Abstract
The article by Doscher and Bruno, Simulation of Inner-City Standardized Testing Behavior: Implications for Instructional Evaluation (1981), indicates, through a simulation study, that reported test scores will be an overstatement of actual performance when a large proportion of scores are included. This is precisely the result obtained when, between the 1974 and 1975 testing periods, the public schools in Chicago switched from grade-level testing to functioning-level testing. In 1974, and before, students were assigned a test according to their grade level. The test used was the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS) (Hieronymous & Lindquist, 1971). That is, every grade 8 student took Level 14 of the ITBS, every grade 7 student Level 13, and so forth. Under functioning-level testing, the student was assigned a test the difficulty level of which, in the teacher's opinion, best matched the student's current functioning reading level. The reason for the change was the observation in 1974 that fully 42 percent of the students taking the ITBS scored at the equivalent of a chance level-25 percent or less in terms of raw score. As Doscher and Bruno correctly assert, the proportion is highest at low performance levels. The proportion ranged from 5 percent in the high-performing schools to 85 percent or more in the schools at the bottom of the distribution. Table I shows the impact on the citywide average test scores. The table indicates that the change caused lower scores, and that this negative impact increased with grade. The impact on average scores was negligible for schools which in 1974 had scored fairly close to, or above, the national averages. The lowering of the average citywide score at grade 8 was about .4 standard deviation.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.