CEP Assessment & Evaluation Methods 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A student's PSAT scores show a large gap between math and verbal sections. How should a CEP interpret this?
- Discard the verbal score as unreliable
- Identify it as a learning disability without further data
- Note the discrepancy as a signal for further evaluation (Correct answer)
- Average the two scores for a composite profile
Correct answer: Note the discrepancy as a signal for further evaluation
Score discrepancies across subtests are diagnostic signals that warrant further exploration, not immediate conclusions.
Question 2: Which evaluation approach compares a student's current performance to their own past performance rather than to peers?
- Norm-referenced
- Criterion-referenced
- Ipsative (Correct answer)
- Formative
Correct answer: Ipsative
Ipsative assessment measures individual growth by comparing a student only to their own prior results.
Question 3: The SAT's College and Career Readiness benchmarks are an example of which assessment type?
- Norm-referenced
- Criterion-referenced (Correct answer)
- Diagnostic
- Portfolio-based
Correct answer: Criterion-referenced
Readiness benchmarks define a specific performance standard students must reach, making them criterion-referenced.
Question 4: A student consistently scores well on classroom tests but poorly on standardized exams. A CEP should first consider:
- Recommending immediate tutoring
- Questioning the student's true ability
- Examining test anxiety or standardized-test familiarity (Correct answer)
- Dismissing the standardized scores as invalid
Correct answer: Examining test anxiety or standardized-test familiarity
Score disparities between classroom and standardized tests often reflect test-taking conditions, anxiety, or unfamiliarity with format rather than ability.
Question 5: Which of the following best defines 'construct validity'?
- The test measures what it claims to measure (Correct answer)
- The test produces consistent results over time
- The test items cover all relevant content areas
- The test predicts future academic success
Correct answer: The test measures what it claims to measure
Construct validity is the degree to which a test actually measures the theoretical construct it is designed to assess.
Question 6: A school counselor gives a student the WISC-V. For a CEP, the most relevant use of this data is to:
- Replace GPA data entirely
- Understand the student's cognitive strengths and weaknesses (Correct answer)
- Determine college admission probability
- Calculate class rank adjustments
Correct answer: Understand the student's cognitive strengths and weaknesses
The WISC-V is an intelligence scale that reveals a student's cognitive profile, including specific strengths and areas of challenge.
Question 7: Which term describes a test's ability to forecast a student's future academic performance?
- Concurrent validity
- Predictive validity (Correct answer)
- Content validity
- Face validity
Correct answer: Predictive validity
Predictive validity measures how well a test score forecasts a future criterion, such as college GPA.
CEP Assessment & Evaluation Methods 3
A student's PSAT scores show a large gap between math and verbal sections.
How should a CEP interpret this?