AECTP Assessment & Data Interpretation 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A teacher wants to assess whether students can apply knowledge to a new, real-world situation. Which assessment type is MOST appropriate?
- Multiple-choice unit test
- Vocabulary matching quiz
- Authentic performance task (Correct answer)
- True/false review quiz
Correct answer: Authentic performance task
Authentic performance tasks require students to apply knowledge and skills in realistic contexts beyond recall.
Question 2: On a standardized test, what does a standard score of 100 typically represent?
- A perfect score
- The average performance of the norming group (Correct answer)
- Mastery of all tested standards
- The 100th percentile
Correct answer: The average performance of the norming group
Most standardized tests set 100 as the mean, representing average performance in the norming sample.
Question 3: A student consistently scores high on homework but low on tests covering the same material. What is the MOST likely explanation to investigate?
- The student has a learning disability
- The student may be receiving outside help on homework (Correct answer)
- The tests are too long
- The homework is not aligned to standards
Correct answer: The student may be receiving outside help on homework
A consistent gap between independent test performance and homework suggests the homework scores may not reflect independent mastery.
Question 4: Which of the following is an example of criterion-referenced assessment?
- A reading test that ranks students from highest to lowest scorer
- A spelling test where a score of 80% is required to demonstrate mastery (Correct answer)
- A state test normed on a national sample of students
- A class ranking based on cumulative GPA
Correct answer: A spelling test where a score of 80% is required to demonstrate mastery
Criterion-referenced assessments measure student performance against a fixed standard or cutoff, not against other students.
Question 5: When analyzing disaggregated data, a teacher finds that English Language Learners in her class score significantly lower on written response items. The BEST initial action is to:
- Exempt ELL students from written assessments
- Investigate whether language demands of the task are a barrier separate from content knowledge (Correct answer)
- Assign ELL students additional writing drills
- Report the scores without adjustment
Correct answer: Investigate whether language demands of the task are a barrier separate from content knowledge
Disaggregated data should prompt investigation into whether assessment format is creating construct-irrelevant variance for ELL students.
Question 6: What is the primary purpose of a diagnostic pre-assessment at the start of a new unit?
- To assign final grades
- To identify student prior knowledge and misconceptions before instruction (Correct answer)
- To compare students to a national norm
- To evaluate teacher effectiveness
Correct answer: To identify student prior knowledge and misconceptions before instruction
Diagnostic pre-assessments reveal what students already know and common misconceptions so instruction can be targeted appropriately.
Question 7: A teacher uses exit tickets at the end of each lesson. This is BEST classified as:
- Summative assessment
- Norm-referenced assessment
- Formative assessment (Correct answer)
- Standardized assessment
Correct answer: Formative assessment
Exit tickets are brief, informal checks conducted during the instructional cycle to gauge understanding and inform next steps.
AECTP Assessment & Data Interpretation 3
A teacher wants to assess whether students can apply knowledge to a new, real-world situation.
Which assessment type is MOST appropriate?