ETS K-12 and Educational Assessments 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which statistical measure is used most commonly to describe the difficulty of an individual test item in classical test theory?
- Point-biserial correlation
- Item difficulty index (p-value) (Correct answer)
- Cronbach's alpha
- Standard error of measurement
Correct answer: Item difficulty index (p-value)
The item difficulty index (p-value) is the proportion of test takers who answered the item correctly.
Question 2: In K-12 testing, what term describes the process of ensuring that scores from different test forms or administrations are comparable?
- Norming
- Scaling
- Equating (Correct answer)
- Calibrating
Correct answer: Equating
Equating is the statistical process that adjusts for differences in difficulty between test forms so scores are comparable.
Question 3: The Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium assessments are aligned to which set of academic standards?
- Next Generation Science Standards
- Common Core State Standards (Correct answer)
- Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills
- College Board Standards
Correct answer: Common Core State Standards
Smarter Balanced assessments are designed to measure student mastery of the Common Core State Standards in ELA and math.
Question 4: Which ETS program provides K-12 schools with diagnostic assessments to identify students' strengths and areas for growth in reading and math?
- MAP Growth
- Benchmark Series
- i-Ready
- ETS Criterion (Correct answer)
Correct answer: ETS Criterion
ETS Criterion is a writing evaluation tool, but ETS also offers Benchmark Series diagnostics for K-12 reading and math.
Question 5: Which term describes a test score that compares a student's performance to that of a representative sample of the national population?
- Criterion-referenced score
- Norm-referenced score (Correct answer)
- Standards-based score
- Domain score
Correct answer: Norm-referenced score
Norm-referenced scores situate a student's performance relative to a normative group, often expressed as percentile ranks.
Question 6: What does 'standard error of measurement' (SEM) indicate in the context of K-12 test scores?
- The average score of a standardized group
- The estimated range within which a student's true score likely falls (Correct answer)
- The difference between the highest and lowest scores
- The number of incorrectly scored items
Correct answer: The estimated range within which a student's true score likely falls
SEM quantifies the precision of a test score, defining a confidence interval around the observed score.
Question 7: Which accommodation is most commonly provided to English Language Learner (ELL) students during large-scale K-12 assessments?
- Extended time only
- Translated test booklets or bilingual glossaries (Correct answer)
- Exemption from all state testing
- Oral administration of all items
Correct answer: Translated test booklets or bilingual glossaries
Translated test booklets and bilingual glossaries are the most widely used accommodations for ELL students on state assessments.
ETS K-12 and Educational Assessments 3
Which statistical measure is used most commonly to describe the difficulty of an individual test item in classical test theory?