Deck 9: Standardized Achievement Tests

Question 1

Scores on achievement tests are affected more by coaching than scores on aptitude tests.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Achievement tests focus on the present, but aptitude tests focus on the past.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

E. L. Thorndike is credited with being the founder of the educational testing movement in the United States.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

The findings of Starch and Elliott were critical of the reliabilities of essay examinations scored by teachers.

Question 5

The basic function of an achievement test is to determine how much a person knows about a topic or how well he or she can perform a certain skill.

Question 6

Achievement tests are direct measures of the effects of formal learning experiences.

Question 7

Written examinations were not administered on a large scale in American schools until the 20th century.

Question 8

Standardized achievement tests first became available in the 1920s.

Question 9

The basic functions of achievement tests are to motivate learning and to evaluate instructional programs or curricula.

Question 10

Standardized achievement tests are designed to measure a set of educational objectives that are common to many different schools.

Question 11

The functions of teacher-made and standardized tests of achievement are complementary.

Question 12

The competency-based testing movement in the United States is a reflection of the need for accountability in education.

Question 13

The content of norm-referenced tests is typically broader and more complex than that of criterion-referenced tests.

Question 14

In recent years there has been a movement toward summative and norm -referenced achievement and away from formative and criterion-referenced testing in education.

Question 15

The measurement of educational achievement has traditionally represented a criterion-referenced approach to measurement.

Question 16

The content of norm-referenced tests is typically broader and more complex than that of criterion-referenced tests.

Question 17

The National Assessment of Educational Progress has employed a criterion-referenced approach to the measurement of achievement.

Question 18

The major purpose of administering a survey test is to determine a person?s areas of strength and weakness in a specific subject.

Question 19

The most comprehensive way of assessing scholastic achievement is to administer a series of single subject-matter tests.

Question 20

Because students learn something from taking a test even when the scores are not used for anything specific, examiners need not be very concerned with the reasons for testing or how the scores will be used.

Question 21

The most important consideration in selecting a standardized achievement test is the adequacy and appropriateness of the test norms.

Question 22

In assessing achievement in several school subjects, it is generally preferable to administer a series of single survey tests rather than a survey test battery.

Question 23

Diagnostic and prognostic tests have basically the same composition and functions.

Question 24

The reliabilities of most standardized achievement tests are much too low to provide a true picture of a child?s performance in a given school subject.

Question 25

The most widely-used of all standardized achievement tests are in the subject of reading.

Question 26

Because mathematics is a more difficult subject than reading for most elementary school pupils, diagnostic and prognostic tests in mathematics are more common than those in reading.

Question 27

The composition and functions of reading readiness tests are similar to those of intelligence tests.

Question 28

The various tests comprising an achievement test battery have uniform reliabilities and validities and are standardized on the same sample of people.

Question 29

Standardized English language tests do a fairly good job of measuring knowledge of grammar and vocabulary as well as oral and written expression.

Question 30

Trade tests are simply achievement tests for occupations.

Question 31

Trade tests are used for selection or admission to training programs in law medicine, business, teaching, and other professions.

Question 32

A test that measures what a person has learned is properly referred to as a test of

A) achievement.
B) ability.
C) general aptitude.
D) special aptitude.

Question 33

The basic function of an achievement test is to

A) assess knowledge or skill in a particular area.
B) evaluate the effectiveness of an instructional program.
C) motivate learning through feedback concerning performance.
D) provide information for purposes of curriculum evaluation and revision.

Question 34

Under the influence of __________, in the middle of the 19th century the Boston schools began giving written examinations to pupils every year.

A) George Fisher
B) Horace Mann
C) J. M. Rice
D) E. L. Thorndike

Question 35

The first objective test of achievement, a handwriting scale, was constructed by

A) George Fisher.
B) Horace Mann.
C) J. M. Rice.
D) E. L. Thorndike.

Question 36

The most comprehensive studies of spelling in school children were conducted in the 1890s by

A) George Fisher.
B) Horace Mann.
C) J. M. Rice.
D) E. L. Thorndike.

Question 37

Objective test items can be used to measure

A) application.
B) memory.
C) reasoning.
D) all of the above.

Question 38

The functions of teacher-made tests and standardized tests are

A) complementary.
B) opposing.
C) similar.
D) unrelated.

Question 39

Standardized tests are usually not as effective as teacher-made tests in

A) assessing the relative merits of different curricula.
B) comparing pupils for class placement.
C) diagnosing a pupil?s strengths and weaknesses in a particular area.
D) measuring pupil achievement of the objectives of a particular classroom.

Question 40

Standardized achievement test batteries are most commonly administered in

A) college.
B) elementary school.
C) junior high school.
D) senior high school.

Question 41

The reliability coefficients of most standardized achievement tests are in the

A) .50s and .60s.
B) .60s and .70s.
C) .70s and .80s.
D) .80s and .90s.

Question 42

Test scores used in accountability judgments are most likely to involve __________ measures.

A) criterion-referenced
B) diagnostic
C) formative
D) norm-referenced

Question 43

Standardized tests in psychology and education have traditionally been

A) formative and criterion-referenced.
B) formative and norm-referenced.
C) summative and criterion-referenced.
D) summative and norm-referenced.

Question 44

The National Assessment of Educational Progress is a survey of the __________ of groups of young Americans.

