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Definitions Associated with Evaluation and Assessment ResultsThis section contains basic definitions about tests and assessments your child might take as part of the evaluation process. You might hear many of these terms over the course of your child’s school career. Achievement Test: Tests what the child has learned in academic areas, especially reading and math. These are norm referenced tests. Assessment: Gathering information about a student’s learning and/or emotional functioning and identifying strengths and what areas need to be improved and what parents, teachers, and other specialists can do to improve the student’s learning. Authentic Assessment: Assessments done in ‘real life like’ situations. For example, the process of baking cookies in a home economics class, or the assessment of students ‘job’ performance in a pre-vocational program. Criterion Referenced Test: A test, such as the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA), that has specific benchmarks for acceptable performance. For example, the PSSA has levels of below basic, basic, proficient, and advanced. The ultimate goal is to have all students performing at the proficient or advanced level. Curriculum Based Assessment (CBA): Assessment that uses the schools curricular materials to test at what instructional level the child is. Curriculum Based Measurement (CBM): Assessment that uses norm referenced, standardized materials to determine what the student’s instructional level is. Usually, there are benchmarks for grade level. Some school districts have developed local norms (scores and benchmarks for that particular school district) using these, or their own materials (making it somewhat of a cross between CBA and CBM). Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA): A process of systematically gathering information about a child’s behavior across settings, people, and using different methods of measurement in order to determine the probable reason for a student’s behavior. Intelligence Test: Tests a student’s cognitive ability, and sometimes referred to as a test of cognitive ability. These used to be called IQ tests. They yield a score of intellectual ability. These tests are norm referenced. Norm Referenced Test: Test that compares a child to a normative sample of children who are at the same grade level or the same age. These tests are associated with standard scores, and percentiles. They can be tests of intellectual ability, such as the WISC-IV, or achievement tests, such as the WIAT-II. Norm Sample: A large group of people (in this case children) who closely represent the general population. Their scores are the basis of comparison for your child’s scores. Normal Curve: A standard distribution of scores. Most students fall in average range, with a few on either end of the curve. It is associated with standard deviations and percentile ranks. Percentile Rank: Represents the percentage of students in the norm group that your child scored equal to or better than. Permanent products: Anything the student has done in class that can be analyzed later (papers, projects, class work, homework, etc.). Performance Assessment: Evaluation of products (permanent products) the student has created that gives an idea about their performance in the classroom. Standard Deviation: A statistical term that refers to the average distance of all scores fall from the mean score. Used in norm-referenced tests to mark the distance from average. Standard Score: A score that is based on an average of 100, and a standard deviation of 15. Associated with norm-referenced tests. Stanford-Binet, Fifth Edition (SB5): A norm referenced intelligence test. Teacher made test: Tests what a child has learned in the classroom. These tests are usually a sampling of what the student has learned in specific curricular areas (math, reading, science). WIAT-II: Wechsler Individual Achievement Test, a norm referenced achievement test. WISC-IV: Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, a norm referenced intelligence test. Woodcock Johnson Tests of Achievement, Third Edition (WJ-III, Ach): A norm referenced achievement test. Woodcock Johnson Tests of Cognitive Ability, Third Edition (WJ-III Cog): A norm referenced intelligence test.
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