The standardization of an achievement test involves a series of careful steps to ensure it is reliable and valid. Based on the information provided, these steps can be summarized as follows:
Steps of Achievement Test Development and Refinement
The process of developing and standardizing an achievement test can be broken down into a series of key stages. While the provided reference focuses on development, its steps closely align with the initial phases of standardization. Standardization typically also involves norms development. The core process, combining development and steps relevant to standardization, includes:
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Planning:
- This initial stage involves defining the objectives and purpose of the test. It clearly outlines what the test aims to measure in student achievement.
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Organizing:
- Here, the content and structure of the test are planned. This includes choosing the topics, subtopics, and skills to be assessed. You decide on the number of questions per section and the overall format of the test.
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Choosing Items:
- This step requires the creation of test questions (or "items") that align with the planned objectives and content. Test items should be well-written and measure the intended knowledge or skill. Examples include multiple-choice, true/false, essay, and fill-in-the-blank questions.
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Expert Consultation:
- Before pilot testing, the items are reviewed by experts in the subject matter. This helps identify ambiguities, ensure content validity, and refine the questions.
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Small-Group Testing (Pilot Testing):
- Administering the test to a small group helps identify issues with instructions, timing, and item clarity before wider use. This is important for identifying any problems that could affect test validity.
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Large-Group Testing:
- Administer the test to a large, representative sample of individuals for whom the test is intended. This large sample ensures that results obtained from the test can be generalized across similar populations. This step is crucial for establishing test reliability and validity, and for developing norms, which are essential for standardizing the test.
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Scoring:
- Establish a clear and consistent scoring rubric. This ensures that all tests are evaluated fairly and uniformly. For many tests, scoring is standardized to allow comparisons between different individuals who have taken the exam.
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Item Analysis:
- After the test is administered, item analysis is carried out. This involves examining the difficulty and discrimination of individual test items. Based on this analysis, items that are too easy, too difficult, or do not discriminate well between high and low achievers are modified or removed.
- Difficulty: how easy or hard an item is.
- Discrimination: how well an item differentiates between high and low achievers.
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Refining the Test:
- Based on the data from item analysis and group testing, adjustments are made to the test. This might include revising unclear items, removing problematic ones, and adjusting the test format.
Key Aspects of Standardization
While the initial steps described above focus on the development and refinement of the test itself, the ultimate aim of standardization is to ensure that the test is reliable and valid for a specific population. Here are the key standardization components which follow the above steps:
- Reliability: This refers to the consistency of test scores. A reliable test should produce similar results if administered multiple times.
- Validity: This refers to whether the test actually measures what it claims to measure.
- Norms: The test is administered to a large sample, and data from this administration are used to develop norms. These norms provide a basis for comparing the performance of individual test takers with a defined group.
- Standard Procedures: Standardizing a test also involves establishing standard procedures for administration, scoring, and interpretation of results.
Example
Based on the reference, an initial achievement test contained 90 items. After the processes of expert consultation, small and large group testing, and item analysis, the final test was refined down to 45 high-quality items.
Conclusion
Standardization ensures that an achievement test is a valid, reliable tool for measuring student learning. These steps transform an initial assessment into a robust instrument that can provide meaningful data on student achievement.
