Here’s a little item we thought might be of interest to parents of students who are waiting on mathematics End-of-Grade Tests scores: For Parents.
The first link on the page referenced above is a video produced by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction explaining the delay in providing testing results for the mathematics portion of the End-of-Grade Tests.
Usually, End-of-Grade Tests are graded locally and results are available within a few days of students completing the test. However, this year marks the first year of the new mathematics test that reflects the revised math curriculum.
The video explains that the test designers wish to collect all test data before deciding what the ranges for the achievement levels need to be. This is irregular, given normal test development practice.
The process, which in professional assessment is called “norming”, is generally done before a test is used for diagnostic purposes (that is, assessing a student’s learning throughout the year) through a process called “field testing”. In field testing, each question is “tested” on students that represent the population that will be tested. During field testing, test designers look for problems with the questions, such as too high a success or failure rate. The test makers then decide which questions should be included on the final version of the test and also how scores will be interpreted.
An achievement level of 3 or 4 is considered passing. An achievement level of 1 or 2 generally requires remediation in the form of summer school.
Parents are told that promotion and retention are ultimately the decision of the principal of the student’s school.
The video also informs parents that scores will be available in October of this year.