Chapter 6

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Chapter 6

Assessment of Educational Ability: Survey Battery, Diagnostic,

Readiness, and Cognitive Ability Tests

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Defining Assessment of Educational Ability

Purposes of: To determine how well a student is learning To assess class, grades, schools, school systems, or

states To detect learning problems To identify giftedness To see if a child is ready to move to the next grade

level To assess teacher effectiveness For placement in college, grad or professional schools To determine mastery of knowledge for professional

advanced (e.g., credentialing exams)

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Tests of Educational Ability

Educational Ability: Survey Batter, Diagnostic, Readiness, and Cognitive Ability

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Defining Tests of Educational Ability

Survey Battery Tests: Measure broad content areas. Often used to assess progress in school

Diagnostic Tests: Assess problem areas of learning (e.g., learning disabilities)

Readiness Tests: Measure readiness for moving ahead in school. Often readiness to enter First grade

Cognitive Abilities Tests: Often based on what has learned in school. Measure broad range of cognitive ability. Useful in making predictions (e.g., success in school or in college)

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Survey Battery Achievement Testing

Increasingly important as the result of: No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act mandated by

the Federal government NCLB: states must show that “adequate

yearly progress” is being made toward all students achieving at state-specified academic standards

States have to identify a test to show that this is happening

See Box 6.1, p. 112

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Survey Battery Achievement Testing

Helpful in following ways: Can help a student, his or her parents, and

his or her teachers, identify strengths and weaknesses

Classroom, school, or school system profile reports, helps teachers, principals, administrators, and the public see how students are doing at all these levels

Generally used to show success toward “Adequate Yearly Progress”

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Use of Survey Battery Testing

National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Not used to show progress of NCLB Is used to compare states to one another Called “The National Report Card” All states required to participate every two years

on math and reading Sometimes also take other subjects (not

mandatory) Occurs at 4th and 8th grade levels See Table 6.1, p. 114

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Types of Survey Battery Tests

Stanford Achievement Test (SAT10) Dates back to 1923 Offers Individual Profile Sheets, Class Grouping

Sheets, Grade Grouping Sheets, and School System Grouping Sheets See Figures 6.2 and 6.3 (pp. 113, 116)

Most sub-tests in the mid .80s to low .90s using KR-20 internal consistency estimates

Reliability estimates fell for the open-ended sections to mid .50 through the .80s

Sound content, criterion, and construct validity

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Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) Dates back to 1935 Geared for grades K through 8 Sub-tests depending on the grade level: language,

reading, vocabulary, listening, word analysis, math, social studies, science and sources of information (e.g., uses of maps, dictionaries, etc.)

Evidence of content validity Reliability: middle .80s to low .90s Correlates well with CogAT

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Metropolitan Achievement Test First published in 1930s K-12 for a broad range of subjects such as

reading, language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies

Multiple choice questions and open-ended items, which are scored a 0 to 3

Some criticism: data too heavily weighted for rural classrooms and under represents urban classrooms

Good reliability and validity

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Diagnostic Testing

Used to assess problems in learning

PL 94-142 and IDEIA have made these types of tests crucial Laws assert that individuals (age 3 – 21) who

are suspected of having a disability that interferes with learning has right to be tested at school system’s expense

Used in development of IEP Students with a disability have the right to an

education within the least restrictive environment.

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Types of Diagnostic Tests

Wide Range Achievement Test 4 (WRAT 4) Screening test for learning problems. Assesses: Basic reading, spelling, arithmetic skills, and

sentence comprehension Attempts to eliminate effects of comprehension Individual is asked to:

“Read” (pronounce) words Spell words Figure out math problems Provide a missing word or words to simple sentences

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Wide Range Achievement Test 4 (WRAT 4) Spelling and Math can be given in group Reading and Sentence Comprehension must

be administered individually For ages 5 – 75 Internal consistency reliability in .90s Rationale for content validity and evidence of

construct and criterion-related validity See Table 6.2, p. 118

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Key Math Diagnostic Test (KeyMath-3) Assesses student’s knowledge and

understanding of basic mathematics and provides diagnostic information to teachers

K – 9 or (4.5 – 21 yrs based on cognitive ability) Comprehensive test for learning problems in

math Takes 30-90 minutes to take Reliability often in the mid .90s, and evidence

of content and concurrent validity

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Peabody Individual Achievement Test (PIAT) Broad academic screening for children K – 12 Median reliability estimates: .94 Evidence of content, construct, and criterion-

related validity See Table 6.3, p. 121

Other Diagnostic Tests: The Wechsler Individual Achievement Test –

Second Edition (WIAT-II) Woodcock-Johnson (WJ III)

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Readiness Testing

Sometimes helpful in deciding whether a child is “ready” to move onto next level (usually kindergarten or first grade)

Some problems: Children’s cognitive functioning changes

rapidly at young ages Cross-cultural biases exist in some of these

tests When English is not first language children

will tend not to do as well on these tests

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Kindergarten Readiness Test Used to determine if a child is ready to

begin kindergarten Age 4-6 Covers Reasoning, Language, Auditory and

Visual Attention, Numbers, Fine Motor Skills, and several other cognitive and sensory-perception areas.

