Glossary
Accreditation- A certification awarded by an external, recognized organization, that the institution or
program meets certain requirements overall, or in a particular discipline.
Analytic Rubric - An analytic rubric articulates levels of performance for each criterion so the teacher
can assess student performance on each criterion.
Artifacts- An object produced to indicate mastery of a skill or component of knowledge. It is often
stored for future use.
Assessment - The ongoing process of:
- Establishing clear, measurable objectives (expected outcomes) of student learning
- Ensuring that students have sufficient opportunities to achieve outcomes
- Systematically gathering, analyzing, and interpreting evidence to determine how well student learning
matches our expectations
- Using the resulting information to understand and to improve student learning
(Linda Suskie, Assessing Student Learning, 2004)
Benchmark - A detailed description of a specific level of student performance expected of students at a
particular period of time or developmental level. (CRESST)
Bloom’s Taxonomy - A classification of levels of intellectual behavior important in learning. Bloom
identified six levels within the cognitive domain, from the simple recall or recognition of facts, as the
lowest level, through increasingly more complex and abstract mental levels, to the highest order which
is classified as evaluation. (http://www.officeport.com/edu/blooms.htm)
Closing the loop - Using assessment results for change and improvement.
Cohort - A term used to designate one group among many in a study. For example, "the first cohort"
may be the first group to have participated in a training program.
Criterion-referenced assessment (competency-based assessment) - is where an individual's
performance is compared to a specific learning objective or performance standard and not to the
performance of other students. Criterion-referenced assessment tells us how well students are
performing on specific goals or standards rather than just telling how their performance compares to a
norm group of students nationally or locally. In criterion-referenced assessments, it is possible that
none, or all, of the examinees will reach a particular goal or performance standard.
Direct Measures - Objective tests and performance measures used to indicate the attainment of student
learning, knowledge, or skills by directly observing activities by students.
Embedded assessment - A means of gathering information about student learning that is built into and
is a natural part of the teaching-learning process. Example: assessing information literacy as part of a
required course that culminates in a research paper.
Focus groups - In-person interviews of small, often homogeneous groups of people such as current
students, graduating students, alumni, current and prospective employers, and student supervisors in
field experiences. (Suskie)
Formative assessments - are on-going assessments, reviews, and observations in a classroom. Teachers
use formative assessment to improve instructional methods and student feedback throughout the
teaching and learning process.
Generalizability coefficient - An index formed as the ratio of (a) the sum of variances that are
considered components of test score variance in the setting under study to (b) the foregoing sum plus
the weighted sum of variances attributable to various error sources in this setting. Such indices, which
arise from the application of generalizability theory, are typically interpreted in the same manner as
reliability coefficients.
Generalizability theory - An extension of classical reliability theory and methodology in which analysis of
variance is used to estimate variance components that indicate the magnitude of errors from specified
sources. The analysis is used to evaluate the generalizability of scores beyond the specific sample of
items, persons, and observational conditions that were studied.
Holistic Rubric - In contrast to an analytic rubric, a holistic rubric does not list separate levels of
performance for each criterion. Instead, a holistic rubric assigns a level of performance by assessing
performance across multiple criteria as a whole.
Indirect Measures - Assessment tools that ask students to self-report or reflect on their learning rather
than to demonstrate it. Surveys, interviews, focus groups.
Longitudinal - Data collected on the same individuals over time for use in a longitudinal study. A study
that investigates development, learning, or other types of change in individuals over time.
Norm-referenced test - An objective test that is standardized on a group of individuals whose
performance is evaluated in relation to the performance of others; contrasted with criterion-referenced
test. Most standardized achievement tests are referred to as norm-referenced.
Outcome - An operationally defined educational goal, usually a culminating activity, product or
performance that can be measured is referred to as an outcome.
Reliability - Reliability is the measure of consistency for an assessment instrument. The instrument
should yield similar results over time with similar populations in similar circumstances.
Rubric - A rubric is an established set of criteria for scoring or rating students’ performance on tests,
portfolios, writing samples, or other performance tasks.
Standardized testing - A test designed to be given under specified, standard conditions to obtain a
sample of learner behavior that can be used to make inferences about the learner's ability. Standardized
testing allows results to be compared statistically to a standard such as a norm or criteria. If the test is
not administered according to the standard conditions, the results are invalid.
Summative assessments - are typically used to evaluate the effectiveness of instructional programs and
services at the end of an academic year or at a pre-determined time. The goal of summative
assessments is to make a judgment of student competency after an instructional phase is complete.
Validity - the degree to which information being used is appropriate, meaningful, and useful.