CHAPTER 1
Classroom Decision Making and Using Assessments
ITEMS
1. Which of the following set of assessment activities will best facilitate a teacher’s instructional
planning?
(a) Marking students’ completed work and assigning grades on their unit test.
(b) Reviewing the learning objectives, students’ abilities, and past performance.
(c) Observing students’ attitudes and behavior and summarizing performance.
2. Which of these teacher management activities should occur after instruction?
(a) Review the syllabus and the textbook being used.
(b) Review students’ class assignments and homework results against the intended learning
outcomes.
(c) Observe students completing their seatwork.
3. In selecting a particular technique to use in assessing students, to what should the teacher pay
attention first?
(a) Difficulty level of the assessment
(b) Students’ knowledge
(c) Use to which the assessment result will be put
4. When you measure students’ performance, you are assessing them.
(a) True
(b) False
5. Any time a teacher measures the performance of students, the teacher tests the students.
(a) True
(b) False
6. Ms. Jonah observed her students during a science lab in order to determine what the students
needed to learn to be effective in carrying out lab experiments. Which of the following best
describes what Ms. Jonah did?
(a) She measured her students’ performance in the lab.
(b) She tested her students’ performance in the lab.
(c) She assessed her students’ performance in the lab.
7. To evaluate students’ performance in mathematics, a teacher must measure the students in
mathematics.
(a) True
(b) False
8. Which of the following statements best illustrates the concept evaluation?
(a) Jane’s teacher recorded her exam result, her homework results, and her grade on the
semester project.
(b) The teacher administered 100 multiple-choice items to his students at the end of the
semester.
(c) At the end of the semester the student’s scores ranged between 55 and 95.
(d) The performance of the school’s students on the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) was
excellent.
9. A teacher used the midterm exam to grade the students. Then the teacher reviewed students’
performance in terms of their difficulties and strengths over the first half of the semester. This
helped the teacher to plan his instructional activities for the second half of the semester. The
midterm exam served as
(a) a formative evaluation of the students.
(b) a summative evaluation of the students.
(c) both (a) and (b)
10. Why is diagnostic assessment done?
(a) To ascertain the achievement level of the students.
(b) To ascertain the specific strengths and weaknesses of the students.
(c) To ascertain the effectiveness of teaching.
11. For feedback to students to be most effective, the teacher should ensure that
(a) parents and guardians receive reports on their children.
(b) students are provided with their grades promptly.
(c) students review their performance to correct their mistakes.
12. Which of the following is an inappropriate way of using assessments to motivate students?
(a) Giving assessments and feedback frequently.
(b) Telling students the upcoming test will be very hard.
(c) Crafting assessments to be more like real-world problem-solving.
13. Which of the following situations does NOT involve a selection decision?
(a) Deciding who can attend this college.
(b) Deciding who will be hired as a secretary.
(c) Deciding who should get into an advanced math course.
14. Which statement best shows the relationship between placement and selection?
(a) Placement is synonymous with selection.
(b) Placement does not involve rejection but selection does.
(c) Placement involves exclusion of some students from the institution while selection does
not.
15. Matthew was assessed by the school psychologist and was found not to be ready for Grade 1 work.
The school suggested that Matthew repeat kindergarten. What type of decision was the school
making?
(a) Classification decision
(b) Placement decision
(c) Selection decision
16. A state requires new teacher-education graduates to pass a test before they can be officially
recognized as teachers. For what type of decision is this test used?
(a) Certification decision
(b) Placement decision
(c) Selection decision
17. For which type of classroom decision do homework results provide the most useful information?
(a) Planning activities suited to students’ abilities and interests
(b) Selecting learning objectives
(c) Deciding if students are ready to move on to a new activity
(d) Evaluating the effectiveness of your own teaching
18. Your primary concern in selecting techniques to assess a learning objective or objectives should be
classroom practicality and efficiency.
(a) True
(b) False
19. Which of the following decisions requires educators to use quality assessment information?
(a) Choosing who should get into this college
(b) Deciding what reading group a student should be placed in
(c) Determining whether a student is legally disabled
(d) All of the above
(e) Only (a) and (b)
20. What is the main purpose of the Standards for Teacher Competence in Educational Assessment of
Students or other statements defining standards for teachers’ assessment literacy?
(a) To guide teachers in identifying what is most important to know about assessment.
(b) To determine whether a teacher is qualified to assess students.
(c) To re-emphasize quality teaching in the classroom.
21. Which of the following is NOT a high stakes uses of assessment information for students?
(a) A teacher uses a set of assessment information to assign report card grades.
(b) State test results help determine reading placement.
(c) “School report cards” are made available on the internet.
(d) All of the above are high stakes uses for students.
(e) None of the above are high stakes uses for students.
22. According to the legislation, the major purpose of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 is to help
all students achieve high standards.
(a) True
(b) False
23. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 is considered to have high stakes for schools because
schools that fail to make adequate yearly progress toward student proficiency on state standards
can receive the following sanctions.
(a) The state may take over the administration of the school.
(b) Parents may choose to send their children to another school.
(c) The teachers in the school may be replaced.
(d) All of the above are possible consequences of failure to make adequate yearly progress.
(e) None of the above are possible consequences of failure to make adequate yearly progress.
24. States who apply for a waiver from NCLB requirements must convince the U.S. Department of
Education that they have high expectations for students, have ways of identifying school quality,
can support effective instruction and leadership, and reduce unnecessary reporting. What is the
most common way states have met the requirement for high expectations for students?
(a) Using the Common Core State Standards
(b) Writing rigorous curriculum goals
(c) Requiring students to take a high school graduation test
(d) Using student achievement as part of teacher evaluation
25. According to educators, one of the major advantages of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 is
that it forces schools and teachers to focus only on the important material included in the state test.
(a) True
(b) False
25. A state department of education wants to identify some schools that are doing exemplary work
with students whose first language is not English, to serve as models for other schools. Which of
the following data about schools might best help the state identify a set of schools for further
consideration for this purpose?
(a) Per-pupil expenditure
(b) Percentage of bilingual teachers
(c) Disaggregated state test results
CHAPTER 1
Answers and Classification of Items