Chapter 11 Test Questions
Multiple Choice
1. Various groups of educators define the term ʺstandardsʺ in different ways. All of the following are
accepted definitions, EXCEPT
a. Standards are synonymous with rigor and the setting of high expectations for both teachers and
students.
b. Standards are specifications of learner outcomes.
c. Standards are vague enough to be interpreted in many different ways.
d. Standards are exhibited by achievement on high-stakes tests.
2. As an instructional approach, standards-based education places which of the following at the center?
a. teaching philosophy
b. teaching practices
c. student learning
d. students interests
3. The Cedar Creek Business Owner’s Association has asked you to make a presentation to the
Education Standards Committee of the school district. Like most business leaders, the group will
emphasize the need for high school graduates who
a. are life-long learners.
b. achieve at higher levels than students in other countries.
c. are ready for work by being able to read, write, and compute.
d. qualify for admission to the top colleges in the country.
4. The State Representatives for the area have asked you to make a presentation to the Education
Standards Committee of the Cedar Creek School District. Like most policymakers, they will emphasize
the need for high school graduates who
a. are life-long learners.
b. achieve at higher levels than students in other countries.
c. are ready for work by being able to read, write, and compute.
d. qualify for admission to the top colleges in the country.
5. The Parents Association at Cedar Creek High School has asked you to make a presentation to the
Education Standards Committee of the school district. All of the following would be emphasized by
most parents, EXCEPT
a. The students are ready to prepare for a professional career.
b. The students achieve at levels equal to students in other countries.
c. The students are ready for work by being able to read, write, and compute.
d. The students qualify for admission to the top colleges in the country.
6. Recognizing that standards-based education requires the involvement of various stakeholders, it would
be appropriate for the Los Alamos School District to invite all of the following to be part of the
development and transition to a new curriculum, EXCEPT
a. administrators
b. teachers
c. parents
d. city council members
7. A set of standards that describe knowledge and skills that students need for success in college and
careers describes
a. performance standards.
b. Common Core Standards.
c. Sunshine State Standards.
d. Vocational Educational Standards.
8. It is impossible for the results of any standardized test of achievement to accurately reflect student
achievement unless which of the following type of standards are in place?
a. content
b. dispositions
c. opportunity-to–learn
d. skill
9. The Green Meadows School District is concerned about the low level of achievement by its students.
Consultants in the district have developed opportunity–to-learn standards that match state tests. In
order for the standards to be translated into improved student achievement, the most critical help the
district can provide would be
a. test preparation sessions for students.
b. new textbooks.
c. goals for student achievement.
d. teacher inservice to help teachers fine-tune instructional techniques.
10. All of the following conditions must accompany opportunity–to-learn standards in order to assist in
improvements in student achievement, EXCEPT
a. procedures to exempt low achieving students from testing
b. sufficient chances for students to relearn standards not met
c. alternative ways to achieve the standards
d. appropriate teacher in-service
11. Some sets of standards include dispositions such as
a. whether or not students are exposed to particular content.
b. the types of thinking and processes skills felt to be necessary.
c. the skills that permit demonstration of knowledge.
d. the habits and inclinations that should be nurtured in students.
12. The first set of national content standards was developed by the
a. American Association for the Advancement of Science.
b. The National Council for the Social Studies.
c. The National Council of Teachers of English.
d. The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.
13. No Child Left Behind requires all states to have standards for what a child should know and learn for
all grades in
a. mathematics, reading, and science.
b. mathematics, social studies, and writing.
c. reading, writing, and arithmetic.
d. reading, science, and social studies.
14. No Child Left Behind requires that by 2013 all schools must demonstrate that every student must
a. be above average.
b. show improvement every year in every subject.
c. be at the proficiency level for their grade level.
d. be in a college-preparation program.
15. As standards– based education is implemented, teachers must transition from
a. dispenser of knowledge to coach and facilitator.
b. coach and facilitator to dispenser of knowledge.
c. trainer to resource person.
d. resource person to trainer.
16. All of the following changes are required when linking assessment to standards, EXCEPT
a. collecting different kinds of data
b. using new types of assessment
c. changing the ways that assessment results are used
d. eliminating the use of grades
17. When assessments are interwoven into standards, the assessments become
a. much more varied and meaningful to teachers and students.
b. much more standardized.
c. much less critical for day-to-day success
d. much simpler to construct and use appropriately.
18. The term assessment is derived from the Latin, assessio, which means to
a. walk along.
b. sit beside.
c. stand against.
d. make progress.
19. Some theorists believe that all true assessment is ultimately
a. discipline-based.
b. authentic assessment.
c. competitive.
d. self-assessment.
20. Formative assessment is used to
a. measure what a student has learned so feedback can be provided.
b. make final judgments about what has been accomplished in a course.
c. allow teachers to make changes for next year’s classes.
d. evaluate the effectiveness of a teacher.
21. Summative evaluation is used to
a. measure what a student has learned so feedback can be provided.
b. make final judgments about whether a certain level of accomplishment has been attained.
c. allow teachers to make changes for next year’s classes.
d. evaluate the effectiveness of a teacher.
22. The ACT and SAT tests are examples of what kind of assessment?
a. gatekeeping
b. formative
c. summative
d. diagnostic
23. Student essays, projects, portfolios, journals, and observation checklists are
a. measures that assessors use to provide feedback.
b. ways to make decisions.
c. teacher-proof assessments.
d. objective measures of achievement.
