Deck 11: Achievement Tests

Question 1

The _____ represents the extent to which specific training influences test performance.

A) ability-performance continuum
B) criterion-performance continuum
C) training-testing continuum
D) ability-achievement continuum

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Where would a test of reading comprehension fall on the ability (left) - achievement (right) continuum?

A) extreme left
B) extreme right
C) in the middle
D) It cannot be located on this continuum.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

According to the textbook, which of the following is NOT an interface between psychologists and achievement testing?

A) research
B) distribution of test materials to the public
C) integration of test results and clinical treatment
D) development of achievement tests

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Which of these categories is NOT identified by the textbook as a broad category of achievement tests?

A) achievement test batteries
B) nonverbal test batteries
C) psychoeducational batteries
D) teacher-made tests

Question 5

Psychologists in which of these subfields deal most frequently with achievement tests?

A) social psychology
B) forensic psychology
C) school psychology
D) developmental psychology

Question 6

Which of the broad categories of achievement tests does the text deliberately NOT treat in detail?

A) certification and licensing exams
B) single-area achievement tests
C) individual achievement tests
D) teacher-made tests

Question 7

The accountability movement in United States education arose during the

A) 1890s
B) 1920s
C) 1960s
D) 1990s

Question 8

The movement in education that calls for very precise specification of learning outcomes and testing of those outcomes is currently known as _____.

A) standards-based education
B) the test-them-all movement
C) focused-learning
D) specification testing

Question 9

Which is NOT one of the major achievement batteries?

A) Iowa Tests
B) Terra Nova
C) Stanford Achievement Test
D) New York Test of Academic Skills

Question 10

In educational circles, this term refers to the fact that schools are responsible for student learning.

A) dependability
B) specificity
C) accountability
D) reliability

Question 11

What term is frequently used to describe a test that has very important consequences for the examinee.

A) high-immediacy
B) extreme-performance
C) severe-consequences
D) high-stakes

Question 12

The term achievement battery refers to a coordinated series of tests that covers ___.

A) different content areas and multiple grade levels
B) a single content area at one grade level
C) a single content area at multiple grade levels
D) multiple content areas at one grade level

Question 13

The Stanford Achievement Test exhibits which of the following features of standardized achievement batteries?

A) different levels designed for different grades
B) many specific tests
C) both a and b
D) neither a nor b

Question 14

What generalization did the text identify regarding use of multiple-choice versus constructed-response items in widely used achievement batteries for elementary schools? Current batteries _________.

A) All offer alternatives to multiple-choice items
B) All use predominantly constructed-response items
C) All use exclusively multiple-choice items
D) Some are exclusively multiple-choice, others exclusively constructed-response

Question 15

The original intent for achievement batteries was to ___.

A) evaluate the effectiveness of teachers, principals, and superintendents
B) allow school districts to evaluate their curriculum
C) provide parents with information about their child's cognitive ability
D) monitor student progress in major areas of the school curriculum

Question 16

All of the following are current uses for achievement batteries EXCEPT ___.

A) providing input for international comparisons
B) monitoring student progress in major areas of a school curriculum
C) allowing school districts to evaluate their curriculum
D) evaluating the effectiveness of teachers, principals, and superintendents

Question 17

The constructed-response versions of major achievement batteries may experience limited use mainly due to their ___.

A) lack of instructional validity
B) great cost
C) lack of face validity
D) overly complex score reports

Question 18

The text identifies several major achievement batteries used in U. S. elementary and secondary schools. What generalization was made about similarities and differences among these batteries?

A) They are all virtually identical.
B) They are much more alike than different.
C) They have some but very few similarities.
D) They are all very different from one another.

Question 19

College achievement batteries are typically used _____ elementary and secondary school achievement batteries.

A) slightly more frequently than
B) approximately the same as
C) less frequently than
D) much more frequently than

Question 20

Achievement batteries at the college level are aimed mainly at ___.

A) knowledge in the major field of study
B) knowledge in the minor field of study
C) general education outcomes
D) remedial education

Question 21

Which of the following single-area achievement tests is NOT specifically discussed by the textbook?

A) Major Field Test in Psychology
B) National Occupational Competency Testing Institute tests
C) STAR Math test
D) Advanced Placement Exam in Biology

Question 22

The norms for the Major Field Test - Psychology are derived from ___.

A) a nationally representative standard sample
B) a local sample from state colleges and universities
C) test takers from the first year the test was administered
D) all examinees who have taken the test in the past three years

Question 23

A single-area achievement test discussed by the textbook that utilizes computer-adaptive administration is ___.

A) CEEB exam
B) NOCTI test
C) MFT-P
D) STAR Math

Question 24

Nearly all single-area achievement tests utilize a(n) _____ format.

A) individually-administered, computerized, multiple-choice
B) group-administered, paper-and-pencil, multiple-choice
C) group-administered, paper-and-pencil, free-response
D) individually-administered, computerized, free-response

Question 25

Which period of time witnessed the widespread adoption of standardized achievement batteries by American schools?

A) Pre 1900s
B) 1900-1920
C) 1930-1990
D) 2000-2015

Question 26

To indicate validity, single-area achievement tests depend primarily on _____ validity.

A) face
B) criterion-related
C) content
D) construct

Question 27

What generalization was developed regarding the reliability of total scores on single-area achievement tests? The total scores usually have ___.

