achievement test essay

15 Achievement Tests Examples

An achievement test refers to any procedure used to measure the accumulated knowledge or skills of a student in a specific area of study (Cizek, 2004). There are many different types of achievement tests.

Standardized achievement tests are the most commonly recognized achievement tests. They are designed to measure academic knowledge in major subject areas such as math, science, and history.  

Standardized tests are developed through a painstakingly complex process of administering pilot test items to different SES demographic samples. Test scores are used to make predictions about future academic performance. Examples include the ACT and the SAT .

Most states in the U. S. have developed their own standardized achievement tests to assess the effectiveness of K-12 public education.

Another type of achievement test is the one that a teacher administers to their students at the end of a chapter or academic term.

There are several other forms of achievement tests, including diagnostic tests, language proficiency tests, placement tests, norm-referenced, and criterion-referenced.

Achievement Tests Examples

• Diagnostic Tests: This may occur when a high school math teacher administers a comprehensive exam to his students at the beginning of the semester to determine if students are ready to take the next step (see also: formative assessment ).
• Placement Tests: For example, the Spanish Department assesses the language skills of every incoming student and then uses their scores to decide if they should take a beginner, intermediate, or advanced course.
• Language Proficiency Tests: This may occur when a U. S. university asks all foreign students to report their TOEFL scores to determine if their English language skills are sufficient.
• Norm-Referenced Tests: The Admissions Office of a graduate school may require all applicants to take and report their scores on the GRE (Graduate Record Exam).
• Criterion-Referenced Tests: Nursing school students must obtain a minimum score on the NCLEX-RN (National Council Licensing Exam for Registered Nurses) in order to work as a nurse in the U. S. or Canada.
• Subject Achievement Tests: For example, at the end of every chapter in Mr. Jones’ history course, students must take a 100-item multiple choice exam that will be part of their final grade.
• Performance-Based Criterion-Referenced Test: Students in the trade school for motorcycle repair may have to be able to make 8 out of 10 repairs on an engine in less than 2 hours in order to receive their diploma.
• Spelling Achievement Tests: At the end of every week, students in classes at schools around the world have to take a spelling test on the words they learned that week.
• Summative Tests : At the end of every academic year, students in grades 4-12 in California must take the CAT (California Achievement Test).
• Admissions Tests: For example, an international school in Singapore might administer admissions tests they spent years developing in-house to all applicants to determine if they are prepared for the rigorous curriculum. 

Case Studies of Achievement Tests   

1. school readiness and later achievement.

When children leave kindergarten and enter the first grade, the transition can be overwhelming. Class sizes are larger, the pace of learning is much more demanding, and teachers may be less willing to indulge individual tantrums. However, determining exactly what attributes are needed to ensure a smooth transition has been debated for years.

On the one hand, some firmly believe that fundamental reading and math skills are the most important. While many teachers and researchers argue that social and emotional skills are key.

For instance, Shonkoff and Phillips (2000) point to a statement by the National Research Council and Institute on Medicine which maintains that:

“the elements of early intervention programs that enhance social and emotional development are just as important as the components that enhance linguistic and cognitive competence” (pp. 398-399).

Duncan et al. (2007) conducted an analysis of six longitudinal data sets to determine the link between characteristics of school readiness and later achievement in reading and math.

The results revealed that early math and reading skills were the best predictors of later academic performance. In contrast, socio-emotional behaviors and social skills provided near-zero predictive utility.

2. Attaining A Black Belt

Although the term “black belt” is most often associated with Karate, the term also applies to other martial arts such as Akido and Tae Kwon Do. It can take 3-5 years to reach black belt status, depending on the specific martial arts being practiced.

Another misconception about the black belt is that it is the highest degree of mastery . In fact, however, it usually only signifies that a student has demonstrated a certain level of proficiency in the fundamental skills.

The tests for attaining the different colored belts are skills-based. This means that the system of testing is criterion-referenced. At each level, the student must demonstrate a minimum degree of skill before advancing to the next level.

To gain a clearer understanding of the martial arts and belt system, read this archived article published by Black Belt Magazine .

3. Job Simulation And Nursing Competence

There are few jobs that are as pressure-packed as nursing. Poor skills or errors in judgment can literally have life-and-death consequences. Therefore, developing a test that measures nursing competence is of vital importance.

Paper-and-pencil achievement tests used to evaluate the knowledge and skills of existing nurses fail to replicate the highly stressful nature of the job.

“Evaluation of clinical performance in authentic settings is possible using realistic simulations that do not place patients at risk” (Hinton, et al., 2017, p. 432).

Hinton et al. (2017) created the Nursing Performance Profile (NPP) that consists of numerous medical-surgical scenarios in a high-fidelity laboratory. Experienced professionals then observed the performance of existing nurses.

  “Items frequently failed during NPP simulation tests are consistent with nursing practice difficulties identified in the literature related to medication errors, infection control, documentation, and telephone orders” (p. 454).

Those are the types of common errors that put patients at risk. The fact that the NPP was particularly sensitive to those types of errors should make it of substantial value to employers and industry regulators.

4. Computer-Adaptive Tests (CAT)

Testing via computers has been becoming increasingly popular for several reasons. These include the convenience of administration, the standardization of testing procedures, and the precision and ease of scoring. This method is referred to as adaptive computer testing (CAT). 

One key feature of this form of testing is that the CAT adjusts the difficulty level of each question based on the test taker’s ongoing performance.

Each answer provided by the test-taker determines the level of difficulty of the subsequent item. If answered correctly, the next item will be more difficult. If answered incorrectly, the computer will select an item that is either equally difficult or slightly less so.

These adjustments are made in real-time and result in a more precise estimate of the test taker’s knowledge.

“Over the course of several decades, research has repeatedly demonstrated that CAT is more efficient than paper-and-pencil tests, with equal or better measurement precision ” (Seo, 2017, p. 8).

5. Multi-Method Assessment

Traditional achievement tests in the classroom primarily consist of multiple-choice and short essay questions. These item formats are highly verbal-skills-centric, which puts many students at a distinct disadvantage. While some students possess the verbal skills to write a good essay, other students have strengths in other domains of expression.

Therefore, to be fair, testing should allow students to demonstrate their knowledge and skills in ways that match their unique profiles.

This simply means that teachers should administer diverse assessment procedures so that a student’s final score in a course will reflect their true level of academic progress.

