Mesa Public Schools

Directives For Testing

How to Administer and Use Tests in MPS

Joe O'Reilly

Research & Evaluation

The MPS Testing Program

The purpose of the Directives for Testing is to help you familiarize yourself with the MPS testing program, to serve as a reference, and to keep you abreast of the district guidelines that you must follow when participating in the testing program. Please be sure to read this document and refer to it, as well as the additional information you will receive specific to the test you will be giving, before participating in district or state testing.

The district testing program has been developed in cooperation with teachers and is intended to provide feedback to students, teachers, and parents for making decisions related to teaching and learning. Tests are given to measure mastery of curriculum objectives (e.g., District Tests, ASAP Tests), to guide instruction (e.g., District Tests, Reading Series Placement Tests) to compare our students to students throughout the U. S. (e.g., ITBS, TAP) and to assess school related abilities (e.g., Otis-Lennon, Readiness Skills Inventory). As an educator, you should be familiar with the tests given and how to use the results so that you can identify skills and content that needs to be taught, to plan instruction in response to these needs, and to measure achievement and growth.

Underlying the district testing program are the following assumptions:

The primary determinant of the quality of a student's educational experience is the quality of the daily interaction between the student and the classroom teacher. MPS teachers are providing an excellent educational experience for our students.
We hold high expectations for the performance of all educators and students.
Measurement and analysis of student achievement data is an integral part of the educational process. It is indispensable to the efforts of teachers, grade level teams, district specialists and schools to improve.
Test results should be analyzed by teachers to plan instruction, by principals to monitor trends within the school, and by district staff to identify trends and to improve the MPS curriculum. The purpose of these analyses is to enhance student learning by increasing instructional effectiveness.
Our goal is continual improvement of student learning and achievement. Improvement is best identified by examining trends over time to determine how one's current performance compares to one's past performance.

Ethical Testing Procedures

Testing is required by statute and by the governing board. All employees are expected to handle their responsibility in a professional manner and in accordance with the district's expectations, rules and regulations as outlined in this document.

Employees found in violation of these procedures and/or those specific directions given with each test are subject to disciplinary action by the district and/or the state including suspension or loss of one's teaching certificate.

It is each person's professional responsibility to maintain the security and integrity of the tests, follow administration procedures exactly, and use the results to improve students' education. The following list of general do's and don'ts apply to all tests. Specific guidelines and procedures for each test that must also be followed will be provided just prior to the scheduled test.

Ethical Test Preparation Activities

Many teachers wonder what they can and can't do to prepare students for a test. Although there are specific rules for each test that must be followed, the following guideline applies in every case:

It is proper to prepare students for a specific test format by providing classroom tests and experiences that mirror the format of the tests to be given. It is improper to expose students to the exact test items, or items very similar to the test items, that they will see on a test or to give them assistance that leads them to an answer.

The philosophy behind this rule is that test results should accurately reflect what a student knows, and this will occur if the student is familiar with both the test content and the test format. It is ethical, and good practice, for a teacher to ensure that a student is given the opportunity to learn the material tested and is exposed to different test formats throughout the year. It is unethical to artificially inflate a test score by providing answers, directions for solving problems beyond what is specifically allowed in the test directions, or other activities that would distort a student's test results.

To assist you in preparing students for different assessments MPS has various materials such as practice ASAP tests and a guide for incorporating ITBS like formats into classroom tests. These materials are available from your Basic Skills Teacher (elementary) or Instructional Specialist (secondary).

DO'S

Before the Test:

Determine district, class and test-related instructional objectives for the school year.
Provide instruction appropriate to achieving your list of instructional objectives.
Provide students with general test-taking skills and help them develop strategies for taking tests.
Develop a positive attitude toward taking tests and encourage students to think of test-taking as a positive experience.
Encourage students to work through the test at a steady pace and to go through the test a second time to check for careless errors.
For standardized tests, use only test taking skills preparation materials and booklets specifically approved by the district.