24. Mai-Lin notices that some of her students are not able to obtain the correct answers to the
mathematical problems they are working on in a particular unit. In order to determine what specific
difficulties are preventing them from solving the problems, Mai-Lin should design and administer a
a. summative assessment.
b. diagnostic assessment.
c. norm-reference assessment.
d. criterion-referenced assessment.
25. Norm-referenced tests do all of the following, EXCEPT
a. ensure an appropriate distribution of scores.
b. rank students relative to one another.
c. provide an accurate picture of what a student knows and can do.
d. predetermines that some students will excel and others fail.
26. Senator Foghorn is incensed that a group of students in the Deer Valley School District have
performed below the fiftieth percentile on a test administered to all students. He demands that the
schools be penalized for the results. However, the senator is misguided in his complaints because it
is impossible for all students to achieve above the fiftieth percentile on tests that are
a. competency-based.
b. criterion-referenced.
c. norm-referenced.
d. aptitude tests.
27. A good example of a capstone/summative assessment is
a. writing an essay.
b. a reflective journal.
c. student teaching.
d. passing content tests.
28. Gordana Jovanoski teaches electricity and electronics and Explorer High School. She requires her
students to assemble and demonstrate a laser transit by surveying a construction site near the
school. This task is best considered as an example of a
a. norm-referenced assessment.
b. proficiency-based assessment.
c. formative assessment.
d. capstone/summative assessment.
29. Students can best demonstrate the standards they can meet in real world settings through
a. authentic assessments.
b. basic skills tests.
c. criterion-referenced assessments.
d. norm-referenced assessments.
30. Analytic rubrics are useful because they do all of the following, EXCEPT
a. enable assessors to focus on the important components of a performance.
b. clarify what aspects of a performance are expected at different levels.
c. provide guidance so different assessors can score in the same manner.
d. allow for unexpected deviations from the stated criteria.
31. One of the most common complaints heard from students is the refrain, “That’s not fair!” When
designing assessments, fairness refers to the care taken to:
a. make certain that all students answer exactly the same way.
b. provide every student with exactly the same environment in which to take the test.
c. use standardized tests developed by a national testing company.
d. elimination of biases that would disadvantage a certain segment of the population.
32. An assessment is considered valid when it:
a. actually measures what it is intended to measure.
b. is based on sets of appropriate standards.
c. measures the consistency of responses of individual students.
d. has been administered over a ten year period with consistent results.
33. The heavy focus on testing by administering the same assessments to every student contradicts all of
the following long standing beliefs about education in the United States, EXCEPT
a. research has shown that students develop at different rates.
b. students exhibit unique learning styles.
c. students come from widely different backgrounds and experiences.
d. all students need to be familiar with certain knowledge and concepts.
34. Since students who perform poorly on state tests disproportionately come from low-income families,
many researchers have concluded that the tests actually are measures of
a. academic effort.
b. academic potential.
c. vocational preferences.
d. socioeconomic status.
35. There is a growing trend to include performance assessments, such as PACT and TWS, for teacher
candidates. Both of these assessments require teachers to do all of the following assessment tasks
involving their students, EXCEPT
a. develop assessments specifically for the students taught.
b. analyze data derived from results of student assessment.
c. reflect on whether the results demonstrate the students have learned.
d. utilize data collected to determine how the students compare with one another.
Chapter 11 Test Questions
Short Answer
1. You have attended a conference on standards-based education and have been asked by the principal
of your school to present an inservice session for your teaching colleagues. The principal expects
you to explain the different concepts of standards and is especially interested in having you
differentiate between world-class standards and real-world standards, how they are perceived, and
how they are measured. You also are asked to outline any problems in implementing them in the
United States. To assist in your presentation, you are expected to prepare a one-page summary of
the two types of standards to distribute to the staff. Provide a copy of your handout. (Learning
Outcome 11.1)
2. You are the principal of Windy Ridge Middle School. You have decided to invite parents to a meeting
to explore the topic of content standards and their implications for the curriculum. Make certain to
include relevant examples from three content areas that will help make the three different kinds of
standards clear to the parents attending the meeting. (Learning Outcome 11.1)
3. You are a teacher at Monroe Middle School. The school is located in a community where the parents
are insistent that their children should be able to demonstrate their progress on written achievement
tests. However, you are convinced that students will learn better, be able to think critically, and apply
their knowledge through a hands-on, inquiry-based program. You also believe that it is important to
assess students in a way that is complementary to instruction. You have been criticized by some irate
parents who claim that the way you are assessing their children is not a true measure of what they
really have learned. Prepare an article for a newsletter that includes the rationale for performance
assessment, a description of what constitutes an authentic assessment, the way in which
performance assessments are tied to standards, and an explanation of how rubrics can assist
students in meeting the expectations of the assessment. (Learning Outcome 11.2)
4. You are sitting in the staff lounge at Red Oak Middle School. Two of your colleagues, who teach in the
same content area that you do, are discussing the applicability of analytic rubrics as opposed to
holistic rubrics. It is clear from the conversation that both of them have some misconceptions about
rubrics and how they apply in the assessment process. They ask you what your understanding of
each is and if you could show them examples to help understand the difference. Using a typical
question from your content area, develop an analytic rubric and an holistic rubric that could be used
to assess the question. (Learning Outcome 11.2)
5. Reliability and validity are two critical aspects of assessment. Compare and contrast these two
aspects of an assessment and explain how their absence leads to a flawed result. (Learning Outcome
11.3)
Chapter 11 Answer Key
Multiple Choice
Chapter 11 Answer Key
Short Answer
