What Does All This Testing Mean
- 1. What Does All This Testing Mean? MBES PTA General Meeting 11/7/13 @ 6:30pm
- 2. Tests We Will Discuss Tonight: CogAT: Cognitive Abilities Test Iowa Test: Achievement CRCT: Criterion Referenced Competency Test
- 3. Norm Reference Testing • The CogAT is a norm-reference test designed to measure students’ learned reasoning abilities that closely relate to success in school • The Iowa is a norm-reference, multiple choice test that measures student achievement compared to a national sample of students who took the same test at the same time of year under the same conditions • Taking the CogAT and the Iowa at the same time allows for a comparison of ability to achievement
- 5. National Percentile Raking The NPR indicates the status or relative rank of a student’s score compared with a nationally representative sample of examinees. This score is useful for discussing a student’s test results with parents and for determining areas of relative strength and weaknesses for a class, grade, group. Stanine GE - Grade Equivalency A decimal number that describes a student’s location on an achievement continuum in terms of grade and months at which the typical student received this score. Most useful for tracking growth over time.
- 6. Cognitive Abilities Test Nationally Normed Mental Ability Test
- 7. CogAT: Cognitive Abilities Test Measures general and specific reasoning abilities in three domains Abilities reflect the overall efficiency of cognitive processes and strategies that allow individuals to learn new tasks and solve problems.
- 8. CogAT: Cognitive Abilities Test 1st Grade – Teacher paced 3rd Grade – Independent 7th Grade - Independent
- 9. CogAT: Cognitive Abilities Test
- 10. CogAT: So What? How do we use the scores? Guiding efforts to adapt instruction to the needs and abilities of the students. Measuring cognitive development to help identify academically talented students. Identify students whose predicted levels of achievement differ from levels of academic achievement.
- 11. Iowa Test Nationally Normed Achievement Test
- 12. Iowa Test: Achievement Identify strengths & weaknesses Inform instruction Monitor growth Determine college readiness Measure core standards Implement Response to Intervention Inform placement decisions Make comparisons Evaluate programs Predict future performance Support accountability
- 13. Iowa Test Score Report
- 14. Iowa Test Score Report
- 15. Iowa Test: So What? Provides a measurement of academic achievement. Provides data on students who may fail the CRCT in the Spring. Allows teachers to bolster weaknesses and play on strengths.
- 16. Georgia CRCT Students mastery of GPS & CCSS
- 17. CRCT: Criterion Referenced Competency Test Required by the State of Georgia Assessment of how well students learned content areas of Reading (CCSS), English Language Arts (CCSS). Math (CCSS), Science (GPS), Social Studies (GPS). Provides information on strengths and weaknesses Measures knowledge taught in Georgia classrooms
- 18. CRCT: Criterion Referenced Competency Test “Gateway” test for: 3rd graders – Reading 5th Graders – Reading & Math 8th Graders – Reading & Math
- 19. CRCT Scores On Criterion Referenced Tests a committee (usually consisting of educators, content area specialists, and state administrators) look at a battery of questions matched to the curriculum and for each question they determine if a “minimally competent” student in that subject area would get the question correct or incorrect. After all the items have been examined the committee’s recommendations are taken and used to create “cut scores.” These scores will mark the difference between a student who “Meets” standards or “Does not Meet.” an example, a math test might have 60 questions with a cut score of 33. This would mean that a student who gets 33 out of 60 questions correct would “Meet” standards while a student who correctly answers 32 out of 60 questions would be classified as “Does Not Meet.” For Criterion Referenced Tests the State of Georgia commissions committees each year to set the cut scores for each assessment. The cut score for a given test might be different depending on the subject, grade, and year. Does Not Meet = Below 800 Meets = 800 – 849 Exceeds = 850 +
- 21. CRCT: So What? How are we teaching? How are students learning? Do students qualify for special programs? Accountability
- 22. What Are Other Standardized Assessments? GKIDS – Georgia Kindergarten Inventory of Developing Skills 3rd Grade Writing 5th Grade Writing ACCESS for ELL’s GAA – Georgia Alternative Assessment NAEP – National Assessment of Educational Progress
- 23. What Does All This Testing Mean? We have a balanced approach to determine student strengths and weaknesses and plan curriculum and programs based on scores.