These diverse methods could include a performance-based assessment, such as an oral presentation or designing an infographic.

It could also entail a project-based assessment whereby the student demonstrates their level of knowledge and skills by constructing a 3D object or producing a poster presentation.

Multiple assessment methods of academic achievement give each student a fair opportunity to demonstrate their gains in a manner that matches their unique characteristics.

Achievement testing is a vital component of the education system. Students’ knowledge and skills must be ascertained in order for teachers and parents to know if their students/children are making progress.

There are many types of achievement tests used in a wide range of capacities.

Diagnostic tests are applied to determine if incoming students are ready to meet the challenges of a more advanced academic level. This is true not only of incoming university freshmen but also of incoming first-graders.

Other types of achievement tests are used to assess language skills or the competence of those wishing to enter a specific profession such as nursing, electrical engineering, or engine repair.

Although computer-assisted testing (CAT) is gaining popularity, it is also important that teachers understand the importance of giving students an opportunity to demonstrate their progress in ways that are suited to their learning styles.

Cizek, G. J. (2004). Achievement tests. In Charles D. Spielberger, (Ed.). Encyclopedia of Applied Psychology , 41-46. https://doi.org/10.1016/B0-12-657410-3/00226-9

Duncan, G. J., Dowsett, C. J., Claessens, A., Magnuson, K., Huston, A. C., Klebanov, P., … & Japel, C. (2007). School readiness and later achievement. Developmental Psychology , 43 (6), 1428.

Hinton, J., Mays, M., Hagler, D., Randolph, P., Brooks, R., DeFalco, N., Kastenbaum, B., & Miller, K. (2017). Testing nursing competence: Validity and reliability of the nursing performance profile. Journal of Nursing Measurement, 25 (3), 431. https://doi.org/10.1891/1061-3749.25.3.431

Naglieri, J., & Goldstein, S. (2009). Understanding the strengths and weaknesses of intelligence and achievement tests. In J. A. Naglieri & S. Goldstein, Practitioner’s guide to assessing intelligence and achievement (pp. 3–10). John Wiley & Sons Inc.

Phillips, D. A., & Shonkoff, J. P. (Eds.). (2000). From Neurons to Neighborhoods: The Science of Early Childhood Development . National Academies Press.

Seo, D. G. (2017). Overview and current management of computerized adaptive testing in licensing/certification examinations. Journal of Educational Evaluation for Health Professions, 14 . https://doi.org/10.3352/jeehp.2017.14.17

Dave Cornell (PhD)

Dr. Cornell has worked in education for more than 20 years. His work has involved designing teacher certification for Trinity College in London and in-service training for state governments in the United States. He has trained kindergarten teachers in 8 countries and helped businessmen and women open baby centers and kindergartens in 3 countries.

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Chris Drew (PhD)

This article was peer-reviewed and edited by Chris Drew (PhD). The review process on Helpful Professor involves having a PhD level expert fact check, edit, and contribute to articles. Reviewers ensure all content reflects expert academic consensus and is backed up with reference to academic studies. Dr. Drew has published over 20 academic articles in scholarly journals. He is the former editor of the Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education and holds a PhD in Education from ACU.

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• Chris Drew (PhD) #molongui-disabled-link 25 Dissociation Examples (Psychology)
• Chris Drew (PhD) #molongui-disabled-link 15 Zone of Proximal Development Examples
• Chris Drew (PhD) #molongui-disabled-link Perception Checking: 15 Examples and Definition

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• Achievement Testing in Education: Meaning & Examples

When you want to appraise a person or a student, you’re going to need a tool that measures the individual’s mastery of a subject. Achievement testing can help gauge a person’s understanding within a domain of knowledge. It also provides guidance and benefits the individual because the scores reveal knowledge gaps

. In this article, we will discuss in detail what an achievement test is, its types, uses, and how you can create yours with Formplus. Let’s dive in!

For you: Free Scholarship Application Form Template

What is an Achievement Test?

An achievement test measures how an individual has learned over time and what the individual has learned by analyzing his present performance. It also measures how a person understands and masters a particular knowledge area at the present time. With this test, you can analyze just how quick and precise an individual is in performing the tasks that they consider an accomplishment.

An achievement test is an excellent choice to analyze and evaluate the academic performance of an individual. 

For instance, every school requires its students to show their proficiency in a variety of subjects.

In most cases, the students are expected to pass to some degree to move to the next class. An achievement test will record and evaluate the performance of these students to determine how well they are performing against the standard.

Use this: Free Student Performance Report Form Template

Purpose of Achievement Testing 

The primary aim of an achievement test is to evaluate an individual. An achievement test however can start an action plan. 

An individual may get a higher achievement score that shows that the person has shown a high level of mastery and is ready for an advanced level of instruction. On the other hand, a low achievement score might indicate that there are concerned areas that an individual should improve on, or that a particular subject should be repeated.

For example, a student can decide to start a study plan because of the result of an achievement test. So it can serve as a motivation to improve or an indicator to proceed to a higher level. An achievement test is used in both the educational sector and in the professional sector.

Explore this Free Course Evaluation Form Template

Categories of Achievement Tests

Achievement tests are categorized into two major groups based on participation.

• Individual test

An individual test is a one-on-one, in-depth test. It entails the participant seeing an examiner on a one-on-one basis (This mostly takes three hours) after which the participant is presented with the interpreted result of the test, and also recommendations. The participant also gets 30 minutes with the examiner. The examiner will give feedback, explain the result, and also provide answers to all other questions.

A group test is when participants or students take part in an achievement test together. Maybe in a hall or in a classroom. It is more affordable and timesaving compared to individual tests. When the test is completed, the participants each receive a printed sheet detailing their results.

Types of Achievement Tests

There are five types of achievement tests: diagnostic tests, prognostic tests, accuracy tests, power tests, and speed tests.

1. Diagnostic test

A diagnostic test is an assessment test designed to serve as a pre-test. It is administered at the start of a topic. Also used to garner data to determine the students’ or participants’ level of knowledge of a subject, it is usually a written assessment in the form of multiple-choice or short-answer tests.

The aim is to find out what the student or participant knows at the moment. A diagnostic achievement test allows the examiner and the participant to monitor their teaching approach and learning progress.

2. Prognostic test

The prognostic test is a means to predict the future. This test combines the knowledge obtained from the test performed on the learning process and other tests performed on learning achievements before trying to diagnose the future of a participant or student.

