I.
INTRODUCTION
The
discussion in this chapter is about the elementary methods of interpreting test
result that are commonly used with informal achievement tests, and it assumes
that the test was specifically constructed to maximize the method of
interpretation being used.
II.
SUMMARY
OF CONTENT
Test result can be interpreted in two basic ways; criterion
referenced interpretation describes the types of performance a student can
demonstrate, norm referenced interpretation describes how a student’s
performance compares to others. Both types of interpretation are sensible and
each provides unique information of students’ achievement.
How the results are organized and presented depends to a
large extent on the type of interpretation to be made. Combining the two types
of interpretation is most likely to be effective where norm referenced
interpretation is added to the performance description of a criterion
referenced test. Since norm referenced tests typically cover a broad range of
learning outcomes with few items per outcome, the performance descriptions tend
to be sketchy and unreliable.
A criterion referenced interpretation can be limited to a
simple description of the tasks that a student can perform, or it can involve a
comparison of the student’s performance to some performance standard. In either
case it does not require comparing the student’s performance to the performance
of other.
· Performance description: it is
assumed that a standard or cut off score is required for interpretation because
criterion referenced testing is commonly used to measure mastery or minimum
competency. In setting performance standard, a relatively simple and practical
procedure is to arbitrarily set a standard and then adjust it up or down as
various conditions and experiences are considered.
· Use of performance standard: the
percentage correct score is widely used in judging whether objectives have been
mastered and thus in reporting the results on criterion referenced mastery
tests.
Norm reference interpretation involves some means of showing
how an individual’s test score compares to the scores of others in some known
group.
· Simple ranking of raw scores: a
common method of presenting the scores on a norm referenced test to a classroom
group is to simply list the scores on the board. This is done by arranging the
scores in rank order from high to low and making a frequency count to show the
number (N) of students earning each score.
· Percentile ranks: put raw scores on
a scale that has the same meaning with different sized groups and that is
readily understood by test users.
For some
purposes it is needed to describe a set of scores in brief form:
1.
The average
score (central tendency)
· Median:
arranging the scores in order of size and counting up to the midpoint.
· The
mean: adding all scores and dividing by the total number of scores.
· The
mode: inspecting the frequency for each score.
2.
The spread of
score (variability)
The
range: simply the interval between the highest and lowest scores.
The
standard deviation:
III.
CONCLUSION
Those are above the elementary methods of interpretation.
Which they are norm referenced interpretation and criterion interpretation.
REFERENCES
Gronlund, Norman E. (1982). Constructing Achievement Tests. Englewood
Cliffs: Prentice Hall Inc.
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