A Review of 3 School Counseling Assessment Instruments

Amberton University Fall 2014

The Three Instruments Reviewed • Iowa Test of Basic Skills: University of Iowa, 1931

– Provides a comprehensive assessment of student progress within major content areas

• Developmental Reading Assessment 2, Joetta Beaver and Mark Carter, 1986– Used to identify a student’s reading level, accuracy, fluency and

comprehension of written text

• State of Texas Assessment of Academic Skills, Pearson Education and Texas Education Agency, 2012 – Used to assess statewide content standards, also known as the TEKS

(Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills).

Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS): Overview

• Developed by: The University of Iowa • Targeted Population: Students in Kindergarten

through 8th grade • Administration Time: Depending on the level of

the students, can range from 1.5 hours to 5.5 hours • Administration Type: Group administered, paper

and pencil • Reliability: 0.873-0.984• Validity: 0.69-0.80

Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS): Description

• Iowa Assessments assess students in the following reporting categories: – Vocabulary-26 questions (approx. 15 minutes)– Word Analysis-32 questions (approx. 15 minutes)– Reading: Part 1 & 2 -35 questions (approx. 45 minutes)– Listening-27 questions (approx. 25 minutes)– Language-34 questions (approx. 25 minutes)– Mathematics: Part 1 & 2-41 questions (approx. 50 minutes)– Computation- 25 questions (approx. 25 minutes)

Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS): Examples and Resources

Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS): ResearchA School for the Common Good

Math on the Fast Track

• The world of learning has been transformed by computers, standardized testing, and the rigorously calculated distribution curves.

• Some of these trends, however dehumanize instruction within the classroom and tend to make student learning monotonous.

• School wide scores on standardized testing, in this case the ITBS, which all grades take during the school year became the best way to track their progress.

Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS): Research: The Relationships Between the Iowa Test of Basic Skills

and the Washington Assessment of Student Learningin the State of Washington

• Educators in the State of Washington currently administer both the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) and the Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL).

• Both the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) and the Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) are very similar, however they are not identical.

Developmental Reading Assessment 2 (DRA2): Overview

• Developed by: Joetta Beaver and Mark Carter• Targeted Population: Students in Kindergarten

through 8th grade • Administration Time: 20-45 minutes• Administration Type: Individually

administered• Reliability: 0.61-0.85• Validity: 0.71

Developmental Reading Assessment 2 (DRA2): Description

A 3 Step Test that includes:

-Reading Engagement: Student completed reading survey

-Oral Reading: Student reads aloud the benchmark books while the teacher records fluency, accuracy, phrasing, expression and rate.

-Comprehension: Grades K-3: Student is asked to retell the story orally or through a written summary. Student is also asked to answer a series of comprehension questions.

Developmental Reading Assessment 2 (DRA2): Examples and Resources

The DRA 2 is often completed in the school setting by a teacher. The following video was

completed with a 2nd grade student: • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIhfFmc-k

NI

Engagement/Oral Reading Fluency Form

Miscues/Percent of Accuracy

Comprehension/Retelling Portion

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIhfFmc-kNI

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIhfFmc-kNI

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17D06Rux6nQ

Interpretation/Reflection

Developmental Reading Assessment 2 (DRA2): Research

Developmental Reading Assessment 2 (DRA2): Effect of Specialized In-Service Professional Development Activities on Elementary School Students' Reading

Achievement

• The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between specialized training offered to in-service teachers in a professional development school and reading achievement.

• The study took place at the Midway Elementary Professional Development School, a Title 1 Pre-K-5 Elementary School.

• The participates included twelve second and third grade students over a two period.

• The study looked at data over a two year period. The students were pretested and post-tested during the Fall and Spring of the school year using the Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA).

Developmental Reading Assessment 2 (DRA2): Research

Rhode Island State Assessment

• The schools in Rhode Island are using the DRA and the OMS (On-line Management System) to ensure the organization of student data.

• The information is entered on-line and it is critical that this data is accurate since it will be used for accountability purposes.

State of Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (STAAR): Overview

• Developed by: Pearson Education and The Texas Education Agency

• Targeted Population: Students in 3rd-12th Grade

• Administration Time: 4 hours • Administration Type: Group Administered• Reliability: 0.81-0.93

STAAR Test Examples and Resources • 4th Grade Math Example Question:

• Standard(s) Being Assessed:(4.1) Mathematical process standards. The student uses mathematical processes to acquire and demonstrate mathematical understanding. The student is expected to: (B) use a problem-solving model that incorporates analyzing given information, formulating a plan or strategy, determining a solution, justifying the solution, and evaluating the problem-solving process and the reasonableness of the solution; (D) use strategies and algorithms, including the standard algorithm, to multiply up to a four-digit number by a one-digit number and to multiply a two-digit number by a two-digit number. Strategies may include mental math, partial products, and the commutative, associative, and distributive properties

State of Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (STAAR): ResearchAll Reading Tests Are Not Created Equal: A Comparison of the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR) and the Gray Oral

Reading Test-4 (GORT-4)

• This exploratory study investigated how reading comprehension was

conceptualized on the new high-stakes test, the 2011-2012 State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR).

