NES Quality Control & Assurance 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A student scores at the 72nd percentile on a standardized reading test. This means the student:
- Answered 72% of questions correctly
- Scored higher than 72% of the norm group (Correct answer)
- Is reading at a 7th-grade, 2nd-month level
- Needs intervention because 28% of items were missed
Correct answer: Scored higher than 72% of the norm group
A percentile rank indicates the percentage of the comparison group that scored at or below the student's score.
Question 2: Which scenario represents a threat to the internal validity of a program evaluation?
- Using a stratified random sample of students
- Students in the control group seek outside tutoring during the study (Correct answer)
- Administering pre- and post-tests to all participants
- Training all raters on the scoring rubric before grading
Correct answer: Students in the control group seek outside tutoring during the study
When the control group receives outside instruction, it contaminates results and makes it impossible to attribute differences solely to the program.
Question 3: Which of the following BEST describes a rubric's role in quality assurance for student writing?
- It limits teacher creativity in providing feedback
- It ensures consistency and transparency in evaluating student work (Correct answer)
- It replaces the need for teacher professional judgment
- It guarantees all students will achieve proficiency
Correct answer: It ensures consistency and transparency in evaluating student work
Rubrics establish clear criteria and performance levels, promoting consistent, fair, and transparent scoring of student work.
Question 4: A school's graduation rate dropped 8 percentage points over three years. Before drawing conclusions, which step is MOST important?
- Immediately restructure the entire school schedule
- Disaggregate the data by subgroup to identify which students are affected (Correct answer)
- Assume declining student motivation is the cause
- Switch to a different graduation rate calculation method
Correct answer: Disaggregate the data by subgroup to identify which students are affected
Disaggregating data by subgroup reveals patterns that aggregate numbers can hide, enabling targeted rather than blanket responses.
Question 5: An assessment that measures what students already know before instruction begins is called a:
- Benchmark assessment
- Diagnostic assessment (Correct answer)
- Summative assessment
- Performance assessment
Correct answer: Diagnostic assessment
Diagnostic assessments are administered before instruction to identify students' prior knowledge and learning gaps.
Question 6: Which measurement error source is MOST reduced by using multiple raters to score an open-ended response?
- Content sampling error
- Random measurement error
- Rater bias (Correct answer)
- Test administration error
Correct answer: Rater bias
Using multiple independent raters and averaging their scores reduces the influence of any single rater's bias on the final score.
Question 7: A teacher wants to know if students have mastered a standard before moving to the next unit. Which assessment approach is MOST appropriate?
- Norm-referenced standardized test
- Criterion-referenced mastery check (Correct answer)
- National percentile ranking
- Growth model comparison
Correct answer: Criterion-referenced mastery check
Criterion-referenced assessments measure student performance against a defined standard, making them ideal for mastery decisions.
NES Quality Control & Assurance 3
A student scores at the 72nd percentile on a standardized reading test.
This means the student: