NYSTCE ATAS Assessment Skills 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A TA who scores the same student paper twice and gets different results is experiencing a problem with:
- Validity
- Reliability (Correct answer)
- Bias
- Norming
Correct answer: Reliability
Reliability refers to the consistency of scores; if the same rater scores the same paper differently at two times, reliability is low.
Question 2: A student's Individual Education Program (IEP) specifies that assessment questions should be read aloud to them. A TA who silently points to questions instead is:
- Providing an equivalent accommodation
- Failing to implement the required accommodation (Correct answer)
- Exceeding the scope of the IEP
- Following standard testing protocol correctly
Correct answer: Failing to implement the required accommodation
Reading aloud and pointing are not equivalent; the TA must follow the accommodation exactly as written in the IEP.
Question 3: Exit tickets at the end of a lesson are BEST described as which type of assessment?
- Summative
- Norm-referenced
- Formative (Correct answer)
- Diagnostic
Correct answer: Formative
Exit tickets are formative tools that provide immediate feedback about student understanding to guide next steps in instruction.
Question 4: When a TA observes a student during an assessment and the student asks, 'Is this right?' the TA should:
- Confirm or deny the answer to reduce student anxiety
- Redirect without giving feedback, such as 'Do your best' (Correct answer)
- Skip that question and move to the next one
- Allow the student to change the answer based on facial cues
Correct answer: Redirect without giving feedback, such as 'Do your best'
During formal assessments, TAs must not confirm answers; redirecting students to do their best maintains the integrity of the assessment.
Question 5: A TA collecting work samples from a student over several months to show progress is contributing to which type of assessment approach?
- Standardized testing
- Portfolio-based assessment (Correct answer)
- Norm-referenced evaluation
- Criterion-based screening
Correct answer: Portfolio-based assessment
Portfolio-based assessment uses collected work samples over time to document growth and achievement.
Question 6: Which of the following BEST illustrates a TA maintaining objectivity while recording observational data?
- Writing 'the student was rude' in an observation log
- Recording 'the student pushed three books off the desk at 10:15 a.m.' (Correct answer)
- Noting 'the student always acts out during math'
- Writing 'the student seemed upset today'
Correct answer: Recording 'the student pushed three books off the desk at 10:15 a.m.'
Objective observational data describes specific, observable behaviors with precise details rather than interpretations or generalizations.
Question 7: A TA is asked to calculate a student's reading accuracy rate from a running record with 100 words and 5 errors. What is the accuracy rate?
- 5%
- 95% (Correct answer)
- 90%
- 85%
Correct answer: 95%
Accuracy rate = (words read correctly ÷ total words) × 100 = (95 ÷ 100) × 100 = 95%.
NYSTCE ATAS Assessment Skills 5
A TA who scores the same student paper twice and gets different results is experiencing a problem with: