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Definition of Terms
"Academic standards" means the skills and knowledge
base expected of students for a particular subject area at a particular grade
level.
"Accreditation year" means the year from July
1 to June 30.
Anchor Paper
A student paper that is an example of a score point described on a rubric.
There are anchorpapers for Writing Development, Language-in-Use, and short
answer questions. Anchor papers are used with the applied skills sections
of ISTEP+.
Anticipated Achievement Normal Curve Equivalent
A student’s anticipated achievement score estimates the average score
for students of similar academic aptitude. This lets you compare an individual
student’s level of achievement with that expected of similar students.
Anticipated achievement scores are a function of a student’s performance
on the academic aptitude and achievement portions of ISTEP+.
"Attendance center" means one (1) or more buildings
where the school's program serves pupils who reside in an attendance area.
Cognitive Skills Index
The cognitive skills index (CSI) describes an individual’s overall performance
on the ISTEP+ aptitude test. It compares the student’s cognitive ability
with that of students who are the same age, without regard to grade placement.
The CSI is a normalized standard score with a mean of 100 and a standard deviation
of 16.
Constructed-Response Question
A test question or task that requires the test-taker to create his or her own
response. Examples would be a short answer or an essay question.
"Credit" means a minimum of two hundred fifty
(250) minutes of instruction per week for one (1) semester, except in the case
of basic physical education courses where one (1) school year of instruction
is required for one (1) credit.
Criterion Referenced Test (CRT)
A test linked to predefined content standards and designed to measure student
achievement of the content standards. In relation to ISTEP+, the term means
the criterion referenced test questions that have been designed to measure
the Indiana Academic Standards in English/language arts and mathematics.
"Curriculum" means the planned interaction of
pupils with instructional content, materials, resources, and processes for
evaluating the attainment of educational objectives.
"Department" means the Indiana Department of
Education.
"Dropout" means a student who was enrolled in
school during the current school year or the previous summer recess, who left
the educational system during the current school year or the previous summer
recess, who has not graduated from high school, and who does not meet any of
the following exclusionary conditions:
(1) Death.
(2) Temporary absence due to suspension or a school-excused absence.
(3) Transfer to a public or nonpublic school.
"Dropout rate" means the number determined under
STEP THREE of the following formula:
STEP ONE: Determine the number of students enrolled on October
1 or the date closest to October 1 that school is in session.
STEP TWO: Determine the number of students who drop out of school during
the current school year and the previous summer recess.
STEP THREE: Determine the quotient of:
(A) the amount determined under STEP TWO; divided by
(B) the amount determined under STEP ONE.
Essential Skills
Specific skills within the larger category of Indiana Academic Standards measured
by ISTEP+ criterion-referenced questions.
"Fine arts education" means instruction in art,
music, and other arts areas that encompass visual, aural, performing, and creative
modes of student learning.
Grade Equivalent
This score represents the grade and month in school of students in the norm
group whose test performance is equivalent to the test performance of a given
student. For example, if a third-grade student obtains a grade equivalent
of 4.8 on a mathematics test, it does not mean that the student has mastered
all the mathematics that is taught in the school district during the first
eight months of Grade 4. It means only that the student’s performance
on this test is theoretically equivalent to the typical performance of students
in the norm group who have completed eight months of Grade 4.
"Graduation rate" means the number determined
under STEP THREE of the following formula:
STEP ONE: Determine the dropout rates for Grades 9, 10, 11,
and 12.
STEP TWO: Determine the remainder of:
(A) 1.0; minus
(B) the amount determined under STEP ONE for each of the above four (4)
grades.
STEP THREE: Determine the product of the four (4) amounts determined
under STEP TWO.
Indiana Academic Standards
To promote student academic achievement, the State Board of Education has adopted
challenging standards for students in the following educational categories:
reading comprehension, language mechanics/vocabulary, writing, mathematics
basic skills, and mathematics applied skills. The standards are defined by
a description of what a student should know and be able to do at the grade
level completed by the student during the previous school year. The Indiana
Academic Standards define two general levels of knowledge and skill as follows:
Above the Standard (pass): The student who scores at or
above the Indiana Academic Standards in English/language arts or mathematics
demonstrates
mastery of these subjects.