A) abilities, interests, and personalities
B) growth, abilities, and temperaments
C) knowledge, skills, and understandings
D) understandings, interests, and problems

Question 45

The measurement approach of the National Assessment of Educational Progress may be characterized as

A) criterion-referenced.
B) diagnostic.
C) norm-referenced.
D) prognostic.

Question 46

Knowledge of vocabulary as well as speed and level of comprehension are three measures obtained from a __________ test.

A) diagnostic reading
B) prognostic reading
C) reading readiness
D) survey reading

Question 47

Determining an individual?s specific areas of strength and weakness in a particular subject is the primary goal in administering a

A) diagnostic test.
B) prognostic test.
C) survey test.
D) survey test battery.

Question 48

Which of the following types of standardized achievement tests would most likely be administered first in a testing program?

A) diagnostic test
B) prognostic test
C) survey test battery
D) survey test in a specific subject

Question 49

Reading readiness tests are similar in content to __________ tests, but they are actually __________ tests.

A) diagnostic, prognostic
B) prognostic, diagnostic
C) survey, diagnostic
D) survey, prognostic

Question 50

The validity of most achievement tests is determined by

A) comparing test content with instructional objectives.
B) comparing test scores with teacher-assigned marks in the same material.
C) computing the correlation between test scores and later school achievement.
D) computing the difficulty and discrimination indexes for the items on the test.

Question 51

Most standardized diagnostic achievement tests are in the areas of

A) English and foreign languages.
B) reading and mathematics.
C) science and social studies.
D) spelling and writing.

Question 52

An important characteristic of a test battery is uniformity of

A) interpretation.
B) norms.
C) reliability.
D) validity.

Question 53

Administration of a standardized achievement test battery is most common in grades

A) 4-6.
B) 7-8.
C) 9-10.
D) 11-12.

Question 54

The emphasis on minimum competency evaluation for high-school graduation stresses the importance of

A) professional skills.
B) psychomotor skills.
C) socialization skills.
D) survival skills.

Question 55

The analysis of reading skill into components such as ?word recognition, phonics, sound discrimination, and silent and oral reading? would be most likely to occur on __________ and __________ tests.

A) diagnostic, readiness
B) prognostic, survey
C) survey, diagnostic
D) survey, readiness

Question 56

Both survey and diagnostic tests are available in all of the following subject-matter areas except

A) foreign languages.
B) mathematics.
C) reading.
D) spelling.

Question 57

Reading readiness tests are designed and standardized for

A) kindergarten and grade 1.
B) the primary school grades (1-3).
C) the entire elementary school (grades 1-6).
D) all grades and age levels from infancy through adulthood.

Question 58

The validity of most achievement tests is determined by

A) comparing test content with instructional objectives.
B) comparing test scores with teacher-assigned marks on the same material.
C) computing the correlation between test scores and later school achievement.
D) computing the item difficulty and discrimination indexes.

Question 59

Tests for admission to professional schools are available in

A) law.
B) management.
C) medicine.
D) nursing.
E) all of the above.

Question 60

Tests standardized on adults that emphasize basic skills in reading, mathematics, and language are known as __________ tests.

A) basic educational abilities
B) general educational development
C) job qualification skills
D) practical attainment

Question 61

Occupational competency or proficiency examinations for auto mechanics, bartenders, beauticians, contact lens dispensers, fire fighters, foreign service officers, police officers, professional golfers, and many other specialties are commonly known as __________ tests.

A) G.E.D.
B) performance
C) selection
D) trade

Question 62

The Praxis test series is used in the selection of

A) computer operators.
B) job managers.
C) military officers.
D) practicing psychologists.
E) school teachers.

Question 63

Which of the following tests are non-native English speakers applying for admissions to American universities most likely to take?

A) GRE
B) LAS
C) TOEFL
D) TOWL

Question 64

Match the achievement with the person:

-first objective handwriting test

A) Fisher, 1864
B) Galton, 1860

Question 65

Match the achievement with the person:

-handwriting scale for children

A) Thorndike, 1909
B) James, 1890

Question 66

Match the achievement with the person:

-oral vs. written examinations

A) Mann, 1850
B) Galton, 1860

Question 67

Match the achievement with the person:

-reliability of essay examinations

A) Starch & Elliott, 1912
B) James, 1890

Question 68

Match the achievement with the person:

-research on spelling

A) Rice, 1897
B) Galton, 1860

Question 69

Match the achievement with the person:

-standardized arithmetic test

A) Stone, 1908
B) James, 1890

Question 70

Trace the history of achievement testing from ancient China to the late 20th century.

Question 71

What are the similarities and differences between teacher -made and standardized achievement tests in terms of their construction and uses?

Question 72

Describe at least one standardized test in each of the following areas: reading, mathematics, science, and foreign languages.

Question 73

Differentiate between summative and formative, and between norm -referenced and criterion-referenced testing.

Question 74

Describe the differences between survey, diagnostic, and prognostic tests, and give examples of standardized tests of each kind.

Question 75

List and describe achievement tests used for selection and proficiency determination purposes in higher education, the professions, and the skilled trades.

Question 76

When would a diagnostic test in reading or mathematics be used rather than a survey or prognostic test in the subject? When would a prognostic test be used?