• What makes a test standardized?
• How are students’ performances on standardized tests most commonly reported?
• How is the estimated accuracy of standardized test results typically described?
Students’ scores on various standardized tests are among the more confusing reports on
the educational landscape today. In this booklet, Interpreting the Results of Large-Scale
Assessments, teachers learn in simple language how score-reporting works and which
techniques yield the most defensible results.
MASTERING ASSESSMENT is a set of fifteen practical, easy-to-use booklets covering a
wide range of topics related to educational assessment and accountability. These groundbreaking
booklets put the most relevant information on assessment at teachers’ fi ngertips
and provide an important resource for educators looking to learn the ins and outs of
becoming “assessment literate.”
W. James Popham is a nationally recognized expert on educational testing. For 30 years
he taught courses at UCLA in instructional methods for prospective teachers, and courses
in evaluation and measurement. He has also authored over 25 books in the fi elds of
curriculum, instruction, and assessment.
What Makes a Test Standardized?
Score Interpretation
Two Interpretive Frameworks
Sometimes a Choice of Interpretations
Percentiles
Grade-Equivalent Scores
Scale Scores
Comparing Three Score-Interpretation Methods
Accuracy Estimates
Overview
• What makes a test standardized?
• How are students’ performances on standardized tests most commonly reported?
• How is the estimated accuracy of standardized test results typically described?
Students’ scores on various standardized tests are among the more confusing ...