Q&A Hero

Q: Why are reliability and validity important issues in standardized testing? Considering the issues of reliability and validity, criticize three of the following claims: "My test has a very large number of items; it must have strong evidence of content validity." "This is a highly reliable test, so it is unquestionably valuable for measuring our students' achievement." "This student cannot be considered for the gifted programhis IQ is not above 135." "The scores on these art assessments are identical every yearthe test must be valid." "We screen all of our chefs using an elaborate test of their knowledge of recipes. This test is valid, even though many chefs who score high on it make awful food, and those who score low on it sometimes make the best dishes."

Q: Which one of the follow category of attributions is internal and stable? a) Effort b) Luck c) Ability d) Task difficulty

Q: Based on the work of Dunn and Dunn, students may differ in preferences associated with surroundings, and these differences: a) necessitate individualized learning environments for all children. b) cannot predict which learning environment will be most effective for each student. c) can predict the students who are in need of remedial education. d) can sometimes predict which learning environment will be most effective for each student.

Q: Mrs. Espadas' classes scored as follows on her first unit biology test: 1st period: 73 80 80 80 82 82 85 86 86 87 88 88 88 89 90 mean = 84.3 standard deviation = 4.7 8th period: 56 60 75 75 80 84 87 88 88 92 95 96 96 99 100 mean = 84.7 standard deviation =13.4 Explain why the 8th period scores produce a larger standard deviation. Describe three characteristics of students or situations that could be underlying causes of these differences in standard deviations. Mrs. Espadas is planning lessons for her next unit in biology, which depends heavily on prerequisite skills from the first unit. What problems might arise if Mrs. Espadas planned her next unit for these two classes on the basis of their average performance, but ignored the difference in standard deviations?

Q: According to attribution theory, people are most likely to attribute: a) both successes and failures to their own abilities. b) successes to luck and failures to their own inadequacies. c) successes to their own abilities and failures to (bad) luck. d) both successes and failures to luck.

Q: French studies of children of low SES parents adopted into high SES families find: a) negative effects on the children's IQs compared to non-adopted children raised in low SES families. b) negative effects on the children's IQs compared to adopted children raised in low SES families. c) positive effects on the children's IQs compared to non-adopted children raised in high SES families. d) positive effects on the children's IQs compared to non-adopted children raised in low SES families.

Q: A student completes a series of standardized tests. On one test, the student scores at the 50th percentile. On another test, the student scores at the 5.0 grade equivalent. And, on yet another, the student's stanine score is 5. What do you know about this student?

Q: Which of the following is a correct implication of Maslow's hierarchy of needs? a) Students who are self-actualized must be taught to have respect for their fellow students. b) Educators should design lessons that teach students to suppress unmet deficiency needs, and concentrate on higher needs. c) Students who have skipped a need level on the hierarchy must be assisted to meet it. d) A student who is feeling ill or unsafe may show little interest in academic performance.

Q: Which position regarding the use of intelligence scores is supported by your text author? a) Intelligence should be measured and reported as a linguistic score and a mathematical score. b) Intelligence scores are basically invalid and should not be used for educational decision making. c) Teachers should be more concerned with students' actual performance than with their general intelligence. d) Knowing students' general intelligence scores can be helpful to teachers in planning lessons.

Q: Explain how criterion-referenced achievement tests are different from norm-referenced achievement tests.

Q: Maslow's deficiency needs are those that are critical to physical and psychological well-being. When they are satisfied: a) a student will be unable to focus on school work. b) the individual's motivation to satisfy them increases. c) motivation to satisfy them diminishes. d) the individual has achieved self-actualization.

Q: Studies showing the effects of schooling in raising intelligence scores support an interpretation of intelligence as: a) genetically influenced. b) an aptitude rather than an ability. c) environmentally influenced. d) general ability.

Q: Norm-referenced achievement tests fall into several categories: achievement batteries; diagnostic tests; and subject area achievement tests. Describe and give an example of each.

Q: Nicole was kept awake half the night because her brother and parents were fighting. Nicole's motivation to perform school tasks will be low today, not only because she is upset about her family, but because one of her needs has not been met. Which need? a) Physiological b) Esteem c) Growth d) Higher

Q: Binet's work advanced the science of intelligence assessment, but it also began to establish the idea that a) there were smart people who could be expected to do well in a broad range of learning situations. b) there were smart people who could be expected to do well in a narrow range of learning situations. c) intelligence could be improved with motivation. d) there were multiple intelligences.