During the Test:

Observe the time limits specified for each section of the test.
Provide a quiet classroom throughout the allotted test time.
Clear walls, desks, and boards of all aids to the test.

After the Test:

Share the results of tests with students and encourage them to use these results to set goals.
Review the results for feedback on how well you are meeting your instructional objectives and insight into how your students are progressing.
Maintain the privacy and confidentiality of all testing results.

DONT'S

Before the Test:

Do not concentrate solely on objectives that are assessed on the tests.
Do not teach to a specific test. Do not take items from the test and teach those items, or similar items, to students in your classroom.
The use of practice tests to teach students how to take tests and familiarizing them with item formats is encouraged. We want test results to accurately reflect what students know and can do, not how familiar students are with a test format. However, the use of items that come directly from the tests or that closely parallel test items will constitute a breach of professional ethics. Do not prepare practice tests, worksheets, study guides or materials that directly parallel the test. (A parallel form provides similar items to items on the test (e.g., words and numbers may be changed, but items are essentially the same as those on original test)).
Do not review material or specific subject matter on the test -- either in class or through homework assignments, during the days testing is being administered or during the specified period before testing.

During the Test:

Follow the time guidelines - give as much time as needed on the ASAP tests and exactly the time indicated on the standardized test (e.g., ITBS). Do not provide either more or less time than specified by the standardized test.
Do not provide definitions or explanations of words or terms on the test if that is not allowed (e.g., on the ITBS/TAP) and never give students answers or provide assistance that will lead students to answers.
Do not change a student's answer even if you know the student inadvertently marked an incorrect answer.
All material containing test items and answer keys should be treated with security procedures that will prevent inappropriate distribution of items. All test materials should be locked in the principal's office or other secure area when not in use.

After the Test:

Do not score students' ITBS/TAP or ASAP tests.
Do not use test results as absolute or the only indicators of student achievement or ability

Using Test Results

MPS District Tests

District criterion referenced tests measure students' mastery of specific district curriculum objectives. In other words, these tests tell us what curriculum objectives that should have been taught in a grade or course have been mastered by students. This is in contrast to norm referenced tests such as the ITBS which tells us the relative standing of a student to a norm group who took the same test under the same conditions. MPS students take a number of different district tests including the district reading and math tests, the critical skills competency tests, and the secondary testing program course exams. These tests are used to determine if a student has mastered certain skill(s) or concept(s).

You can use district tests to:

Ask questions about what the student knows as compared to what the student is supposed to know.
Measure school results by reference to instructional objectives rather than by comparison with others.
Tailor instruction to whatever objectives a student has not yet mastered.
Assist in selection and placement of students for instructional purposes.
Provide feedback to parents concerning individual performance relative to particular grade-level skills.
District tests cannot be used, however, to compare pupils, schools or districts on a state or national level because they have not be given to a larger norm group. Guides to help you interpret test results are provided with test printouts and are contained in the appendix.

NORM REFERENCED TEST RESULTS

Norm-referenced standardized tests are important because they tell us how well a student does compared to other similar students. In fact, these tests are the only measure most MPS staff and parents have indicating how our students compare to students nationally.

These tests are called norm-referenced tests because students in our district are compared to a national sample (a norm group) of over two hundred thousand students. Students' results are referenced back to the performance of this norm group in determining percentile rank, stanine and NCE scores. These tests are called standardized because they are given under standardized conditions. That is, the same directions, time limits and questions are given to both MPS students and a national sample of students. Although students may do better with more time or with explanations of words, that would make any comparison to the norm group invalid because they did not have the extra time or information.

MPS administers two major types of standardized tests to our students. They take a standardized ability test, the Otis-Lennon in second grade, and standardized achievement tests, the ITBS or TAP, in other selected grades. The ability test gives an indication of how well prepared for school students are when they come to us. The achievement test results tell us how well students have progressed as compared to students nationally over the past year.