Questionable reliability and validity

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Types of Readiness Tests

Metropolitan Readiness Test, sixth edition (MRT6) Assesses beginning educational skills for

preschoolers, kindergarteners, and first graders Level 1: Assesses: literacy development for

preschoolers and beginning kindergarteners Level 2: Assesses: reading and mathematics for k

– beginning first graders 80-100 minutes Composite reliability estimates: .90s Subtest reliability: .53 through .77 Some question its validity

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Gesell School Readiness Test Assesses personal and social skills, neurological

and motor growth, language development, and adaptive behavior

Arnold Gesell spent years examining the normal development of children

As far as Gesell was concerned, “achievement” was more than how one scores on a reading or math test

Questionable Reliability and Validity Read Box 6.2 (p. 123)

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Cognitive Ability Tests

Used to assess what an individual is capable of doing

Should not be confused with intelligence tests

Often look more like achievement tests—but measure broad content areas

Good for identifying students not succeeding in school due to learning disabilities, motivation, problems at home or school, self-esteem issues

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Types of Cognitive Ability Tests

Otis-Lennon School Ability Test (OLSAT 8) K – 12 Assesses abstract thinking and reasoning skills via

verbal and non-verbal sections Given in large group format, 60-75 minutes Achievement/Ability Index (AAC): How students are

doing compared to their potential Content validity: “Each user must determine if the

content fits the population they are testing” Reliability high for composite scores, lower for

subtests See Figures 6.4 and 6.5 (pp. 125, 126)

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The Cognitive Ability Test (CogAT) Constructed with two models of intelligence: Vernon’s

hierarchy and Cattell’s fluid and crystallized abilities Provides verbal, quantitative, nonverbal ability, and

composite score Scores: Standard age score with mean of 100, SD of

16; percentile ranks, and stanines Good reliability estimates: .80s & .90s Offers rationale for content validity but difficult to

defend this type of test as it is used to measure future. Good concurrent validity See Box 6.3, p. 127

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College and Graduate School Admission (ACT) Designed to assess educational development and

ability to complete college level work Most Popular Four skill areas: English, math, reading, and science. Scores range from 1 – 36, (M = 18, SD = 5) for all high

school students Mean for college bound students about 21 Composite score has reliability estimate of .96 Predictive validity: is .43 with first year GPA See Box 6.4, p. 129

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College and Graduate School Admission (SAT) Areas: reading, mathematics, and writing (multiple

choice and essay) Scores: 200 to 800 Can compare means to 1990 group whose mean was

set at 500 Percentile score: compares examinees within past 3

yrs Writing score: 1 and 6 by two or three evaluators Reliability: low .90s Math and verbal scores: .44 to .61 with college grades

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College and Graduate School Admission (GRE General Test) Three sections: verbal reasoning, quantitative

reasoning, and analytical writing Verbal and quantitative sections scores range: 200-

800 Has floating mean and SD Percentiles compare students who took the test in

recent years For analytical rating. Scores ranked from 0 to 6 by

two or three evaluators (Mean has been 4.1, SD: 0.9) Moderate reliability for predicting grades Reliability for verbal and quantitative—low .90s, .72

for analytical writing

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College Admissions Tests (GRE Subject Tests)

Biochemistry, cell and molecular biology; biology; chemistry; computer science; literature in English, mathematics; physics; and psychology.

Scores range between 200 and 990 with a floating SD and mean

Correlations with grad grades run between .33 and .47

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College Admissions Tests (Miller Analogy Test)

120 analogies measure “measures your ability to recognize relationships between ideas, your fluency in the English language, and your general knowledge of the humanities, natural sciences, mathematics, and social sciences”

Mixed results of predictive validity (one study, .27 with grad GPA)

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College Admissions Test (LSAT) Assesses: reading comprehension, analytical

reasoning, logical reasoning and a writing sample

Predictive validity estimates average at .33, and when combined with GPA, increase to .47

College Admissions Test (MCAT) Assesses physical sciences, biological sciences,

verbal reasoning, and a writing sample Scores 1-15 (except for writing section) Writing: J – T (higher the better) Research seems to support some predictive

validity, but more research needed

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The Role of Helpers in the Assessment of Educational

Ability

School counselors, school psychologists, learning disabilities specialists, and school social workers are members of the school’s special education teamSchool psychologists and learning disability specialists are testing experts who assess for learning problemsClinical and counseling psychologists do additional assessments or act as a second opinion to the school’s assessment personSchool counselors often only testing expert permanently house in school. Can consult with teacher and disaggregate data to find students with learning problemsLicensed professionals often need to consult with schools about their clients

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Final Thoughts on Assessment of Educational

Ability

Down side: Teachers forced to teach to tests—not being

allowed to be creative Testing leads to labeling Some tests (e.g., readiness tests and

cognitive ability tests) are a mechanism for majority children to move ahead and keep minority children down

Testing causes competition and peer pressure

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Final Thoughts on Assessment of Educational

Ability

Up side: Tests allow us to identify children, classrooms,

schools, and schools systems, which are performing poorly

Testing allows us to identify children with learning problems

Testing allows a child to be accurately placed in grade level

Testing helps children identify what they are good at and helps to identify weak areas they can focus upon

See Box 6.5, p. 133

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Chapter 6