Q: Distinguish aptitude tests from achievement tests, comparing their general purposes, describing an example of each (identify a specific test) and indicating an advantage of each in a specific context.

Q: According to Maslow, self-actualization can be described as: a) a deficiency need. b) the motivation to avoid failure in relationships with others. c) a need requiring adequate satisfaction of all other needs. d) the need most critical to good adjustment in academic situations.

Q: Charles Spearman's conception of intelligence is that: a) there are several different types of intelligences. b) intelligence is only weakly related to school achievement. c) there is one general type of intelligence, called a g factor. d) intelligence is accumulated knowledge.

Q: Using specific examples, illustrate how standardized tests are used for purposes of diagnosis, and of accountability.

Q: According to Maslow's hierarchy of needs: a) maintaining a positive self-concept is the most basic need. b) each need functions independently of all others. c) safety needs must be satisfied before a person can seek to satisfy higher needs. d) reinforcement is more important than avoiding punishment during early childhood, while avoiding punishment is more important during middle childhood.

Q: High school males tend to: a) estimate their skills as being the same as males. b) overestimate their skills in social studies and English. c) overestimate their skills in language and math. d) underestimate their skills in language and math.

Q: In what ways are standardized tests used to select and place students into special groups, classes, or institutions?

Q: Mr. Reid has been trying to improve Mark's participation in class. He has been rewarding Mark with praise, but Mark's behavior has not improved. Mr. Reid needs to consider that: a) praise will be effective only after any other reinforcers are removed from the situation. b) the consensus from research is that praise is not effective as a reward. c) praise is not a primary reinforcer. d) praise may not be a reinforcer for Mark in this situation.

Q: High school females tend to: a) estimate their skills as being the same as males. b) overestimate their skills in social studies and English. c) overestimate their skills in language and math. d) underestimate their skills in language and math.

Q: This type of reform examines the root cause of problems within the educational setting.a) assessment reformb) no child left behindc) data-driven reformd) administrative reform

Q: According to behavioral learning theory, a person's motivation to engage in a particular activity is a function of: a) the perceived difficulty of the activity. b) the type of attributions the person has made in response to past failures. c) an individual's self-esteem needs. d) the degree to which the activity was reinforced in the past.

Q: The first step in multicultural education is for teachers, administrators, and other school staff to: a) begin American cultural enrichment programs. b) learn about the cultures from which their students come. c) acquaint the white students with multilingual lesson plans. d) learn to speak Spanish.

Q: A driving force in the creation of the Educational Value-Added system is: a) schools serving disadvantaged students face greater difficulties in reaching standards. b) different assessments were needed to assess the arts. c) there needed to be standardized accountability. d) the implementation of No Child Left Behind.

Q: Ms. Davis is a first year teacher with a lot of enthusiasm. Which of the following strategies should she adopt to best enhance student motivation? a) Provide extrinsic rewards to motivate student participation. b) Motivate students to attend classes. c) Discover and sustain students' motivation to learn. d) Create a climate conducive to learning for unmotivated students.

Q: What has research told us about the use of cooperative learning in bilingual education programs? a) This approach helps students make a successful transition to English-only instruction. b) Cooperative learning is not very effective. c) This approach has about the same success rate as other approaches. d) Cooperative learning will keep bilingual students in bilingual classes until they finish school.

Q: Generally speaking, the biggest change as a result of wide spread adoption of the Common Score State Standards: a) is related to standards and the assessments based on them. b) will be the new procedures for the hiring of teachers c) is the emphasis on social sciences and science instruction d) is the that all 50 states are now in agreement on standard objectives

Q: According to our text, what is one of the most important ingredients of effective instruction? a) Good presentation skills b) Motivation c) A structured lesson plan d) Classroom resources

Q: English language learners are typically taught in the most common instructional placement, which is called: a) three-way bilingual education, which involves English speaking and non-English-speaking students and their teachers. b) English immersion, referred to as a "sink-or-swim" approach. c) paired bilingual education is which students study with a partner. d) transitional bilingual education in which children are taught in both their native tongue and English together.

Q: The Obama administration is continuing many of the policies of NCLB. Elements of the current administration's policies maintain: a) pressure for standardized assessments as second in importance to state independence. b) limited acceptance for the value of charter schools in the public sector. c) strong accountability for student test scores. d) historical context for state-level assessment issues.

