the best definition for test reliability?

A) The extent to which a test measures what it is supposed to measure
B) The extent to which a test is repeatable and yields consistent scores
C) The extent to which constraints are placed on the test takers
D) The extent to which the variance in test scores is attributable to the bell curve

Question 8

Which statement best describes the difference between content standards and discipline-based standards?

A) Content standards describe what students should be able to demonstrate while discipline-based standards describe what teachers should be able to demonstrate.
B) Content standards describe what teachers should be able to demonstrate while discipline-based standards describe what students should be able to demonstrate.
C) Content standards describe what should be covered in grade levels while discipline-based standards describe what should be covered in subject areas.
D) The terms are interchangeable.

Question 9

Which of the following statements regarding the national Common Core Standards is true?

A) They are unconstitutional since education is a function of the states due to the 10^th Amendment.
B) They are the voluntarily adopted standards from which each state will develop curricula.
C) They are why Race to the Top was developed.
D) They involve too much to be covered in twelve years of schooling.

Question 10

Which of the following is not a reason for holding students, teachers, parents, and school leaders accountable for student achievement?

A) As public institutions, schools need to be accountable to the public.
B) Since schools are failing to educate the majority of students, someone needs to take the blame.
C) Without accountability no one is responsible for student achievement.
D) Effective accountability systems increase an organization's effectiveness.

Question 11

Which of the following is not a characteristic of a high quality assessment?

A) Fairness
B) Validity
C) Reliability
D) Test bias

Question 12

Which of the following best describes the difference between "measurement" and "assessment"?

A) The terms are interchangeable.
B) Assessment is a general term whereas measurement involves an orderly assignment of numbers in a given situation to create meaning from data.
C) Measurement is a comprehensive term and is broader than assessment as measurement includes assessment, evaluation, and grading.
D) Assessment has a broader meaning than measurement as it is the core of a continual learning cycle that includes measurement, feedback, reflection, and change.
E) None are correct

Question 13

Which of the following is the best definition for test validity?

A) The extent to which a test measures what it is supposed to measure
B) The extent to which a test is repeatable and yields consistent scores
C) The extent to which constraints are placed on the test takers
D) The extent to which the variance in test scores is attributable to the bell curve

Question 14

A cut score is best defined as

A) The rules for determining the winner in a fencing match
B) The point on the scoring continuum that separates those who meet the standard and those who do not
C) The arithmetic mean in the assessment distribution of scores
D) The point on the scoring continuum above which the standard has not been met

Question 15

Which of the following best describes the difference between formative and summative assessment?

A) Formative assessments are assessments of learning while summative assessments are assessments for learning.
B) Formative assessments provide teachers feedback about student learning so adjustments can be made to instruction whereas summative assessments provide concluding judgments about whether a student has met a required level of learning.
C) Formative assessments are shorter than summative assessments.
D) Summative assessments measure student learning of addition while formative assessments measure vocational and artistic production of student work.
E) None are correct

Question 16

Opportunity-to-learn standards are best defined as

A) The conditions about the learner's occasions to learn the content and skills being assessed
B) The availability of standards for each locality after the state decides the assessment benchmarks
C) The opportunity for upper ability level students to have access to courses such as IB physics, advanced placement calculus, and engineering physics labs
D) The level to which school counselors place students in high-rigor courses

Question 17

Test bias is best defined as

A) An intense fear of taking tests
B) A preference for one type of test over another
C) A consistent over- or under-prediction of how some groups of people will perform on a test based on the group membership such as race, gender, or socioeconomic status
D) A psychometric and sociocultural phenomenon inherent in all test questions

Question 18

The difference between a traditional assessment and an authentic assessment is best described as which of the following?

A) Traditional assessments involve lower- and higher-order thinking skills where authentic assessments involve only higher-order thinking skills.
B) Traditional assessments involve true and false and multiple-choice type questions where authentic assessments involve essay responses.
C) Traditional assessments involve true and false and multiple-choice type questions where authentic assessments involve students completing a project or a product under defined conditions and standards.
D) Traditional assessments involve true and false and multiple-choice type questions where authentic assessments involve students completing a project or a product under conditions and standards defined by the student.
E) None are correct

Question 19

The bell curve is best defined as

A) The normal distribution demonstrated in a norm-referenced test
B) The abnormal distribution demonstrated in a criterion-referenced test
C) A statistical concept in which random scores spread out over a range with half the scores above the mean and half below the mean
D) A statistical concept in which we can compare student performance in percentiles
E) None are correct

Question 20

How would a rubric be used most appropriately?

A) To diagnose how students are learning
B) As a statistical measure to determine where students fall on the bell curve
C) To determine what is fair for every student regardless of race, gender, social class, or parental education level
D) As a scoring guide
E) None are correct

Question 21

List and explain at least three ways research shows formative assessment makes a difference in student achievement.

Question 22

Explain three ways that a holistic accountability system is a better tool than just using student test scores.

Question 23

List and explain the four factors associated with opportunity-to-learn standards.

Question 24

List and explain five types of educational standards.

Question 25

List five factors that should be included in an effective, holistic accountability system.

Question 26

Make the case for and against state standardized assessments of student progress. Afterwards, defend your position for, against, or some middle ground.