3. Accuracy test

An accuracy test measures the degree of closeness between the result that was gotten from a text when it is compared to the standard. It refers to the quality of the results even when the test is repeated. A test can be accurate if, in reproducibility, the results are close to the standard.

4. Power test

A power test is a testing tool comprising many items that when applied, has no time limit. This means that in an achievement test, a participant or student has unlimited time to respond to the questions. So this will allow them attempt all the questions in the test. 

The final score of the student or participant is analyzed and interpreted to mean the number of questions that the students answered correctly.

The difference in the results obtained from the student is interpreted as each students’ ability to respond to the test and not to the time it took a student to understand the question or answer it.

The student’s level of knowledge about a subject is measured under little to zero pressure. This is because they are given ample time to answer the test.

5. Speed test

Unlike the power test, a speed test is created for the student to respond to, in a limited time. In this test, however, the questions are simple and they are intended to be answered in sequence. For example from the first question to the last one because of the limited time allocated to this test. 

If the difficulty level of the test keeps increasing, then none of the students might be able to complete the questions, unlike the power test where students are given enough time.

The aim of the speed test is to measure how quickly a student can complete a question within a limited time. It measures a student’s ability to quickly process information and give an accurate response.

Research with this free Student Perception Survey Template

Characteristics of a Good Achievement Test

Now, what makes a good achievement test? To shed light on the characteristics of a good achievement test we are going to consider four qualities that make an excellent test.

1. Reliability

In an achievement test reliability refers to how consistently the test produces the same results when it is measured or evaluated.

For a test to be reliable it means that the outcome of the test is trustworthy. 

So for an achievement test to be considered accurate and valid, it must be consistent. It must measure what is intended to measure in its true value.

We can say that the degree to which the test is free from error is one characteristic of an achievement test. When a test is repeated, if the value is close to what was initially obtained, then it is said to be reliable.

Note that different types of reliability are evaluated using different methods.

• The first on the list is how consistent the results of the measurements are over a certain amount of time.
• The second one is how consistent is the result of the measurement when it has been evaluated using different methods and instruments.
• The last way to determine how consistent an achievement test is how consistent it has been with just one instrument or method of testing.

Appraise with this free Teacher Evaluation Survey Template

2. Validity

One important thing to consider when conducting an evaluation assessment is how much the results of the test will serve the purpose for which it was intended. Finding an answer to this question is the basis of validity in a test. The primary function of any test is validity because a text has no value if it is not valid hence it won’t prove useful.

The validity of a test involves what it is intended to measure and how consistent it measures it.

For instance, an educator might not determine how conversant a student is in a particular knowledge area without conducting an evaluation test.

If the test was conducted and the results did not measure what it was intended to measure, the educator might not accurately determine what the strengths of the students are. Also, the educator might struggle to know whether the student is ready for a higher level of instruction. We can infer that validity is how appropriate the interpretation made from the result of a test is, regarding a specific topic.

3. Objectivity

Objectivity can affect both the reliability and validity of test results. The objectivity of a test refers to the percentage at which different people scoring a test can arrive at the same score. A good test must be free from personal errors and bias.

Achievement tests must have objectivity in the scoring and in interpreting the results. No personal factor should affect the scoring of the test. Also, the interpretation of the test results should be plainly worded and easy to understand.

Finally, the results of the test should mean the same to all the students that took part in the test. So, there should be no partial confusion and no ambiguity.

4. Usability

You cannot neglect the practical value of a test. When deciding on a test, consider the ease of administration, the time required to administer the test, and how easy it is to interpret the result of the test and apply it.

It must also be easy to use by all classroom teachers, so explicit instructions should be given.

The test should have a specified time allocated to complete it and scores of the test should be easy to interpret. 

Uses of Achievement testing

The teacher-made test is designed to examine the local curriculum and measure its effectiveness to the students’ performance.

The flexibility of the teacher-made test makes it appropriate to adapt to any procedure. Also, it is easy to construct as it doesn’t need any special requirements for its preparation.

Teacher-made tests are developed to meet the locals’ objectives the same way as the standard or administrator test is developed to generally measure learning objectives.

It is worthy to note that teacher-made tests can be written or oral and procedures for storing them vary depending on the test. Also, both objective and essay types of tests can be included in a teacher-made test.

• Administrators

An administrative test is developed by specialists. It has uniformity in scoring, application, and interpretation of the test results. What an administrator test or standardized test does is that it compares the performance of some students with a general group standard.

An administrator test gives clear instructions about how the test should be administered and interpreted so that there will be uniformity.

The test is highly reliable and there’s a provision for how to uniformly score the test in the test manual.

How to Construct Achievement Tests with Formplus

Formplus allows you to collect data by creating different types of forms and surveys. It has over 1,000 templates you can choose from to create your form from scratch. 

To create an achievement test, here is a step-by-step guide on how to go about it. 

1. To start with, visit formpl.us . If you do not have an account, then click the sign-up button to get started.

Don’t worry, it’s super easy. If you already opened an account with Formplus, sign in to your account.

2. Click on the “create new form” to access the form builder feature, from there click on the form builder and make use of the options on the left and start creating your test. 

3. Use the drag-and-drop option to include all the field sections. Use the edit icon to change the fields you added.

4. Once you’re done with the modification, at the right side corner of the builder, click the save button.

5. Now here is the fun part, Formplus allows you to customize your forms. Beautify your achievement form by clicking the “customization” option.

This feature allows you to add your logo, change the font of the text, and even change the layout of the form.

6. When you’re done creating your achievement test, copy your form link and share it with your participants.

You can embed the link and share it through email. You can also print out your form and apply it traditionally.

Examples of Achievement Tests

For the purpose of this article and to further understand the concept of achievement tests we are going to look at some examples. 

The students of a school have completed their coursebook from units 1 to 6. To evaluate their mastery of the coursebook the teacher gives them an achievement test. The achievement test given by the teacher is based on what has been learned in the coursebook.

Let us assume that you have been practicing martial arts so that you could get the black belt in your last week of training. You are required to show your skills in class for your Master to judge.

This is an achievement test. It is designed to evaluate what you have learned and the skills you have acquired over time. An achievement test is not designed to evaluate what you can achieve, it is focused on what you have gained in knowledge, and the skills that you have gained over time.