Q: Discuss the impact of time on the quality of instruction. Name two factors that impact the amount of time available for learning. Discuss the factors that negatively impact time for learning. How can you address these factors in a proactive manner? What are some steps you can take to protect instruction time?

Q: By 2026, what percentage of U.S. students is expected to come from homes in which the primary language is not English? a) 40 percent b) 25 percent c) 10 percent d) 5 percent

Q: The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation passed by Congress requires all "subgroups" of students in all schools to make: a) adequate yearly progress. b) significant quarterly progress. c) significant yearly progress. d) adequate weekly progress.

Q: Our book asserts that if only the quality of lectures mattered in terms of effective instruction, we could probably find the best lecturers in the world, record their lessons, and show the videos to students. Why would video lessons alone not work very well?

Q: The overall effect of desegregation on the academic achievement of students from underrepresented groups has been: a) greater than expected. b) negligible. c) measurably negative. d) small though positive.

Q: An advantage of holding schools accountable for students' success in learning is that: a) states are decreasingly reporting "disaggregated" scores. b) schools can refuse to use outside innovative techniques. c) students of all ethnic groups may be excluded from testing. d) teachers are pressured to pay attention to students who might otherwise fall through the cracks.

Q: Your author presents a model that builds upon the work of John Carroll. This model has four elements. Please list each element, define each element and provide an example of classroom practice that illustrates that element.

Q: According to the text, what is the impact of desegregation when students from under-represented groups are sent early in life to high quality schools attended by middle-class students? a) As a result of the students (from under-represented groups) receiving better educational opportunities, a significant positive effect was observed. b) There is none; the effectiveness remains unchanged. c) As a result of the students (from under-represented groups) having contact with middle-class students, a significant positive effect was observed. d) As a result of the students (from under-represented groups) having to compete with middle-class students, a negative effect of desegregation was observed.

Q: A problem for standardized testing that is especially prevalent in lower socioeconomic status urban area schools is: a) high student mobility. b) low child measurability. c) high infant mortality. d) low student mobility.

Q: Your text tells the story of a fourth-grade teacher presenting a lesson on long division. List all the ways in which he was effective in addressing the learning needs of his students.

Q: The academic self-concepts of African Americans, and the expectations they have of themselves, tend to be: a) higher than their Asian American classmates. b) lower than those of their white classmates. c) lower than those of their Native American classmates. d) at least as high as those of their white classmates.

Q: A current problem with standardized achievement testing used for accountability is that: a) the public has limited interest in standardized test scores. b) the tests have low reliability. c) there are no real consequences for teachers with poor test scores. d) districts may adopt policies which artificially inflate scores.

Q: Your text shares the story of Mr. Arbuthnot. List all of the ways in which Mr. Arbuthnot was ineffective in addressing individual student differences.

Q: The structural bias in traditional classrooms works against lower SES and minority-group students because: a) there's a mismatch between the cooperative orientation of these students, and the competitive orientation of the school. b) these students are more disposed toward competitive activities. c) lower-income students are not receiving enough support from their teachers. d) lower-income learners are less intelligent.

Q: What innovation does computer-adaptive testing offer? a) Reliability coefficients are computed at the completion of each test. b) Ability to tailor the selection of items to performance of student. c) Authentic assessments of student portfolios. d) Adaptive measures of innovation in learning.

Q: What is an advantage of drill and practice computer programs over seatwork? a) students can work at a constant pace. b) students can get immediate feedback c) students can learn new material d) students can develop critical thinking skills.

Q: You are a teacher working with students from a low-income neighborhood. Based on findings from research on academic progress and SES, you should expect your students, relative to Middle-Class students of the same age, to: a) maintain academic achievement levels over the summer. b) to make slight academic gains over the summer. c) to lose ground academically over the summer. d) to make modest academic gains during the summer.

Q: Mr. Parikh is giving quizzes on current events. A quiz has five questions about what's been in the news. Carly got 100% on one quiz (0 wrong) and 60% on the next quiz (2 wrong). Performance seems to be inconsistent throughout the class. What would help most to improve the reliability of these quizzes? a) rephrasing the questions b) increasing the number of questions c) comparing the content of questions to what was discussed in class d) use computer administration

Q: Which of the following would be considered a simulation? a) creating instructions for a computer to perform specific functions b) creating graphs from a spreadsheet c) a computer program that models real-life phenomena to promote learning d) a computer program that simulates and motivates the student to learn

Q: Our text describes six class groupings in the United States. Which of these accurately represents the income category for the working class? a) 20,000 or less b) 20,000-40,000 c) 40,000-63,000 d) 63,000-100,000

Q: Mr. Bono's seventh graders complain that they studied the class material, but that material wasn't on the test. Mr. Bono should examine his test for evidence of: a) content validity. b) gender bias. c) concurrent validity. d) test reliability.

