Description of Standardized Testing
Iowa Test of Basic Skills- Cognitive Abilities Test Reading ComprehensionThis test tracks students growing proficiency as readers throughout the primary, elementary, intermediate, and high school grades. Test questions assess not only basic literal understanding but also the author’s use of language. The reading test measures student achievement in a developmentally appropriate curriculum of reading standards and skills across the primary grades. In grades 2 and 3, this test measures the general preparedness for reading with comprehension, phonological awareness and understanding of word parts, knowledge of the encoding of sounds in written language and reading skills such as work identification, word attack, sentence comprehension, understanding picture stories, and paragraph comprehension. Students in grades 2 and 3 each have a Primary Reading Profile that indicates the student’s overall reading level, monitors student progress in essential reading skills, and provides concise explanation of each test included in the Reading Profile total score. In grades 4-8, this test focuses on factual questions, taps literal understanding, includes inferential/interpretative items require reading between the lines and understanding what is implied, and analysis and generalization questions that explore main ideas or analyze author point of view.
VocabularyIn primary, this test measures a developmentally appropriate sequence of vocabulary through pictures, words, and sentences. In grades 3-8, general reading vocabulary is measured because students’ reading vocabularies must catch up to their speaking vocabularies for them to become proficient readers. Questions are written to be pure measures of word knowledge. Language Arts The language arts tests measure students’ skills in using the conventions of standard written English. The tests constitute a thorough sampling of skills in spelling, capitalization, punctuation, usage and written expression. Separate scores are reported in each area, and detailed diagnostic reports of strengths and weaknesses are possible because of the content coverage afforded by separate tests. Capitalization, Punctuation, and Usage and ExpressionThese tests present brief written contexts, asking students to identify which line, if any, contains an error. Usage and ExpressionFor this test, students read stories and are asked to choose the most effective way to express ideas, organize paragraphs, or write an opening transitional or concluding sentence or paragraph. SpellingSpelling questions offer four words, one of which may be misspelled, and a fifth “No mistakes” option. This format tests the spelling of four different words in each question. Math Concepts and EstimationThis test requires students to demonstrate their understanding of the logic of mathematical processes and relationships, including number properties and operations, geometry, measurement, algebra, probability, statistics, and estimation. There is a separate timed estimation test which tests mental arithmetic, number sense, and multiple estimation skills such as rounding. This test is constructed so students will not have time to actually work the problems. Problem Solving and Data InterpretationThis test includes word problems that require one or more steps to solve. At times, students select an appropriate method or approach rather than compute an answer. Several “real world” scenarios form the basis for sets of 3 or 4 problems, each requiring somewhat different skills to solve. These scenarios also serve to connect mathematics to the world outside the classroom. The Data Interpretation problems measure students’ abilities to analyze and interpret data presented in data displays, such as charts, tables, and graphs. These displays provide meaningful contents that students use to obtain information, compare quantities, and determine trends and relationships. The test is designed with careful management of the reading and computation levels required for each problem to ensure that student problem-solving skills are not masked by reading or computation deficiencies. Math ComputationThis test measures each arithmetic operation, addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. The problems require operations with whole numbers, fractions, decimals, and various combinations of these, depending on the test level. Students must work a problem and select their answers from the choices given. Social StudiesThis test measures a continuum of knowledge and process skills that reflect a predominant school curriculum, contains questions based on primary source materials to reflect historical research in a more realistic way, measures age-appropriate content that is based on the formal learning and life experiences of students at each grade, reflects ethnic, cultural, and gender balance, and includes a wide variety of quality graphics, such as photographs, maps, political cartoons, timelines, and graphs. This test focuses on concepts and application, and incorporates interesting and challenging reading materials that include sophisticated concepts and vocabulary. ScienceThis test assesses not only students’ knowledge of scientific principles and information but also their knowledge of methods and processes of scientific inquiry. This test incorporates real-life science investigations or “scenarios” that are age-appropriate, reflects the philosophy that science is a strategy for discovery, and includes a balanced sampling of items across domains. This test assesses knowledge of life science, earth and space science, and physical science, measures both content and process and includes critical thinking skills. Cognitive Abilities Test – CogATThe CogAT test measures students’ verbal, quantitative, and nonverbal reasoning abilities. In grade 2 this test is orally administered and requires no reading skills. All the items are multiple choice with four pictorial answer choices. Students mark their answers directly on the test booklets. There are no time limits for grade 2. The CogAT test in grades 3-8 consist of nine tests, each with separate time limits that are more than adequate for the majority of students in a grade. All question are multiple choice with five answer choices, except the Quantitative Battery, which includes three choices.
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