Precision Testing and Performance Insights 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which type of feedback has been shown to most effectively improve student learning?
- Grades alone
- Praise and encouragement only
- Specific, timely, and actionable feedback on the work (Correct answer)
- Comparative feedback showing how peers performed
Correct answer: Specific, timely, and actionable feedback on the work
Research consistently shows that feedback is most effective when it is specific about what needs improvement and provided close in time to the performance.
Question 2: What is 'interrater reliability' in the context of performance assessments?
- The consistency of scores when the same rater scores the same work twice
- The degree to which two or more scorers assign the same score to the same work (Correct answer)
- The correlation between a test and a criterion measure
- The consistency of scores across different test forms
Correct answer: The degree to which two or more scorers assign the same score to the same work
Interrater reliability measures agreement between different scorers evaluating the same student work.
Question 3: A teacher wants to assess student understanding before beginning a new unit. Which assessment type is most appropriate?
- Summative assessment
- Diagnostic pre-assessment (Correct answer)
- Norm-referenced test
- Standardized achievement test
Correct answer: Diagnostic pre-assessment
Diagnostic pre-assessments identify students' prior knowledge and misconceptions before instruction begins.
Question 4: What does 'test-retest reliability' measure?
- Whether different forms of a test produce the same scores
- Whether the same test produces consistent scores when given twice to the same group (Correct answer)
- Whether raters agree on scores
- Whether a test predicts future performance
Correct answer: Whether the same test produces consistent scores when given twice to the same group
Test-retest reliability evaluates score consistency by correlating results from two administrations of the same test.
Question 5: Which error source reduces the validity of high-stakes test results for English Language Learners?
- Construct-irrelevant variance due to language demands (Correct answer)
- Lack of norm-group representation
- Insufficient test length
- Overuse of performance tasks
Correct answer: Construct-irrelevant variance due to language demands
When language proficiency rather than the target construct drives scores, construct-irrelevant variance threatens validity for ELL students.
Question 6: What is the purpose of anchor papers when using a rubric for scoring?
- To provide examples of student work that illustrate each score level (Correct answer)
- To calculate final grades automatically
- To train students on test-taking strategies
- To establish the difficulty index of each item
Correct answer: To provide examples of student work that illustrate each score level
Anchor papers are scored student work samples used to calibrate raters and ensure consistent application of rubric criteria.
Question 7: Which assessment approach is best suited to monitor the progress of a student with an IEP toward specific learning goals?
- Large-scale norm-referenced testing
- Curriculum-based measurement (CBM) (Correct answer)
- College entrance exams
- National standardized achievement surveys
Correct answer: Curriculum-based measurement (CBM)
CBM uses brief, frequent probes aligned to the curriculum to track individual student growth toward IEP goals over time.
Precision Testing and Performance Insights 3
Which type of feedback has been shown to most effectively improve student learning?