Q: What type of computer program holds an encyclopedia? a) Computer-assisted instruction program b) Spreadsheet c) Hypertext d) Database

Q: Socioeconomic Status (SES) is most often measured as: a) Income level and social class b) Social class c) Occupation d) A combination of the individual's income and years of education

Q: Vera's old mechanical bathroom scale used to tell her weights that always agreed with the scale at the doctor's office. Then one day the dial on her old scale was damaged and the numbers got scrambled. The scale still operates the same wayit gives her the same weight from day to day. But the weight it gives her now is 27 pounds. Vera's scale is now: a) reliable, but not valid. b) valid, but not reliable. c) both reliable and valid. d) neither reliable nor valid.

Q: What is the related information called that appears when a computer user clicks on a word or picture? a) Hyper media b) Databases c) Computer assisted instruction d) Tutorial instruction

Q: Shared norms, attitudes and ways of behaving that characterize a group of people are, collectively known as: a) Socioeconomic status b) Culture c) Race d) Ethnicity

Q: How can the reliability of test results best be increased? a) Make items difficult. b) Increase the length of the test. c) Make items easy. d) Replace multiple-choice items with essay questions.

Q: A major revolution is taking place in technology applications in education. One of these approaches is blended learning. Blending learning strategies: a) mix ability groups of students from other classes b) combine ordinary teaching with a broad range of Internet applications c) are effective approaches in compensatory education d) combine mastery learning and direct instruction

Q: The culture of most schools in the United States tends to reflect: a) the full range of class values. b) upper-class values. c) middle-class values. d) lower-class values.

Q: Which of the following can be inferred from the text author's description of validity and reliability? a) Test results cannot have validity without reliability. b) Test results can have validity without reliability. c) Test results can be useful without validity or reliability. d) Validity and reliability are synonymous terms.

Q: What is the primary advantage of word processing over paper-and-pencil composition? a) Students write more and take greater pride in their writing b) Students are able to improve their keyboarding skills c) It is easier to read and grade d) Word processing files are easy to save and e-mail to parents

Q: Below is a lesson plan on data collection and interpretation. Decide on a developmental level for which the lesson would be most appropriate. Using the cognitive, psychosocial, and moral developmental theories from the chapter, support your decision. Lesson: Data Collection and Interpretation 1. Ask students to conduct a survey of teachers and parents, about whom they will support in an upcoming election (e.g., school, city council, state or national). Questions are to include a list of reasons why a candidate is supported. 2. Have students record the number of support votes a candidate receives and the rationale given for the support. 3. In groups, ask students to make interpretations about the results of the survey. Candidate A Candidate B Candidate C X healthy environment X pro-business X fewer taxes X better education X healthy environment

Q: A class is given a test of mechanical ability. Results show that those who scored high performed well in a previous industrial technology course while those who scored low did poorly in the course. The test can be said to have high: a) internal reliability. b) predictive evidence of validity. c) content evidence of validity. d) discriminant evidence of validity.

Q: Which of the following is the most common use of computers in schools? a) Skill games b) Simulations/exploratory software c) Database use d) Word processing

Q: Dr. Lapovich, superintendent of a mid-size school district, walked into the faculty meeting on the first day of school with some apprehension. The state legislature had recently voted to make all public schools standards-baseda system in which all students must demonstrate competence in a variety of ways to graduate from high school. As she began her address to the faculty, Dr. Lapovich sensed the apprehension in the room. "We have two years to become a standards-based school," she told her faculty. "This means we need to adopt the state Board of Education's Standards for Graduation plan." A voice from the back of the room said, "I've been teaching in this district for 20 years. We've gone through these changes before. The way I teach now suits me fine and my students think so too." Dr. Lapovich recognized the speaker. He was Ansel Green, the 10th-grade English teacher at the high school. Dr. Lapovich also noticed that many of Mr. Green's colleagues were nodding in agreement with his remarks. This was something she feared; some teachers were going to argue against the new standards. A second voice came from the crowd, "I've talked with parents and they're concerned too. One of my student's parents complained that her daughter had special learning needs and that she would most likely have difficulties in passing the standards." Dr. Lapovich politely reminded the faculty, "We have to think of the students first. We have to be able to say that we are doing everything we can to help students learn. If the first teaching method we try doesn't work, then we try another, then another; whatever it takes. Isn't that why we are hereto help students learn?" One of the district's elementary teachers replied, "Don't you think we're removing some of the incentive for doing well by threatening them with possible failure? Might this not increase cheating if standards are too rigorous? And how will my students feel when some try hard but aren't successful? How will we explain to them that effort doesn't matter?" Dr. Lapovich sighed as she realized that this would be a very long year of change. Consider some of the arguments made for and against standards-based education. Would cognitive development theorists (e.g., Piaget and Vygotsky), psychosocial developmental theorists (e.g., Erikson), and moral developmental theorists (e.g., Kohlberg) argue for or against this teaching-learning approach?