Below the Standard (did not pass): The student who does
not score at or above the Indiana Academic Standards in all likelihood needs
remedial assistance to be successful at the current grade level. In addition,
a category referred to as Undetermined is for learners whose ISTEP+ scores
for English/language arts or mathematics are incomplete. For these students,
all or a part of the test was not taken or was considered invalid by the examiner
(see Indiana Scale Score).
Indiana Performance Index
The Indiana Performance Index (IPI) is an indication of a student’s performance
on the individual Essential Skills that are measured by ISTEP+. It represents
the expected number of items that the student would answer correctly if the
student had taken 100 similar items for the specific Essential Skill.
Indiana Scale Score
Student achievement levels relative to the Indiana Academic Standards are reported
by ISTEP+ scale scores. These three-digit, equal-interval scores are expressed
on unique scales by content area (English/language arts and mathematics).
ISTEP+ scale scores typically will range from about 300 to about 850.
"ISTEP+" means Indiana Statewide Testing for
Educational Progress Plus.
"Laboratory course" means a course in which
a minimum of twenty-five percent (25%) of the total instructional time is devoted
to laboratory activities. Laboratory activities are those activities in which
the pupil personally utilizes appropriate procedures and equipment in accomplishing
that learning task.
Language-in-Use Rubric
This rubric assesses students’ ability to use grammar, usage, and spelling
conventions. The Language-in-Use rubric is directly linked to the editing checklist
in the test booklet.
"Legal standards" means those Indiana statutes
and state board rules that apply to school accreditation.
"Level," when used in course titles, means a
course that lasts one (1) full school year in Grades 9 through 12, except that
in the highest level of a sequence a course of shorter duration may be offered.
Mean
The mean is the arithmetic average of a group of scores. It is calculated by
adding the scores and dividing the sum by the number of scores.
Mean Raw Score
The arithmetic average of the number of items answered correctly by a group
of students.
Median
The median is defined as the score below which 50% of the cases fall. The median
and the 50th percentile are the same.
Mixed Format Test
A test that uses a variety of test items, including multiple-choice, short
answer, essay questions and performance tasks.
National Percentile (NP) Rank
The NP represents the percentage of students in the national norm group that
scored below a given student’s score. For example, a student whose NP
score is 70 scored higher than 70% of the students in the norm group. The
50th NP represents the “national average” at the time the test
was normed (i.e., half of the norm group scored below an NP of 50).
Norm Group
A sample of students with defined characteristics. The data obtained from testing
this group constitutes the norm to which others can be compared. The ISTEP+
norm group is composed of a sample of students representative of the nation
in terms of region, community type, ethnicity, grade, and school size.
Norm-Referenced Score
A measure provided by a norm-referenced test that relates the test performance
of an individual or group to the performance of the norm group.
Norm-Referenced Test (NRT)
A test referenced to norms based on the performance of other students across
the nation which is designed to compare student achievement relative to other
students’ achievement.
Normal Curve Equivalent (NCE) Score
The NCE was developed to allow mathematical manipulation of NP scores—especially
for program evaluation and research requiring the comparison of scores across
groups or across time. The NCE scores can be thought of as NP scores rescaled
on an equal interval scale (which allows them to be used in mathematical calculations
such as deriving a mean score). NCE scores are often converted to the NP scale
for direct comparison to the norm group (see NP of MNCE).
Normal Distribution
A term synonymous with the standard normal distribution. The normal distribution
(a bell-shaped curve) represents a theoretical frequency distribution of
measurements. In a normal distribution, scores are concentrated near the
mean and decrease in frequency as the distance from the mean increases.
Norms
The distribution of test scores for members of the norm group.
NP of MNCE
The national percentile of the mean normal curve equivalent is used to mark
the arithmetic average of a group of NP scores. Since NP scores cannot technically
be added, subtracted, multiplied, or divided, they are first converted to
the equal interval NCE scale, an average is calculated, and the average (mean)
NCE is then converted back to an NP for interpretation.
Number Correct Scoring
A scoring procedure that involves adding up students’ scores on the test
questions in a test.
Pattern Scoring
A procedure for assigning students’ scale scores that involves considering
the pattern of students’ scores on the questions in a test as well as
certain statistical characteristics of the questions.
A point in the local distribution of scores. Quartiles are determined
by dividing a distribution into quarters at three points: the 75th percentile,
the 50th percentile (median), and the 25th percentile. These points are also
known as Q3, Q2, and Q1. If the scores of students in the local group produce
a normal distribution curve identical to the norm group upon which the test
was standardized, 25% of the students would fall into each quarter.
