While many educators expect the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) to be more rigorous than previous state standards, some wonder if the transition to CCSS and to a Common Core aligned MAP test will have an impact on their students' RIT scores or the NWEA norms. MAP assessments use a proprietary scale known as the RIT (Rasch unit) scale to measure…

The FAIR-FS consists of computer-adaptive reading comprehension and oral language screening tasks that provide measures to track growth over time, as well as a Probability of Literacy Success (PLS) linked to grade-level performance (i.e., the 40th percentile) on the reading comprehension subtest of the Stanford Achievement Test (SAT-10) in the…

In April 1986 the Congressional Budget Office issued a report, "Trends in Educational Achievement," which shows that the trend in rising standardized test scores began in the elementary grades in the mid-1970's and is not due to the current educational reform movements. (MD)

Adopting a new series of tests can raise student test scores. Scores can also be inflated by ensuring certain students do not take specific tests or by not counting some scores. Dramatic rises in standardized scores are likely to be accompanied by skepticism. (MD)

The paper considers the appropriate and inappropriate use of estimated true scores for normative comparisons and concludes that for normative interpretations of individual scores and class averages, the use of estimated true scores or average estimated true scores is not recommended. (Author/DB)

Higher elementary student scores on standardized tests do not mean educational improvement. Scores can be affected by teaching "to" the test, coaching on test taking, and skewed norms. Test scores have been declining at the secondary level. Included is a discussion of secondary tests. (MD)

The underlying theme of the 1979-80 Hartford Public Schools Group test results was maintenance of the status quo. There were both gains and declines in city-wide averages: individual subtest gains in some cases, put Hartford at or above the national norm (math computation in grades 2, 3, and 4), while the reading comprehension averages in grades 7…

Five new test batteries are reviewed: California Achievement Tests, Iowa Tests of Basic Skills, Metropolitan Achievement Tests, SRA Achievement Series, and Sequential Tests of Educational Progress. The review covers six basic areas: test administration, norming, test scores, reporting and interpretation, aptitude test considerations, and general…

With psychometric tests (that is, norm-referenced tests), nearly all scores fall into one of three categories: those based on comparison with an absolute standard; those based on inter-individual comparison; or those based on intra-individual comparison. These are described and all commonly used metrics are discussed. (Author/RL)

The Austin Independent School District (AISD) office of Research and Evaluation presents Basic Skills Achievement, 1981-82 (BSA). The BSA answers the following questions: (1) How does AISD student achievement compare to student achievement nationwide? (2) How does AISD's 1981-82 student achievement compare to the achievement of students in past…

This paper is divided into two parts. The purpose of Part I is the review of some of the history of school average norms, beginning with Dr. E. F. Lindquist's call for such norms in 1948; the development of such norms for standardized achievement tests; current policies and practices regarding aggregated school data; and a presentation of norms…

This chapter discusses units of measurement, relates types of scales and norms to the purpose for testing, looks at types of test data typically reported, identifies the primary users of test information, looks at limitations of scales and norms, and looks at the interaction between user and data. (Author/RL)

Each year, through its system-wide testing program, the Dallas Independent School District collects and reports assessment data on the achievement of its pupils. The data are summarized in a variety of ways in different reports to meet the needs of a particular audience. The three reports in this year's series were produced by computer, using a…

A sample of 21 guidance counselors was administered the full battery of Johnson O'Connor Research Foundation aptitude tests to compare scores with the "general population" (norm group). The counselors had worked in public schools, private schools or as self-employed consultants for an average of 10 years. The average age was 42. The tests, which…

This report summarizes the results of achievement tests administered in the Spring of 1981 to students in court-identified minority-isolated schools in San Diego, California. An introduction outlines the court order and describes the tests and the participating schools. In 28 of the 36 subject-grade level instances analyzed, student achievement on…