Achievement Test Standardized Achievement History 3 ā Questions and Answers
Question 1: What does it mean when an achievement test is described as 'criterion-referenced'?
- Scores indicate mastery of specific content standards (Correct answer)
- Scores rank students against a norm group
- Scores predict future academic success
- Scores are adjusted for test difficulty each year
Correct answer: Scores indicate mastery of specific content standards
Criterion-referenced tests measure performance against defined content standards or learning objectives rather than against other test-takers.
Question 2: Which amendment to ESEA, passed in 2001, required annual testing in grades 3ā8 and once in high school in math and reading?
- No Child Left Behind Act (Correct answer)
- Goals 2000 Act
- Improving America's Schools Act
- Every Student Succeeds Act
Correct answer: No Child Left Behind Act
No Child Left Behind (NCLB), signed by President George W. Bush in 2002, mandated annual state testing and imposed consequences for schools not meeting Adequate Yearly Progress.
Question 3: The ACT was first administered in 1959 as an alternative to the SAT. Which state's university system primarily drove its creation?
- Iowa (Correct answer)
- Illinois
- Ohio
- Texas
Correct answer: Iowa
E.F. Lindquist of the University of Iowa developed the ACT as a curriculum-based alternative to the aptitude-focused SAT, and it was initially promoted through Midwest universities.
Question 4: In achievement test history, what was the primary purpose of the Army Alpha test administered during World War I?
- Classify recruits by mental ability for military assignments (Correct answer)
- Assess literacy for voter registration
- Measure academic achievement in public schools
- Screen officers for officer candidate school
Correct answer: Classify recruits by mental ability for military assignments
Army Alpha was a group-administered intelligence and literacy test used to classify approximately 1.75 million WWI recruits for military roles.
Question 5: Which statistical concept, introduced by Francis Galton and refined for testing, describes a tendency for extreme scores to move closer to the average upon retesting?
- Regression to the mean (Correct answer)
- Standard error of measurement
- Floor effect
- Coefficient of variation
Correct answer: Regression to the mean
Regression to the mean explains why students who score very high or very low on one test administration tend to score closer to the average on a second administration.
Question 6: The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), signed in 2015, replaced NCLB and shifted more testing and accountability authority to which level of government?
- States (Correct answer)
- Federal government
- Local school districts
- Regional accrediting agencies
Correct answer: States
ESSA reduced federal mandates from NCLB and gave states greater flexibility to design their own accountability systems and choose assessments.
Question 7: Which psychometrician is widely credited with developing Item Response Theory (IRT), the mathematical framework underlying most modern achievement tests?
- Georg Rasch and Frederic Lord (Correct answer)
- Alfred Binet and Theodore Simon
- Lewis Terman and Edward Thorndike
- Benjamin Bloom and Ralph Tyler
Correct answer: Georg Rasch and Frederic Lord
Georg Rasch and Frederic Lord independently developed the foundations of Item Response Theory in the 1950sā1960s, enabling adaptive and equated testing.
Achievement Test Standardized Achievement History 3
What does it mean when an achievement test is described as 'criterion-referenced'?