An achievement test was administered on a group, let’s call them Group D. When the results of their test were analyzed their mean score was 65. After 4 days the same test was administered on Group D, and again their mean score is 65.

This implies that the achievement test is providing reliable results.

The good thing about the achievement test is that it gives the educator and the parents the opportunity to assess how well their word is doing in a field or at school. You should also note that the achievement test is not only for the students, the academic domain achievement test is used to assess both the student, the teacher, and the school.

Achievement tests are very vital in evaluating set goals and accomplishments. Get started by creating simple achievement tests with Formplus for free. 

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Achievement Tests: Definition, Types & Best Practices for Educators

Achievement tests play a massive role in the education system. Many institutions use these tests to determine if the curriculum has achieved its educational outcomes, if instructional methods are working, and if students are absorbing what’s being taught.

While these tests are a key part of every educational institution's curriculum, that doesn’t mean they’re foolproof. They can be riddled with bias and design inaccuracies that prevent you as the assessor from getting the full picture of what your students are learning.

In this article, we’ll explore the origins of this test format, the various types of tests you can administer, and best practices to conduct fair assessments.

What are achievement tests?

Achievement tests are a type of standardized assessment format that are used to test an individual’s knowledge, skill, and proficiency in specific subjects.

In the United States, the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and American College Testing (ACT) are the most common examples of achievement tests for high school, homeschool, or pre-university students. Such tests aim to assess the potential or the cognitive ability of students to perform certain tasks.

For instance, if you’re taking a driving test, your instructor will expect you to perform certain tasks before you’re granted a license.

From an educator’s perspective, achievement tests are a way to determine if students have attained a certain knowledge level or need additional support. These tests are an excellent way to determine if the curriculum aligns with the learning outcomes. Plus, such tests give educators a system to make standardized comparisons—helping them identify top performers and students who need extra help.

Origins of achievement tests and their use in education

Achievement tests were initially conceptualized in the early 1800s as IQ tests, which acted as a precursor to achievement tests. Alfred Binet, a French psychologist, wanted to create a method to test intelligence. Through a partnership with Stanford University, the Stanford-Binet Intelligence test was introduced to do the same.

Soon after, written achievement tests started taking over formal oral assessments after Horace Mann, the chairman of the Boston Public School Committee at the time, realized that the results were reproducible, making them commonplace in the US.

The shift from oral to written assessments happened because America’s universal schooling policies brought in immigrants from around the world. As public schools were accessible to all, it meant that every student had an equal opportunity to have access to education. Over the years, this added a strain as population density started increasing. It also meant that schools were under a lot of pressure and had to reorganize their grading systems.

Schools relied on bureaucratic management principles to organize students in classes based on age (the basis for grade levels). This method required standardized testing that objectively tested students’ knowledge accordingly.

Types of achievement tests in education

Depending on the method of testing, there are several types of achievement tests:

1. Diagnostic tests

These tests are designed to identify areas of strengths or weakness with respect to subject matter knowledge or skill. Testing occurs before a course or session starts to determine the current level of understanding.

For example, if you’re hosting a session on genomics, you might provide a short multiple-choice questionnaire to determine what students already know. It’ll let you tailor the session to their knowledge gaps, making it more fruitful.

Diagnostic tests are commonly used in personalized learning environments or for creating intervention plans for additional support.

2. Formative tests

Formative tests are given throughout the course of the instructional process. The goal is to monitor student learning, get feedback from students, and provide feedback accordingly.

These are typically low stakes and informal, which means they’re not graded, and students can be more relaxed during the process. For instance, you could conduct a pop quiz after a lecture to check your students’ retention level.

Common examples include quizzes, homework assignments, class discussions, or in-class activities like icebreakers. Insert a Poll Everywhere Activity like a Multiple Choice poll in between your lecture slides to quickly conduct a formative test.

3. Prognostic tests

Prognostic tests are meant to predict future performance in a specific exam or subject. These are common when students take the SAT or ACT. Students take these tests to check if they can hit their target score and realistically plan their college application process.

These are used for academic advising and placement in appropriate courses or support programs. They’re crucial for educators as they help chart a student’s learning path.

4. Accuracy tests

These tests focus on a precise understanding of a topic or the ability to carry out tests with precision. They’re used in contexts where precision is key.

Take, for example, a test that measures grammar knowledge, or an experiment in chemical identification. The rules of grammar are fixed, and chemicals can be identified using their characteristic properties. As such, accuracy tests go beyond theoretical understanding and determine a student’s ability to apply those concepts practically and achieve the same results every time.

Accuracy tests also pinpoint areas where the student might be struggling or misunderstanding, allowing for better intervention to improve learning outcomes.

5. Power tests

Power tests are one of the few testing types that let you remove the time constraint from the exam. Students can take the test without worrying about how much time they need to allocate to each question.

The goal is to test their mastery of the topic—rather than the speed at which they complete the test. It includes questions ranging from easy to extremely challenging to determine the depth of understanding.

These are useful when your students prepare for a university exam or a milestone exam such as the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT).

6. Speed tests

Unlike power tests, speed tests focus on time rather than depth. The tests involve simple questions on a topic or questions that more test-takers can solve quickly.

The results are based on the number of correct answers, showing how quickly students can process information. These tests also show their ability to work under pressure, which is why speed tests are a standard format for examinations in an academic or corporate setting.

7. Summative tests

Summative assessments focus on evaluating student learning or skill acquisition over a set period. These can be, for example, exams at the end of the school year that test students’ knowledge accumulated over the past year.

The main aim is to assess whether a course has met the goals and content standards of the curriculum. These are high-stakes assessments, as they decide the final grade a student receives.

8. Performance-based tests

These tests are used when you want to test specific skills or competencies .

For example, to test students’ ability to present or conduct secondary research, ask them to break down a research paper in a journal club.

The feedback students get in this type of assessment is specific and nuanced, as educators can pay close attention to their performance. It also hones in on the students’ problem-solving, critical-thinking, and creative-thinking skills.

What are the most common controversies surrounding these tests?

Achievement tests have had their fair share of controversy in the education space. Here are some of the most common themes:

Failure to measure capabilities like creative thinking

Many educators believe that achievement tests create a culture of rote learning and don’t speak to a student’s ability to solve real problems.

In an essay , Dr. Terry Meier, the coordinator of the Cooperative Urban Education Teacher Education Program at the Milwaukee Area Technical College, discusses the issue regarding SAT testing.

