You may have read that NZCER has organised a series of workshops over the next couple of months. Thanks to those who have already signed up, we're looking forward to the sessions and working with a range of schools.
Some of the key ideas we will be exploring include:
- What does a 'standardised' test really mean. The advantages and disadvantages of this approach.
- Raw Scores. They're great for getting an indication of how well a student has done overall and you can look at some other statistics on the raw score, but we're still left with lots of other questions. We'll explore what raw scores don't tell us.
- So what do 'norms' really tell us. They're a useful reference point, but it's also important to know what they represent, when they were established and how you go about comparing normed data.
- Stanines tell us how well a student's score compares with the scores of the reference group. We look at when stanines can be really useful, and when they can become problematic for reporting.
- Measurement scales and scale scores. This is a big topic, but we'll be learning how to create a scale and how is it possible to place the questions and the students level of achievement on the same scale. With these two pieces of information, we are able to draw some really useful indicators of progress and give descriptions of the knowledge and skills the students are working at on different points along the scale.
Of course, there'll be plenty of opportunities to ask questions and to explore other related topics as well, for example: reporting, progress, choosing a well targeted test etc..
We've created quite a few activities to work with and will have plenty of material prepared for you to take away as well. Hope to see some of you there. Remember, if you can't make it, or we're not coming to a location close by, then let us know and we'll see if we can organise something useful for you.
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