A) low reliability
B) moderate reliability
C) high reliability
D) unknown reliability

Question 28

_____ involves a legal grant by a government agency to practice.

A) licensing
B) certification
C) funding
D) a practicum

Question 29

A statement of proficiency that does not necessarily imply a right to practice is called ___.

A) licensing
B) certification
C) competency testing
D) a practicum

Question 30

The point on a test that separates passing from failing, or one level of proficiency from another, is called a _____ score.

A) cut-off
B) standard
C) dividing
D) minimum

Question 31

In the norm-referenced approach, a cut-off score is established by ___.

A) the top score on the test
B) reference to some external criterion
C) the modal score on the test
D) reference to some point in the test's norms

Question 32

In the criterion-referenced approach, a cut-off score is determined by ___.

A) the top score on the test
B) reference to some point in the test's norms
C) a set of procedures for examining test content
D) the 25^th percentile

Question 33

One method for determining a cut-off score, the _____ approach, places the cut-off at the total score that a "minimally competent person" ought to achieve.

A) Hogan
B) Angoff
C) Anastasi
D) Cronbach

Question 34

What generalization was developed regarding the reliability of scores on licensing exams. The scores usually have ____.

A) low reliability
B) moderate reliability
C) high reliability
D) unknown reliability

Question 35

Which U. S. federal law first dictated that states have statewide testing programs?

A) No Child Left Behind
B) Americans with Disabilities
C) Civil Rights Act
D) Family Education Rights and Privacy Act

Question 36

In the United States, the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) had important implications for state testing programs. What law replaced NCLB?

A) Every Student Succeeds Act
B) Americans with Disabilities
C) Civil Rights Act
D) Family Education Rights and Privacy Act

Question 37

Which testing program calls itself "the nation's report card"?

A) TIMSS
B) PISA
C) NAEP
D) SAT

Question 38

What percentage of states (in the United States) have a statewide achievement testing program?

A) All
B) About half
C) Very few
D) None

Question 39

The National Assessment of Educational Progress was formulated in the 1960s to ___.

A) assess post-collegiate educational attainments
B) provide benchmarks regarding the educational attainments of Americans
C) determine a national literacy level in the United States
D) establish elementary and secondary school curricula in the United States

Question 40

An important difference between testing programs like NAEP and TIMSS versus school testing programs is that programs like NAEP and TIMSS ____.

A) use mostly free-response test items
B) concentrate on group results
C) have more content validity
D) report results in grade equivalents

Question 41

Which testing program provides comparisons of performance among different countries?

A) NAEP
B) TIMSS
C) SAT
D) OLSAT

Question 42

What are the two major parts of the Woodcock-Johnson?

A) achievement and cognitive
B) intelligence and personality
C) intelligence and motivation
D) attention and concentration

Question 43

An example of an individually administered achievement test is the ___.

A) WIAT
B) WPPSI
C) WISC
D) WAIS

Question 44

The cognitive battery of the Woodcock-Johnson is based on Cattell's theory of _____ intelligence.

A) general and specific
B) variable and fluid
C) fluid and crystallized
D) valid and crystallized

Question 45

Which term is sometimes used to describe individually administered achievement tests administered in conjunction with cognitive ability tests to determine discrepancies between scores on the two types of tests?

A) psychoeducational batteries
B) inferential batteries
C) descriptive-inferential batteries
D) contrast batteries

Question 46

Research on the correlation between scores on ability and achievement tests shows that the correlation is usually ___.

A) very high positive
B) moderate positive
C) low positive
D) near zero

Question 47

Cross-referencing norms between WIAT and the Wechsler intelligence scales provides the basis for making _____ comparisons.

A) ability-achievement
B) ability-personality
C) motivation-self concept
D) achievement-effort

Question 48

_____ may help to alleviate somewhat the conflict between users' desire to minimize testing time while maximizing diagnostic information.

A) computer-adaptive testing
B) administering multiple short tests
C) paper-and-pencil tests
D) using group rather than individual achievement tests

Question 49

Doubts about examinee motivation sometimes arise regarding ___.

A) licensing and certification exams
B) individually administered cognitive ability tests
C) individually administered achievement tests
D) school testing programs or state mandated tests

Question 50

You compute difference scores for several different tests. You look for "significant differences" in scores, say at the ".05 level." What generalization should you keep in mind as you make multiple comparisons?

A) The fewer comparisons you make, the more likely you'll find a significant difference.
B) The more comparisons you make, the more likely you'll find a significant difference.
C) As long as you keep the .05 level, your chance of finding a significant difference remains the same.
D) If you change to the .01 level, your chance of finding a significant difference remains the same.

Question 51

Test development procedures for many achievement tests assume that the test is measuring a single dimension. Under that assumption, what can we say about use of both selected-response (SR) and constructed-response (CR) items within the same test?

A) SR should be measuring lower level traits and CR higher level traits.
B) CR should be measuring lower level traits and SR higher level traits.
C) SR and CR should be measuring the same trait.

Question 52

Curriculum based measures typically occur within what time frame?

A) Very long
B) Very short
C) A mixture of very long and very short

Question 53

What type of reporting do we frequently find for curriculum based measures?

A) Narrative
B) Numerical
C) Graphical

Question 54

Curriculum based measures usually occur for what kind of content?

A) Creative arts
B) Manual skills
C) Nonverbal ability
D) Basic skills