"Practical arts education" means instruction
in the curriculum areas of:
(1) agricultural science and business;
(2) business technology education;
(3) family and consumer sciences; and
(4) technology education of a nonvocational or prevocational nature, which
provides learning experiences in consumer knowledge, family living, creative
expression, manual skills, technical skills, leisure time interests, and
similar areas of practical application to everyday life.
"Principal" means a properly certified person
who is assigned as the chief administrative officer of a school.
Raw Score
A student’s observed score on a test, i.e., the number correct. While
raw scores do have some usefulness, they should not be used to make comparisons
between performance on different tests, unless other information about the
characteristics of the test is known.
Reading Comprehension Rubrics
Reading Comprehension Rubrics are used to score the short answer items and
extended response items. Each rubric contains a list of acceptable responses
(exemplars) as well as a description of the level of performance for each
score point (rubric).If a student gives a response that is not listed as
an exemplar, but the answer is supported by the text, the student receives
credit for the response.
Scale Score
Student achievement levels relative to the Indiana Academic Standards are reported
by ISTEP+ as scale scores. These three-digit, equal interval scores are expressed
on unique scales by subject (English/language arts and mathematics). ISTEP+
scale scores typically range from about 300 to 850.
"School classification" refers to the following
school types:
(1) An elementary school, which includes:
(A) Grade 1, 2, or 3;
(B) Grade 1, 2, or 3 in combination with other Grades; or
(C) any school that has Grade 6 as its highest grade.
(2) A high school, which includes:
(A) Grade 10, 11, or 12; or
(B) Grade 10, 11, or 12 in combination with other Grades.
(3) A middle school or junior high school, which includes any
grade or combination of grades that is not defined as an elementary school
or a high school.
If a school includes Grades kindergarten through 12, the school
superintendent shall designate the division of the grades within the school
into at least two (2) school classifications.
"School corporation" means any public school
corporation established by, and under the laws of, the state of Indiana. The
term includes, but is not necessarily limited to, any:
(1) school city;
(2) school town;
(3) school township;
(4) consolidated school corporation;
(5) county school corporation;
(6) metropolitan school district;
(7) township school corporation;
(8) united school corporation; or
(9) community school corporation.
Scoring Rubrics
A set of standard rules and procedures used to assign scores to students’ responses
to short answer, essay questions, and performance tasks.
"Semester" means half of a regular school year.
 Standard
Deviation (SD)
A statistic that indicates the amount of variability in a group of scores.
When scores are normally distributed (i.e., when they are part of a bell-shaped, “normal” curve),
about two-thirds of the scores are within one SD above and below the average
(mean) score, and about 95% of scores are within 2 SDs of the mean. In almost
any shaped distribution, all scores will be within 5 SDs of the mean score.
Standardized Test
A test administered in accordance with explicit directions for uniform administration.
"State board" means the Indiana State Board
of Education.
"Student attendance rate" means the aggregate
number of days of attendance for the regular school year divided by the number
of aggregate days of enrollment, as determined under 511 IAC 1-3-1(l).
Student Report
The Student Report presents test information to parents in a way that is easy
to understand. Some of the things found on the Student Report include: the
student’s name, grade, class, school, corporation, county, and state;
the test date; lists essential skills by subject and how well the student
did in each essential skill; and explains the student’s scale scores
relative to the Indiana Academic Standards.
"Superintendent" means the chief administrative
officer of a school corporation (generally referred to as the superintendent
of schools, except, in the case of township schools, the term refers to the
county superintendent of schools).
"Teacher" means a properly certified, licensed
person who is assigned to instruction.
Test Section
A subtest covering part of a given content area. For example, the test for
the mathematics content area might be divided into two test sections or subtests:
1) Mathematics Computation and 2) Mathematics Concepts and Applications.
Writing Development Rubric
This rubric assesses students’ ability to communicate their ideas effectively.
The Grades 3-5 rubric has three major categories: 1) ideas and content, 2)
organization, and 3)style. The Grades 6-8 and 9-12 rubrics have four major
categories: 1) ideas and content, 2) organization, 3)style, and 4) voice. Under
each major category there are specific criteria that describe the category
more fully.
Updated:
January 12, 2005
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