“The truth of the matter is that far from measuring excellence, standardized achievement tests tend to focus primarily on mechanical, lower-order skills and to reward students’ rapid recognition of factual information,” says Dr. Meier. “Thus, while the president of the College Board glibly asserts that the way to improve minority performance on standardized tests is to improve the quality of their educational experience, teachers are left to confront the reality that what will prepare students to perform well on tests is often in direct conflict with, or simply extraneous to, their real educational needs.”

For example, these tests are not a good indicator of ability in students interested in the creative field. So, testing them based on their ability to memorize facts doesn’t make sense. On the other hand, these tests don’t let you test a student’s ability to connect the dots between theory and practice—at least, not to the student’s fullest ability.

Adds too much pressure on young students to perform

In the Self-Driven Child podcast , Jennifer Wallace, the author of Never Enough: When Achievement Culture Becomes Toxic—and What We Can Do About It discusses the weight we put on students these days. She conducted a parenting study of 6,500 parents across the country with the help of the Harvard Graduate School of Education, finding that 87% of parents wished that childhood was less stressful for kids.

When students are told that their entire future depends on one exam they must take, it adds too much pressure, with many succumbing to it. Many studies have considered the pressure to excel as a factor that negatively impacts adolescent wellness.

This behavior only carries over as students move to professional spaces, worsening their mental health.

Fraught with diversity and equity issues

In 2019, several lawsuits were filed against the University of California for requiring students to submit SAT scores with their applications. The reason? Discriminatory measures.

For years, these exams have been questioned for their ability to test a student’s true potential for academic achievement. While many educators admit that test preparation is vital to acing these exams, many racial and economic minorities can’t access preparation resources.

It explains significant gaps in scores that minorities experience. A 2023 peer-reviewed study even confirmed that predictive bias based on factors such as ethnicity and disability does exist, indicating the need for equitable testing measures.

Similarly, in other situations (like within the classroom) certain groups (such as students with disabilities) might be at a disadvantage.

Not a clear indicator of academic success

Test scores can be influenced by many factors, such as:

• Intellectual ability
• Societal status
• Access to resources
• Test preparation
• Study environment
• Personal issues

This means a student’s current situation plays a heavy role in their performance. It could lead to misplaced judgment on a student’s capabilities, especially in the long term. And those who don’t score well might miss opportunities due to inaccurate assessments.

Best practices to create fair achievement tests

Here are a few ways in which you can create equitable achievement tests.

Ensure that the test is valid, reliable, and objective

Make sure each of your assessments follow these three principles:

• Validity: The test should accurately measure specific knowledge or skills without being influenced by external factors.
• Reliability: The test results should remain consistent no matter which test-takers take it, indicating that the same attributes are being tested.
• Objectivity: The test results should remain consistent no matter who grades it.

Abiding by these criteria significantly enhances the fairness and inclusiveness of achievement tests.

Supplement achievement tests with other testing measures

Use a combination of testing measures to assess a student’s knowledge level and potential. Don’t rely only on quantitative testing systems.

For example, ask for research presentations, portfolios, and hands-on projects for a holistic view of students’ capabilities. Using a variety of testing measures lets you see which instructional method best suits each student cohort, letting you adjust teaching styles accordingly.

Make accommodations for students with disabilities or special conditions

If you know that certain students have a disability or condition that prevents them from taking assessments under typical conditions, accommodate their needs.

For example, visually impaired students can be given a scribe or Braille-based question papers to help them during the exam. Also, if students from a specific background might be disadvantaged, create programs to provide them with access to the right resources.

Achievement tests still hold their place as long as they’re done the right way

Even though achievement tests have certain drawbacks, they still play a pivotal role in measuring learning outcomes. They also help inform the creation of future instructional strategies by giving educators some direction in the process.

However, if you want to do it the right way, it’s best to keep the principles of testing, such as validity, reliability, and objectivity, in mind. It ensures that you create more inclusive and equitable assessment methods.

You can also achieve this using digital tools like Poll Everywhere that let students take tests on any device while adhering to accessibility standards . Plus, Poll Everywhere isn’t meant only for in-class exams but can also be sent via a link for homework or practical assignments.

If you’re looking for a tool to administer achievement tests, schedule a demo with Poll Everywhere today.

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Achievement Tests

How Achievement Tests Measure What People Have Learned

Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book."

Cara Lustik is a fact-checker and copywriter.

BFG Images / Getty Images

How do we determine what a person knows about a certain subject? Or how do we determine an individual's level of skill in a certain area? One of the most common ways to do this is to use an achievement test. An achievement test is designed to measure a person's level of skill, accomplishment, or knowledge in a specific area.

Closer Look at Achievement Tests

The achievement tests that most people are familiar with are the standard exams taken by every student in school. Students are regularly expected to demonstrate their learning and proficiency in a variety of subjects. In most cases, certain scores on these achievement tests are needed in order to pass a class or continue on to the next grade level.

The role of achievement tests in education has become much more pronounced since the passage of the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act. This legislation focused on standard-based education which was used to measure educational goals and outcomes. While this law was later replaced by the 2015 Every Student Succeeds Act, achievement testing remains a key element in measuring educational success and plays a role in determining school funding.

But achievement tests are not just important during the years of K-12 education and college. They can be used to assess skills when people are trying to learn a new sport. If you were learning dance , martial arts, or some other specialized athletic skill, an achievement test can be important for determining your current level of ability and possible need for further training. 

Examples of Achievement Tests

Some more examples of achievement tests include:

• A math exam covering the latest chapter in your book
• A test in your social psychology class
• A comprehensive final in your Spanish class
• The ACT and SAT exams
• A skills demonstration in your martial arts class

Each of these tests is designed to assess how much you know at a specific point in time about a certain topic. Achievement tests are not used to determine what you are capable of; they are designed to evaluate what you know and your level of skill at the given moment.

As you can see, achievement tests are widely used in a number of domains, both academic- and career-related. Students face an array of achievement tests almost every day as they complete their studies at all grade levels, from pre-K through college. Such tests allow educators and parents to assess how their kids are doing in school, but also provide feedback to students on their own performance.

When Are Achievement Tests Used?

Achievement tests are often used in educational and training settings. In schools, for example, achievements tests are frequently used to determine the level of education for which students might be prepared. Students might take such a test to determine if they are ready to enter into a particular grade level or if they are ready to pass of a particular subject or grade level and move on to the next.

