COURSE CODE: EFN 5306

COURSE TITLE: CLASSROOM ASSESSMENT

PREPARED BY

DR. LEYLAND F. THOMPSON

ROOM No: J27

UNIT 12: Reporting Test Scores

Test results can be reported in terms of (1) the types of tasks that were performed (criterion-
referenced) or (2) the relative position held in some reference group (norm-referenced). Both types of
interpretation are useful – the first (criterion-referenced) describes what a person can do, and the
second (norm-referenced) describes how the performance compares with that of others.

Criterion-Referenced

Criterion-referenced test interpretation permits us to report a student’s test performance without

referring to the performance of others. This is done in terms of some universally understood measure of
proficiency (e.g., speed, precision) or the percentage of items correct in some clearly defined domain of
learning tasks.

Norm-Referenced

Standardized test have typically been designed for norm-referenced reporting, which will involve
converting the raw scores to derived scores by means of table of norms. These derived scores indicate a
student’s relative position in a particular reference group. (A derived score is a numerical report of test
performance on a score scale that has well defined characteristics and yields normative meaning).
Derived scores have the advantage over raw scores of providing more uniform meaning from one test to
another and from one situation to another.

The common types of derived scores are grade equivalents, age equivalents, percentile ranks and
standard scores. Grade equivalents and age equivalents describe test performance in terms of the grade
or age group in which the a student’s raw score is just the average, while percentile ranks and standard
scores indicate a student’s relative standing in some particular group.

Different Types of Tests

Psychological Tests
(Source: http:/guidetopsychology.com/testing.htm)

PSYCHOLOGICAL tests assess and evaluate information that one gives to the examiner, which is why
the formal name of psychological testing is psychological assessment. You give this information
either in the form of answers to interview questions or as answers on paper—or on a computer—to
specific questions. Ultimately, a test’s accuracy depends on how carefully and seriously you answer
the questions you’re asked.

Psychological tests fall into several categories:

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- Achievement & Aptitude tests
- Intelligence Tests
- Neuropsychological Tests
- Occupational Tests
- Personality Tests

Achievement and aptitude tests are usually seen in educational or employment settings, and
they attempt to measure either how much you know about a certain topic (i.e., your achieved
knowledge), such as mathematics or spelling, or how much of a capacity you have (i.e., your
aptitude) to master material in a particular area, such as mechanical relationships. 

Intelligence tests attempt to measure your intelligence—that is, your basic ability to understand
the world around you, assimilate its functioning, and apply this knowledge to enhance the
quality of your life.
Intelligence, therefore, is a measure of a potential, not a measure of what you’ve learned (as in
an achievement test), and so it is supposed to be independent of culture. The challenge is to
design a test that can actually be culture-free; most intelligence tests fail in this area to some
extent for one reason or another.

Neuropsychological tests attempt to measure deficits in cognitive functioning (i.e., your ability
to think, speak, reason, etc.) that may result from some sort of brain damage, such as a stroke
or a brain injury.

Occupational tests attempt to match your interests with the interests of persons in known
careers. The logic here is that if the things that interest you in life match up with, say, the things
that interest most school teachers, then you might make a good school teacher yourself.

Personality tests attempt to measure your basic personality style and are most used in research
or forensic settings to help with clinical diagnoses. Two of the most well-known personality tests
are:
• the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI), or the revised MMPI-2, composed of
several hundred “yes or no” questions, and

•the Rorschach (the “inkblot test”), composed of several cards of inkblots—you simply give a
description of the images and feelings you experience in looking at the blots.

Unit 13: Controversial Measurement Issues

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 Continuous Assessment/SBA Concepts
Measuring Pupil Achievement
In today’s policy environment, testing has become a critical component of education reform.
Policy makers and education administrators often view test scores as a measure of educational
quality and use test scores to hold schools accountable for teacher performance.
Continuous assessment, an alternative or supplement to high stakes testing of pupil
achievement, offers a methodology for measuring pupil performance and using those findings to
improve the success of pupils.

What is continuous assessment?

Continuous assessment is a classroom strategy implemented by teachers to ascertain the
knowledge, understanding, and skills attained by pupils. Teachers administer assessments in a
variety of ways over time to allow them to observe multiple tasks and to collect information
about what pupils know, understand, and can do. These assessments are curriculum-based tasks
previously taught in class.

Continuous assessment occurs frequently during the school year and is part of regular teacher-
pupil interactions. Pupils receive feedback from teachers based on their performance that
allows them to focus on topics they have not yet mastered. Teachers learn which students need
review and remediation and which pupils are ready to move on to more complex work. Thus,
the results of the assessments help to ensure that all pupils make learning progress throughout
the school cycle thereby increasing their academic achievement.

What are the benefits of continuous assessment?

The continuous assessment process is much more than an examination of pupil achievement.
Continuous assessment is also a powerful diagnostic tool that enables pupils to understand the
areas in which they are having difficulty and to concentrate their efforts in those areas.
Continuous assessment also allows teachers to monitor the impact of their lessons on pupil
understanding. Teachers can modify their pedagogical strategies to include the construction of
remediation activities for pupils who are not working at the expected grade level and the
creation of enrichment activities for pupils who are working at or above the expected grade
level. Hence, the continuous assessment process supports a cycle of self-evaluation and pupil-
specific activities by both pupils and teachers.

END OF UNITS 12 & 13