Junior High Literacy Assessment

Scale Scoring

A New Format for Provincial Assessment Reports

Beginning in the 2007-2008 school year, all

provincial assessments will be reported on a

common scale.

Why Use a Common Scale?

Imagine trying to accurately compare a student’s or a school’s achievement when given the following raw scores:

letter grades numerical marks rubric levels percentage grades

What is a Scale?

A scale is an arbitrarily established set of numbers used for measurement.

Different scales may be used to measure the same thing, but they are calibrated differently. (e.g. rulers, thermometers, speedometers, bathroom scales)

What is a Scale?

A scale, simply put, is a mathematical conversion of raw scores to a

common scale or a derived score.

A scaled score is a conversion of a student's rawscore on a test to a common scale that allows for a

numerical comparison between students.

Provincial assessments use multiple versions of a testover the years. The scale is used to control slightvariations from one version of a test to the next.

Scaled scores, when equated, are particularly useful for comparing test scores over time.

Equating: A Statistical Process

Equating measures the difficulty of each assessment (content,

cognition, difficulty) and adjusts the cut score to

account for differences among assessment forms.

The difficulty level of tests in different years can be

equated and this enables us to compare assessment

results from year to year.

Advantages of Scale Scores

Scaled scores allow better comparison of assessmentresults:

• from year to year

• from one grade level assessment to another

• of student achievement in different subject areas

Future Advantages

Because each successive year’s assessments are statistically equated with a baseline reference year, the scaled scores can also be used to reflect growth.

For example, if a future scaled score is higher than the reference year scale score (2007-2008), it can be interpreted as an improvement from that base year.

Cautions for Comparisons

Many factors impact upon a school’s results.

No single assessment result tells the whole story of a student’s or school’s achievement.

Sample size does matter! Schools with fewer students will show more variability in scores from one year to the next.

Scale Scoring

500400 600

65 %

of students who wrote this assessment

389300200 800700

Scale Scores

Provincial Mean One

standard deviation above

Cut score

One standard deviation below

Cut ScoreA cut score defines the point at which acertain required level of achievement has

been demonstrated on the assessment.

Cut scores are set by a panel of educatorswho look at the actual test questions todetermine levels of acceptable performance.

A cut score can be above or below the mean.

Cut Score

A cut score differentiates between students who are

meeting expectations

or

not yet meeting expectations.

Things to Consider

Distribution of Scores:

- Scale ranges from 200 to 800- Provincial mean is set to 500- Provincial standard deviation is set to 100- On most provincial assessments, about 65% of

students will place between 400 and 600

Things to Consider

The cut score for the JHLA was set at 389

Higher scores mean stronger performance relative toother students who wrote the same assessment.

Interpreting ResultsOverall Score

Provincial Mean (500)

How close or how far away from the mean did the student perform?

How did the student perform relative to others who wrote the assessment?

How did the student perform this time compared to the time before? (after 2008)

Interpreting Results Overall Score

Cut Score:

How close or how far away from the cut score (389)did the student perform?

Did the student meet expectations for this assessment or hasthe student not yet met expectations for this assessment?

REMEMBER: The cut score only applies to the overall score(section 1) the student received.

Using the Results Overall Score

Students Meeting Expectations (390 and above)

If the overall score is above the cut score (390) the student ismeeting expectations.

Benchmarks have been established to help determine thelevel of performance.

If a student’s overall score falls between 390- 600, his/herperformance is considered to be satisfactory.

If a student’s overall score falls between 601- 800, his/herperformance is considered to be strong.

Using the Results Overall Score

Students Not Yet Meeting Expectations (Overall Score below 389)

For every student who is not yet meeting expectations (overall score isbelow 389) teachers will be expected to:

• provide on-going, in-class support

• contact parents/guardians to discuss support options

Using the Results Overall Score

Students Not Yet Meeting Expectations (Overall Score below 389)

If a student’s overall score falls below 400, his/her score is more than one standarddeviation from the mean.

For every student who is not yet meeting expectations and whose score is below 389,the teacher is expected to:

• Develop a Literacy Support (LS) document• Support student within the class structure

The LS document will be on-going for students, with transition meetings at the end of each grade.

Using the Results Overall Score

Schools are responsible for tracking Literacy Support (LS) and for monitoring support.

Teachers and Principals are expected to:• review LS document and monitor support• Documenting a conversation with the student• ensure parent/guardian signatures on the LS document• ensure that the completed LS document is kept in the

student’s cum file

Using the Results

The Reading Performance section:• Provides information on student performance in

the various genres, cognitive levels and some specific outcomes .

• Allows for comparison to the provincial mean of 500.

• May help teachers isolate concerns anddevelop strategies to address these indicators.

• Was not factored into a student’s overall score • Is intended to provide to teachers information

for planning purposes only.

Overall Performance in Reading

• Student overall score for reading is a reflection of all 65 questions are scaled – considers difficulty level of the whole assessment. And should only be compared to the cut score.

Genre

• Information Text (largely Literal Comprehension)

• Visual Media Text (predominantly Analysis)

• Literary Prose (predominantly Analysis)

• Poetry/Song ( Non-Literal Comprehension and Analysis)

Using the Results

The Writing Performance section:

• Provides information on student performance in the elements of writing: ideas, organization, matters of correctness, and word choice.

• May help teachers identify concerns and trends.

Using Your Data: Classroom Level

Teachers are encouraged to use the student reports to identify trends and patterns in literacy development.

Class / grade profiles may be used for classroom instructional decision making and for targeting support to individual students.

Using the Results: School Level

In April, The Minister of Education will release the provincial, board and school results in the Minister’s Report to Parents.

Program of Learning Assessment for Nova Scotia (PLANS), Nova Scotia Department of Education, Provincial Assessment Reports: A New Format (2007)

http://www.jhla.ednet.ns.ca

For more information