Otis-Lennon School Ability Tests (OLSAT)

School ability is assessed on a district-wide basis at the second grade using the group administered Otis-Lennon School Ability Test. The results of the OLSAT tests are expressed as SAI scores or School Ability Index scores. The Otis-Lennon School Ability Index (SAI) is an index of the pupil's relative ability, in comparison with pupils of similar chronological age regardless of grade placement, to deal with abstract relationships involving the manipulation of ideas expressed in verbal, numerical, figural or symbolic form. These abilities are related to doing well in school and reflect a number of interacting influences including the environment in which the child lives, the experiences the child has had before taking the test and innate abilities. OLSAT scores should never be considered IQ scores because the skills on the test can be learned so it is not an invariable measure of innate intelligence. When interpreting OLSAT scores, one should take into consideration these elements and others that affect scores such as motivation.

OLSAT scores are primarily used by the district to monitor the preparedness of students entering our schools. The gifted program also uses the group administered Otis-Lennon score as one flag for consideration for screening into the program. Otis-Lennon results are generally not sent home since they are used primarily for district purposes, but they should be made available to the parent if requested. A more detailed interpretation guide is provided to second grade teachers and is included in the appendix.

ITBS/TAP State Achievement Testing

The State of Arizona requires that students in selected grades be tested once each year, usually between mid-September and mid-October, using standardized norm-referenced achievement tests. The state has chosen the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS) as the test to be given in grades four and seven and the Tests of Achievement and Proficiency (TAP) at grade ten. MPS also gives the ITBS in other grades to evaluate programs (e.g., Title I) and to monitor growth in student achievement.

The state achievement tests can be used to:

Focus attention on general strengths and weaknesses in the curriculum.
Give the public an idea of the achievement level of students in the schools.
Give students, parents and teachers feedback about individual performance relative to a much larger group of students nationally.
Assist along with all other available data about the students in selection and placement of students.
Evaluate whether programs meet their unique objectives.

The tests should not be used to assign grades or place students at instructional level in textbooks. These tasks should be done using teacher made tests or criterion referenced tests provided by textbook publishers.

A specific guide to help you interpret test results will be provided to you with your class's test printouts. Samples that were current at the time this was printed are contained in the appendix.

Performance Assessments

Performance assessments require a student to respond to a prompt and create one's own answer. This is in contrast to typical tests in which one chooses a correct answer from four or five choices. MPS has used a writing performance assessment for over a dozen years. Recently, the state has added a performance assessment in reading, math and writing.

MPS Writing Assessment. The district writing assessment is given in grades K-6 and 9. Students in other secondary grades complete writing assessments as part of their English classes. Students respond to a district provided prompt. The students' writing samples are judged on content and mechanics by two teachers.

ARIZONA STUDENT ASSESSMENT PROGRAM (ASAP) TESTS. ASAP tests measure students' mastery of selected Arizona essential skills or state curriculum objectives. MPS students in grades three, eight and twelve take a test that revolves around a common theme and covers skills in reading, math and writing. The purpose of these test are to spot check how many MPS students are mastering the state essential skills.

Since the ASAP Tests are still in the development stage, as are similar tests throughout the country, our ability to use them is limited and may change in the coming years. However, the tests can provide some useful information.

You can use ASAP tests to:

Ask questions about how well students can apply information and solve problems.
Examine patterns in areas of strength or weakness to determine if these results, along with the ITBS and district tests, show a consistent pattern.
ASAP tests should not be used, however, to compare across years, schools or districts when different forms of the test are given (i.e., D1, D2, D3 or D4) because the tests cover different samples of essential skills and are of different levels of difficulty.

MPS DISTRICT ASSESSMENT PLAN (DAP) RESULTS

MPS has a district assessment plan (DAP) that measures our students' mastery of the Arizona Essential Skills. This report is based on students' performance on the District Tests, the Writing Sample/Assessments, and teacher ratings of student mastery. Thus, by focusing on the MPS curriculum objectives you will also be focusing on the essential skills and the DAP results.

