GCPS Evaluation Strategies 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A teacher notices that a single test question was answered incorrectly by nearly all high-performing students but correctly by most low-performing students. What does this suggest?
- The question has high content validity
- The question is poorly constructed or misleading (Correct answer)
- The question appropriately discriminates between ability levels
- The question should be weighted more heavily
Correct answer: The question is poorly constructed or misleading
A negative discrimination index—where low performers outperform high performers—indicates a flawed or misleading item.
Question 2: In GCPS, Student Learning Objectives (SLOs) are used as part of teacher evaluation. Which of the following is a key feature of a well-written SLO?
- It focuses solely on student behavior unrelated to academic content
- It includes a measurable growth target tied to specific students and content standards (Correct answer)
- It is written by the principal without teacher input
- It replaces all other evaluation measures for the year
Correct answer: It includes a measurable growth target tied to specific students and content standards
Effective SLOs specify measurable, ambitious growth targets for a defined student population aligned to content standards.
Question 3: Which assessment format most directly measures a student's ability to apply knowledge to real-world tasks?
- Multiple-choice standardized test
- True/false knowledge check
- Authentic performance task (Correct answer)
- Vocabulary matching exercise
Correct answer: Authentic performance task
Authentic performance tasks require students to apply knowledge and skills in meaningful, real-world contexts.
Question 4: A teacher uses an analytic rubric to score a persuasive essay. What is the primary advantage of an analytic rubric over a holistic rubric?
- It produces a single overall score faster
- It provides detailed feedback on each specific criterion (Correct answer)
- It eliminates the need for anchor papers
- It is easier for students to misinterpret
Correct answer: It provides detailed feedback on each specific criterion
Analytic rubrics score each dimension separately, giving students specific diagnostic feedback on individual strengths and weaknesses.
Question 5: A Georgia Milestones Assessment score is used to determine whether a student should be retained in third grade. This is an example of using assessment for:
- Formative instructional feedback
- High-stakes decision making (Correct answer)
- Curriculum alignment review
- Peer calibration
Correct answer: High-stakes decision making
High-stakes assessments carry significant consequences for students, such as promotion, retention, or graduation decisions.
Question 6: When a teacher provides accommodations on assessments for students with IEPs, the goal is to:
- Lower the standard expected of the student
- Remove all timed elements from the assessment
- Provide equitable access while maintaining construct validity (Correct answer)
- Replace the assessment with an alternative assignment
Correct answer: Provide equitable access while maintaining construct validity
Accommodations remove barriers related to a student's disability so the assessment still measures the intended skill without altering the construct.
Question 7: A school data team reviews benchmark assessment results disaggregated by subgroup. The primary purpose of disaggregating data is to:
- Rank classrooms from highest to lowest performance
- Identify achievement gaps and target instructional support (Correct answer)
- Calculate the school's overall grade-level average
- Determine which students should be placed in honors courses
Correct answer: Identify achievement gaps and target instructional support
Disaggregating data by subgroup reveals differential performance patterns that can inform targeted interventions to close achievement gaps.