Q: Ms. Snodgrass designs a survey to assess students' test anxiety. In field-testing the survey, the teacher finds that students score the same from one testing to the next, and that scores correlate with dropout rates, although the test scores do not correlate with those of three standardized tests on test anxiety. The teacher's test is most DEFICIENT in: a) discriminant evidence of validity. b) predictive evidence of validity. c) concurrent evidence of validity. d) content evidence of validity.

Q: A multimedia approach has been found to enhance student learning only if: a) The students are familiar with multimedia b) The students have computers at home c) The text and visuals directly support each other d) The students are entertained

Q: Analyze the following scenerios from Kohlberg's point of view. For each scenario, identify the moral judgment as either preconventional or conventional. Explain why Kohlberg would classify them at the levels you select. Seven-year-old Adam scenario: Adam (7 yrs.) and Clarice (4 yrs.) are decorating the picture window for Halloween. Adam wishes to have total artistic control. He offers Clarice two pieces of candy if she will give up all participation in the decorating. Clarice thinks two pieces of candy sounds great! It's a deal. Adam decorates the whole window and then produces Clarice's payoff: 2 Smarties (not two rolls of Smartiesonly two aspirin-sized candy pills). Adam sees the deal as fair. In time, Clarice (being very young) forgets the deal and tampers with the decorations. Adam expresses outrage and righteous indignation, asserting that Clarice BROKE the deal! Classify Adam's level of moral reasoning. Heidi's-grandfather scenario: Heidi lives in the mountains with her grandfather. Grandfather values the wholesome surroundings and feels the mountain life is all the education anyone could need. When relatives come from the city to take Heidi for schooling, he resists, arguing that she just doesn't need to learn the school subjects. But at last the city-aunt says, "But Grandfather, it's the LAW!" That settles it; Heidi is sent away with her grandfather's complete consent. Classify the moral judgment of Grandfather, when he changes his mind, accepting compulsory education. Young-teen scenario: Mom insists on limiting junk food based on nutritional considerations. Her young teenager asserts that the other kids all get unlimited junk food. Mom sticks to her position and puts fruit in the lunch bag. Young teen is outraged and accuses Mom of "setting your own standards!" The teenager believes that it is wrong to go against the group and follow your own standard. Classify the moral judgment of the young teen.

Q: The validity of test results would be best reflected in response to which one of the following questions? a) Are the test results consistent? b) Does the test measure what has been taught? c) Is there enough similarity among the items? d) Is the test long enough?

Q: Which results can be achieved with early intervention programs for children placed at risk of school failure? a) Long-term effects which are comparable to remediation programs b) Fewer long-term effects than remediation programs c) More long-term effects than remediation programs d) No long-term effects

Q: Explain how an individual might reason at each stage of Kohlberg's theory of moral development.

Q: A measure of the match between the information on a test and the information taught in a lesson is referred to as: a) reliability. b) convergent evidence of validity. c) content evidence of validity. d) predictive evidence of validity.

Q: Which of the follow programs is an example of a compensatory program? a) A work-study program b) Vocational/technical program c) Problem-solving programs d) Title I

Q: Erik Erikson's theory describes the basic issues that individuals confront as they progress through life; however, he has been criticized about several of his ideas. What are some of these criticisms?

Q: A z-score is a standard score that has a mean of ________ and a standard deviation of ________. a) 0; 1 b) 50; 5 c) 100; 10 d) 500; 100

Q: Several studies have shown that the quality of instruction is lower for some students when this type of grouping is practiced: a) untracking b) tracking c) The Joplin Plan d) regrouping