You can use DAP report to:

Ask questions about what students know as compared to what students are supposed to know according to the Arizona Essential Skills.
At the high school level (grades 9-12), determine students progress toward meeting graduation standards that will go into effect with students graduating in May, 2000 (eighth graders in 1995/96).

Tests Administered in MPS

The specific group administered tests that are widely used in our district are listed below along with a brief description and the department to be contacted if you have any questions:

Readiness Skills Inventory. This screening is administered to all incoming kindergartners to assess their readiness skills prior to enrollment in kindergarten. (Basic Skills)

Kindergarten Reading and Math Assessment. Given at the end of kindergarten and to students new to the district at the beginning of first grade, this test is used to measure student mastery of district kindergarten objectives. (Basic Skills)

Critical Skills Competency Tests. An optional test given in February to students in grades 1-3, these tests measure student mastery of the critical core of language arts and math objectives required for promotion at each grade level. Student performance in February will guide instruction and remediation during the final 9 weeks of school. Individual Critical Skill Assessment (CSA) sheets are used to retest specific objectives. (Basic Skills)

District Reading, Math and Language Tests. Given in the fall and spring to students in grades 1-6, these tests are used to measure student mastery of district objectives in reading, math and language. Results are also used to provide teachers with information on the skills of students coming into their classrooms in the fall. (Basic Skills)

Otis-Lennon School Ability Test (OLSAT). This standardized test measures abilities associated with doing well in school and provides a School Ability Index Score. A group administered test is given only in the second grade and an individually administered form of the OLSAT may be given in any grade to determine eligibility for the gifted program. (ELP, Research)

Primary/Intermediate Goal Assessment Tests (Social Studies). The social studies section of the ITBS is used to determine whether or not district goals have been met by students across the district. (Social Studies)

Math & Reading Competency Test. Required for graduation from eighth and twelfth grades, these tests are given to students who have not met the minimum criteria on the ITBS or TAP. The Stanford Diagnostic Mathematics test assesses competency in math; the Gates-Mac Ginite tests reading competency. Guidelines for these assessments are provided by Curriculum and Instruction. (Basic Skills)

District Writing Sample. Used to assess student writing skills, the writing sample is administered in the spring to all ninth grade students and is a requirement for graduation. (Basic Skills)

Secondary Testing Program. These tests are administered to students in selected secondary courses, typically the core courses in math, English and Social Studies, and are used to determine mastery of the district-stated objectives for those courses. (Basic Skills, Social Studies)

ITBS/TAP. The Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS) is given to fourth through seventh graders and the Tests of Achievement and Proficiency (TAP) is given to tenth graders. These are norm referenced achievement tests that provide information on how our students are doing in certain core areas compared to students nationally. (Research)

Career/Interest Inventories. These inventories are given to all 8th and 11th graders as part of a career guidance unit to help them plan appropriate high school classes and make career decisions. (Guidance)

PSAT/NMSQT. The PSAT/NMSQT is usually taken by high school juniors in October. This test is given in preparation for the Scholastic Aptitude Test and to identify potential National Merit Scholarship recipients. (High School Guidance Offices)

ACT. The ACT is a college entrance exam that is not administered by MPS but is taken by many students. It provides scores on English, Math, Social Studies, Science, and an overall composite. The ACT is usually taken throughout the year (Oct-June) by high school juniors and seniors. (High School Guidance Offices)

SAT. The Scholastic Aptitude Test is a college entrance exam that is not administered by MPS but is taken by many students. The SAT measures verbal and mathematical abilities. The Test of Standard Written English is given with the SAT. The SATs are taken throughout the year (Oct-June) by juniors and seniors.

Advanced Placement Test. The Advanced Placement Tests are part of a national program that enables high school students to obtain college level credit for information obtained while in high school. One can take courses designed for Advanced Placement purposes, but this is not required in order to take the test. The AP tests are typically administered in May. (High School Guidance Offices)

In addition to these tests, individually administered tests are given to students being considered for special education or gifted programs.