Standardized achievement tests are also used extensively in educational settings to determine if students have met specific learning goals . Each grade level has certain educational expectations, and testing is used to determine if schools, teachers, and students are meeting those standards.

So how exactly are achievement tests created? In many instances, subject matter experts help determine what content standards should exist for a certain subject. These standard represent the things that an individual at a certain skill or grade level should know about a particular subject. Test designers can then use this information to develop exams that accurately reflect the most important things that a person should know about that topic.

Achievement Tests vs Aptitude Tests

Achievement tests differ in important ways from aptitude tests . An aptitude test is designed to determine your potential for success in a certain area. For example, a student might take an aptitude test to help determine which types of career they might be best suited for. An achievement test, on the other hand, would be designed to determine what a student already knows about a specific subject.

A Word From Verywell

Achievement tests play an important role in education, but they have also been the subject of criticism at times. Some feel that excessive testing interferes with the educational process and places too much emphasis on passing a test while ignoring more important abilities such as critical and creative thinking. However, such tests do provide a fairly efficient way to get an idea of how well students are performing.

H.R.1 - 107th Congress (2001-2002): No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 .

U.S. Department of Education. Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) .

Kline, Paul.  Handbook of Psychological Testing . United Kingdom, Taylor & Francis, 2013.

By Kendra Cherry, MSEd Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book."

EssayEmpire

Achievement tests essay.

Achievement tests are used to assess the current knowledge and skills of the person being examined. Achievement tests include those administered to students in elementary or secondary schools and those administered to candidates for certification or licensure in a professional field. In elementary and secondary schools, content areas assessed by achievement tests include reading, language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies. Licensure and certification examinations include test items that assess the knowledge, skills, and abilities that are required for professional practice. For example, a teacher licensure examination might include items on child development, curriculum, instructional methods, and assessment.

This entry describes achievement tests of various types and how they are developed, describes their uses, and provides some guidelines for selection of specific tests.

Test Formats

The most common item format used in achievement tests is multiple choice. Other item formats used in achievement tests are constructed-response items that require examinees to write a short response and extended-response items that require lengthier responses, such as essays. Also, the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards incorporates a portfolio as one component of its examination used to certify teachers as being “accomplished.”

A majority of achievement tests are group administered. Some achievement tests, however, are individually administered. An example is the Woodcock Johnson-III Tests of Achievement, which assesses examinees’ knowledge in language and mathematics skills. Also, some achievement tests are administered by computer. The Measures of Academic Progress produced by the Northwest Evaluation Association is a computer-adaptive test of reading, mathematics, and science that is used by school districts throughout the United States. An example of an Internet-based assessment is the South Carolina Arts Assessment Program in the visual and performing arts, which is administered to fourth-grade students.

Typically licensure and certification tests are national in focus, whereas, most achievement tests in primary and secondary schools are administered at the school district or state level. However, a nationwide achievement test administered in the United States is the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), which administers tests in such areas as reading, writing, mathematics, and science, to a national sample of students in Grades 4, 8, and 12. An example of an achievement test administered internationally is the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study, a literacy test administered in thirty-five countries or regions.

Types Of Scores

Interpretations of scores from achievement tests are typically norm referenced or criterion referenced. Norm-referenced scores allow the comparison of a local examinee’s performance to a group of peers from across the nation. To achieve this, during test development, a test company recruits a group of examinees from across the nation to take the newly developed achievement test. These examinees are referred to as a norm group. The achievement tests are administered

and scored, and the scores of the members of the norm group are converted to percentiles. A percentile rank indicates the percentage of the norm-group members scoring at or below a test score. The percentile scale ranges from 1 to 99, with the fiftieth percentile being considered average.

When a local examinee takes the test, his or her test score is compared to the scores of the norm group to determine the percentage of the norm group who scored at or below the local examinee’s score. A local examinee scoring at, for example, the sixteenth percentile scored below average as compared to the norm group; whereas a local examinee scoring at the eighty-fifth percentile scored well above average. Given that a local examinee’s performance is being compared to members of a norm group, if the percentile ranks are to be meaningful, then the norm group should be similar to local examinees in terms of demographics.

Criterion-referenced interpretations compare an examinee’s score to some benchmark or performance level. In the case of high school exit examinations, licensure tests, and certification examinations, criterion referenced scores typically indicate whether an examinee’s score is pass/fail or mastery/nonmastery. At the elementary and middle school levels, states often use criterion-referenced scores that indicate a student’s performance level (e.g., Advanced, Proficient, Basic, Below Basic).

Development Of An Achievement Test

The process of developing an achievement test begins with an expert committee that identifies the important content in a field. In education, for state-level tests the committee reviews the subject-matter content standards developed by the state education department. For commercial, national, and international achievement tests, panels of experts review standards developed by national organizations (e.g., the International Reading Association) and the standards, curriculum documents, and texts used in a district, state, or region for which the test is being developed. In licensure and certification, the credentialing body completes a study to identify the knowledge, skills, and abilities critical to professionals in the conduct of their duties. Experts then determine what the test should include.

Based on the review, the test company or agency prepares a test blueprint that details the skills and content of the achievement test as well as the proportion of items devoted to each content area. Test personnel work with experts in the subject area or the professional field to draft test items. Subsequently, various expert committees review the items for appropriateness, clarity, and lack of bias. After the review, the developers field test the items by administering them to a sample of examinees. When the items are returned, protocols for scoring the items (e.g., multiple-choice and constructed-response) are established. After scoring, statistical analyses of field test items are completed in order to examine item quality.

The test blueprint is then used to assemble final test forms using the items that passed quality control. If the achievement test is a norm-referenced test, then the final forms of the test are administered to ageor grade-appropriate norm groups. If the test will provide criterion-referenced scores, then panels of experts review the test items to establish the scores required for passing or classification at a certain performance level. At the end of this process, the developers publish the test and a test manual that provides technical information.

Uses Of Achievement Tests

A common use for achievement tests is for monitoring student progress across years. Achievement tests also are used to make high stakes decisions about examinees, such as testing for licensure or testing for placement into a gifted program or a special education program. Another purpose of achievement tests is to compare the performance of examinees within a school setting or in educational programs. As an example, achievement tests are used in some program evaluations to determine the effectiveness of an instructional technique.

