Promoting Student Achievement

MELS 601Ch. 7

Individual Differences among Children

If curriculum can be defined most simply as what is taught in the school, then instruction is the how—the methods and techniques that support and aid students in their learning (p. 115).

What strategies does your school employ to meet the individual differences among your children?

Norm-Referenced Tests

A Norm-Referenced test uses the group as a basis for comparison

Examples are Achievement Tests

**The purpose of these tests is to allow educators to compare groups or norms, not necessarily to measure what a student knows about a specific body of knowledge**

Norm-Referenced Tests

Raw Score How many questions were answered correctly, they have very

little meaning

Standard Score Standard scores are computed by comparing an individual

student’s raw score to the scores of the norming population.

Stanines The stanine score is useful for interpreting where a particular

child performs relative to the group.

Normal Curve Equivalent The normal curve equivalent is another way of describing

where a student’s score falls along the normal curve.

Norm-Referenced Tests

Scaled Score A scaled score is a mathematical transformation of a

raw score, it takes into account the differences in the difficulty of items and is calculated to provide a more precise measure of the knowledge or skills tested.

Gain Score A gain score is a measure of how much a child’s test

scores have climbed the test scale from one administration of the test to the next, or across multiple administrations of the test potentially spanning the child’s entire testing career.

Norm Referenced Tests

Value-Added Assessment A value-added assessment is a statistical

tool for gauging how much students gain in academic achievement in a given year. Stated in another way, it reflects how much “value” ahs been added to the development of a child by his or her schooling.

Criterion-Referenced Tests

A criterion-referenced test measures a student’s specific knowledge or skills against a certain criteria or curriculum standard. These criteria are generally the curriculum prescribed for the classroom, school, district, or state.

Data-Decision Making

How does your school use data in making decisions?

What is an appropriate way to group students to maximize learning?

Are there inappropriate ways? If so, what are they and how do you as a new principal change this practice?

Group Activity

In your three groups discuss Activity 2 on pg. 138 of your text.

Reflect on the instructional strategies and behaviors in your respective school. Identify one or more areas where restructuring should take

place. Why do you believe so? Apply concepts of this chapter to your school. How would you proceed to restructure your school’s

instructional program.

Be prepared to report out similarities and differences you discussed in your group