Assessment of Learning

Standardized testing usually takes the form of norm-referenced or criterion-referenced as means to express data. Norm-referenced tests rank students by measuring their relative performance against that of the group on which the test was field tested. For example, the SAT, IQ tests, MAP, and tests graded on a bell curve. Criterion-referenced tests gather information about student progress or achievement in relation to specified criteria. For example, an end-of-unit exam created by a teacher. According to KDE, “The K-PREP assessment is a blended model of a Criterion-Referenced Test (CRT) and a Norm-Referenced Test (NRT) containing multiple-choice and constructed-response items.” Both types of tests most often contain two types of questions: selected-response and constructed response. For ELL students, the type of accommodation they recieve or academic language of the question could determine the reliability of an accurate measure of learning. On high stakes tests such as interim measures or standardized achievement there is a question on validity. Did the test take into account the linguistic knowledge, cultural backgrounds, or what may be developmentally appropriate? Districts and states require ELL students to complete standardized testing, how can teachers help to make this process more equitable?