Achievement tests are also used for accountability purposes to inform the public about how well examinees are performing. In education, state testing programs, as well as the federal testing program NAEP, classify students into performance levels based on the degree of achievement the student has demonstrated in regard to either state or national standards. By reporting the percent of students who are classified into each performance level, achievement tests are used to inform policy makers and the public of the status of education. With the federal No Child Left Behind legislation (NCLB, Public Law 107-110), the use of criterion-referenced tests for policy-making purposes increased.

How To Select An Achievement Test

In education, school districts and states sometimes select a commercially produced test rather than develop a test. In selecting such an achievement test, decision makers should review the test to determine the degree to which the test content is appropriate for their curriculum. Selection of a standardized test should consider relevance of the test items; the recency and representativeness of the norms; the conorming of the achievement test with an aptitude test; the testing time required; the ease of administration; the articulation of the test across grade levels; and the costs of test materials, scoring, and score reports. In adopting an achievement test, users should also review potential test items to assure they do not promote racial or gender stereotypes.

The test user should also determine if the score of the examinee is reliable over time. Reliability is concerned with the question, “If the examinee were to retake the examination (or an examination with parallel content), would he or she be likely to receive the same score?” In determining if a test is reliable, the test user will also want to determine the error (i.e., unreliability) that is associated with a test score.

Finally, in selecting an achievement test, users should determine if the test has been validated for the intended use. To that end, test users should investigate what types of validity evidence are provided to support the interpretation of the test scores for a particular use. For example, information should be provided to the test user regarding the content that is being tested and how that content is related to the construct of interest.

Bibliography:

• Haladyna, T. (2002). Essentials of standardized achievement testing: Validity and accountability. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
• Hopkins, K. (1998). Educational and psychological measurement and evaluation (8th ed.). Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
• South Carolina Arts Assessment Program. (2002). Sample tests. Retrieved from http://www.scaap.ed.sc.edu/sampletest
• Thorndike, R. (2005). Measurement and evaluation in psychology and education (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

This example Achievement Tests Essay is published for educational and informational purposes only. If you need a custom essay or research paper on this topic please use our writing services. EssayEmpire.com offers reliable custom essay writing services that can help you to receive high grades and impress your professors with the quality of each essay or research paper you hand in.

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Types of Questions in Teacher Made Achievement Tests: A Comprehensive Guide

Table of Contents

When it comes to assessing students’ learning, teachers often turn to achievement tests they’ve created themselves. These tests are powerful tools that can provide both educators and learners with valuable insights into academic progress and understanding. But what types of questions make up these teacher-made tests? Understanding the various types of test items is crucial for designing assessments that are not only effective but also fair and comprehensive. Let’s dive into the world of objective and essay-type questions to see how they function and how best to construct them.

Objective Type Test Items

Objective test items are those that require students to select or provide a very short response to a question, with one clear, correct answer. This section will explore the different types of objective test items , their uses, and tips for constructing them.

Supply Type Items

• Short Answer Questions: These require students to recall and provide brief responses.
• Fill-in-the-Blank: Here, students must supply a word or phrase to complete a statement.
• Numerical Problems: Often used in math and science, these items require the calculation and provision of a numerical answer.

When constructing supply type items , clarity is key. Questions should be direct, and the required answer should be unambiguous. Avoid complex phrasing and ensure that the blank space provided is proportional to the expected answer’s length.

Selection Type Items

• Multiple\-Choice Questions \(MCQs\) : Students choose the correct answer from a list of options.
• True\/False Questions : These require students to determine the veracity of a statement.
• Matching Items : Students must pair related items from two lists.

For selection type items , it’s important to construct distractors (wrong answers) that are plausible. This prevents guessing and encourages students to truly understand the material. In multiple-choice questions, for example, the incorrect options should be common misconceptions or errors related to the subject matter.

Essay Type Test Items

Essay test items call for longer, more detailed responses from students. These questions evaluate not just recall of information but also critical thinking, organization of thoughts, and the ability to communicate effectively through writing.

Extended Response Essay Questions

• Exploratory Essays : These require a thorough investigation of a topic, often without a strict length constraint.
• Argumentative Essays : Students must take a stance on an issue and provide supporting evidence.

In extended response essay questions, students should be given clear guidelines regarding the scope and depth of the response expected. Rubrics can be very helpful in setting these expectations and in guiding both the grading process and the students’ preparation.

Restricted Response Essay Questions

• Reflective Essays : These typically involve a shorter response, reflecting on a specific question or scenario.
• Analysis Essays : Students dissect a particular concept or event within a set framework.

Restricted response essay questions are valuable for assessing specific skills or knowledge within a limited domain. When constructing these items, ensure the question is focused and that students are aware of any word or time limits.

Examples and Guidelines for Constructing Effective Test Items

Now that we’ve understood the types of questions, let’s look at some examples and guidelines for creating effective test items.

Objective Item Construction

• Multiple-Choice Example: “What is the capital of France? A) Madrid B) Paris C) Rome D) Berlin” – Ensure there’s only one correct answer.
• True/False Example: “The Great Wall of China is visible from space.” – Provide a statement that is not ambiguously phrased.

When constructing objective items, make sure the question is based on important content, not trivial facts. The length of the test should be sufficient to cover the breadth of the material, and the items should vary in difficulty to gauge different levels of student understanding.

Essay Item Construction

• Extended Response Example: “Discuss the impact of the Industrial Revolution on European society.” – This question allows for a broad exploration of the topic.
• Restricted Response Example: “Describe two methods of conflict resolution and their effectiveness in workplace settings.” – This question limits the scope to two methods and a specific context.

Essay questions should be open-ended to encourage students to think critically and creatively. However, they should also be specific enough to prevent off-topic responses. Providing a clear rubric can help students understand what is expected in their answers and assist teachers in grading consistently.

Teacher-made achievement tests with a mix of objective and essay type questions can provide a comprehensive assessment of student learning. By understanding the different types of questions and following the guidelines for constructing them, educators can create fair, reliable, and valid assessments. This ensures that the results truly reflect students’ knowledge and skills, allowing for targeted feedback and further instructional planning.

What do you think? How can teachers balance the need for comprehensive assessment with the practical limitations of test administration time? Do you think one type of test item is more effective than the other in measuring student learning?

