The Words We Use: A Glossary of Terms for
Early Childhood Education Standards and Assessment
Definition
A testing instrument that is administered, scored, and interpreted in a standard manner. It may be either norm-referenced or criterion-referenced.
Related Terms (Not Synonyms)
Achievement test; Aptitude test; Criterion-referenced test; Curriculum-based test; Diagnostic test; Norm-referenced test; Readiness test; Screening test (tool, instrument)
Explanatory Comments
- The most commonly used standardized tests are commercially developed and distributed achievement tests.
- Since the state-led "standards" movement, some states have developed their own standardized tests to determine children's progress toward the achievement of the state's K-12 standards.
- Standardized tests are those most commonly associated in K-12 with high-stakes consequences for children and educators.
- Standardized tests have an important role in identifying children with disabilities and making services available to them.
- The term standardized should not be confused with standards, a term used to refer to expectations for children's learning or the quality of schools and other programs.
Web Sources
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. (2002). A lexicon of learning: What educators mean when they say… Retrieved May 19, 2003, from http://www.ascd.org/educationnews/lexicon/s.html
ERIC Clearinghouse. (1989). A glossary of measurement terms. ERIC Digest. ED315430. Retrieved May 19, 2003, from http://ericae.net/edo/ed315430.htm
Other Resources
Gage, N.L., & Berliner, D. (1998). Educational psychology. (6th Ed.). Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
Popham, W.J. (1999). Classroom assessment: What teachers need to know (2nd Ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Shepard, L.A. (1991). The influence of standardized tests on early childhood curriculum, teachers, and children. In B. Spodek & O.N. Saracho (Eds.), Issues in Early Childhood Curriculum (Yearbook in Early Childhood Education, Vol. 2). New York: Teachers College Press.
» Back to List of Terms
Chiefline