• Specifically, comprehension, rate, and accuracy scores on the Gray Oral Reading Test 4(GORT-4) from a group of struggling, low-SES, Hispanic middle school students (n = 59) were set as predictor variables to examine possible relationships with the STAAR.

• The weak relationship between STAAR test results and the GORT-4 is examined in light of the current research on high- stakes testing, particularly for the at-risk population studied.

State of Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (STAAR): ResearchThe Harmful Impact of the TAAS System of Testing in Texas: Beneath the Accountability Rhetoric

• Because science is not yet subject to TAAS testing in the younger grades, many teachers are required to suspend teaching science for weeks, or even months, in order to devote extra time to teaching the testable subjects.

• In March of 1993, 19 percent of seniors had passed had three portions of TAAS. In 1994, 21 percent passed. 350 of the 540 enrolled seniors actually graduated due to state testing.

References

• Abbott, M., & Joireman, J. (2001). The Relationships between the Iowa Test of Basic Skills and the Washington Assessment of Student Learning in the State of Washington. Lynwood: Seattle Pacific University.

• DRA2 K-8 Technical Manual Developmental Reading Assessment- Second Edition. (2009, January 1). Retrieved September 28, 2014, from http://s7ondemand7.scene7.com/s7ondemand/brochure/flash_brochure.jsp?company=PearsonEducation&sku=DRA2_TechMan&vc=instanceName=PearsonEducation&sku=DRA2_TechMan&vc=instanceName=Pearson&config=DRA2_TechMan&zoomwidth=975&zoomheight=750

• Hoover, H. D., Dunbar, S. B., & Frisbie, D. A. (2001). Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS) Forms A, B, and C. Rolling Meadows, IL: Riverside Publishing Company.

• Howe, Q. (n.d.). Math on the Fast Track. Educational Horizons, 84(4), 235-239. Retrieved November 9, 2014, from Eric.

• Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS). (n.d.). Retrieved September 29, 2014, from http://www.rti4success.org/iowa-tests-basic-skills-itbs-reading

• ITBS Research Guide - Research - Iowa Assessments - Iowa Testing Programs - College of Education - The University of Iowa. (n.d.). Retrieved September 28, 2014, from https://itp.education.uiowa.edu/ia/documents/ITBS-Research-Guide.pdf

• Jarrett, C., Evans, C., Dai, Y., Williams, D., & Rogers, K. (2010). Effect of Specialized In-Service Professional Development Activities on Elementary School Students’ Reading Achievement. National Forum of Teacher Education Journal, 20(3). Retrieved September 26, 2014, from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED520162.pdf

References Continued • Johnson, K., Wilson, C., & Williams-Rossi, D. (2013). All Reading Tests Are Not Created Equal: A Comparison of the State of

Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR) and the Gray Oral Reading Test-4 (GORT-4). Texas Journal of Literacy Education, 1(1), 13-21. Retrieved September 26, 2014, from http://www.texasreaders.org/uploads/8/6/6/5/8665759/tjle_2014_2.pdf#page=17

• McNeil, L., & Valenzuela, A. (2000). The Harmful Impact of the TAAS System of Testing in Texas: Beneath the Accountability Rhetoric.

• Patarapichayatham, C., Fohle, W., & Roden, T. R. (2014, January). ISIP Reading versus STAAR Reading: The Predictability Study. Https://www.istation.com/Content/downloads/studies/Istation_ISIP_vsSTARR_Predictability_Study.pdf. Retrieved November 9, 2014

• Slentz, K., Early, D., & McKenna, M. (2008). A guide to assessment in early childhood infancy to age eight. Olympia, Wash.: Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction.

• STAAR EOC External Validity Studies. (2013, March 15). Retrieved September 29, 2014, from

http://www.tea.state.tx.us/staar/vldstd.aspx

• STAAR 2013 Mean P- Values and Internal Consistency Values By Reporting Category and Content Area. (n.d.). Retrieved September 28, 2014, from www.tea.state.tx.us/WorkArea/linkit.aspx?LinkIdentifier=id&ItemID=25769811707&libID=25769811724