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Assessment for Learning

1 Concept and Purpose of Evaluation

• Basic Concepts
• Relationships among Measurement, Assessment, and Evaluation
• Teaching-Learning Process and Evaluation
• Assessment for Enhancing Learning
• Other Terms Related to Assessment and Evaluation

2 Perspectives of Assessment

• Behaviourist Perspective of Assessment
• Cognitive Perspective of Assessment
• Constructivist Perspective of Assessment
• Assessment of Learning and Assessment for Learning

3 Approaches to Evaluation

• Approaches to Evaluation: Placement Formative Diagnostic and Summative
• Distinction between Formative and Summative Evaluation
• External and Internal Evaluation
• Norm-referenced and Criterion-referenced Evaluation
• Construction of Criterion-referenced Tests

4 Issues, Concerns and Trends in Assessment and Evaluation

• What is to be Assessed?
• Criteria to be used to Assess the Process and Product
• Who will Apply the Assessment Criteria and Determine Marks or Grades?
• How will the Scores or Grades be Interpreted?
• Sources of Error in Examination
• Learner-centered Assessment Strategies
• Question Banks
• Semester System
• Continuous Internal Evaluation
• Choice-Based Credit System (CBCS)
• Marking versus Grading System
• Open Book Examination
• ICT Supported Assessment and Evaluation

5 Techniques of Assessment and Evaluation

• Concept Tests
• Self-report Techniques
• Assignments
• Observation Technique
• Peer Assessment
• Sociometric Technique
• Project Work
• School Club Activities

6 Criteria of a Good Tool

• Evaluation Tools: Types and Differences
• Essential Criteria of an Effective Tool of Evaluation
• Reliability
• Objectivity

7 Tools for Assessment and Evaluation

• Paper Pencil Test
• Aptitude Test
• Achievement Test
• Diagnostic–Remedial Test
• Intelligence Test
• Rating Scales
• Questionnaire
• Inventories
• Interview Schedule
• Observation Schedule
• Anecdotal Records
• Learners Portfolios and Rubrics

8 ICT Based Assessment and Evaluation

• Importance of ICT in Assessment and Evaluation
• Use of ICT in Various Types of Assessment and Evaluation
• Role of Teacher in Technology Enabled Assessment and Evaluation
• Online and E-examination
• Learners’ E-portfolio and E-rubrics
• Use of ICT Tools for Preparing Tests and Analyzing Results

9 Teacher Made Achievement Tests

• Understanding Teacher Made Achievement Test (TMAT)
• Types of Achievement Test Items/Questions
• Construction of TMAT
• Administration of TMAT
• Scoring and Recording of Test Results
• Reporting and Interpretation of Test Scores

10 Commonly Used Tests in Schools

• Achievement Test Versus Aptitude Test
• Performance Based Achievement Test
• Diagnostic Testing and Remedial Activities
• Question Bank
• General Observation Techniques
• Practical Test

11 Identification of Learning Gaps and Corrective Measures

• Educational Diagnosis
• Diagnostic Tests: Characteristics and Functions
• Diagnostic Evaluation Vs. Formative and Summative Evaluation
• Diagnostic Testing
• Achievement Test Vs. Diagnostic Test
• Diagnosing and Remedying Learning Difficulties: Steps Involved
• Areas and Content of Diagnostic Testing
• Remediation

12 Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation

• Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation: Concepts and Functions
• Forms of CCE
• Recording and Reporting Students Performance
• Students Profile
• Cumulative Records

13 Tabulation and Graphical Representation of Data

• Use of Educational Statistics in Assessment and Evaluation
• Meaning and Nature of Data
• Organization/Grouping of Data: Importance of Data Organization and Frequency Distribution Table
• Graphical Representation of Data: Types of Graphs and its Use
• Scales of Measurement

14 Measures of Central Tendency

• Individual and Group Data
• Measures of Central Tendency: Scales of Measurement and Measures of Central Tendency
• The Mean: Use of Mean
• The Median: Use of Median
• The Mode: Use of Mode
• Comparison of Mean, Median, and Mode

15 Measures of Dispersion

• Measures of Dispersion
• Standard Deviation

16 Correlation – Importance and Interpretation

• The Concept of Correlation
• Types of Correlation
• Methods of Computing Co-efficient of Correlation (Ungrouped Data)
• Interpretation of the Co-efficient of Correlation

17 Nature of Distribution and Its Interpretation

• Normal Distribution/Normal Probability Curve
• Divergence from Normality

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Psychology Achievement Test Essay

Psychology achievement test PAT is mainly used in institutions to determine students’ knowledge in psychology. It is specifically the systematic analysis of an individual’s intelligence, character, knowledge and behavior. This paper will therefore show an example of a PAT, correct response in regard to the study of psychology and a specific systematic evaluation of a useful psychology achievement test. It will finalize by showing the reliability of this test in regard to psychology.

To ensure a psychological achievement test is a good intelligence test, the examinees are put through a series of standardized assessments. These assessments are administered to individual candidates for maximum evaluation of everyone of the whole lot. This examination should also be done with a decision of a certain percentage. This percentage must be achieved to show a student is qualified. Instructions are also exposed to individuals and later questions are asked to ascertain what has been learned by the person. Behavioral samples should be used for the assessing of psychological knowledge. This knowledge is like the emotional functioning and the cognitive of each individual. Finally restrictions must also be put in place involving matters of ethics. This is for protection and secrecy of the tests as required by the psychology licensing board (Gorin & Embretson 400).

To ensure the response is correct in regard to the study of psychology, the responses should be compiled into tables that allows for evaluation of mental functions and behavior.

Collage freshmen should also be subjected to a systematic process to evaluate the usefulness of a psychological test. This test should be put in a form that addresses major issues. These issues range from intelligence, mannerism, brain functioning, personality and direct observation. In intelligence information must be presented showing personal and medical history. Tasks provided should range from general knowledge question answering, completion of puzzles and making of designs.

Attitude test is used in assessment of individuals’ feelings about, people events and objects. These scales are mainly used to determine preferences for individuals through specific items. This can be done using Likert scale (Gorin & Embretson 406).

Personality tests which comprise of objective and projective measures are also administered. These tests are either restricted to response format such as true or false or ones that allow freer type of response.

Direct observation encompasses the observation of individuals as they complete activities. This helps understanding of the interaction of individuals with other people.

This paper therefore shows that the psychology achievement test is a reliable test that is needed in the enrollment of psychology students. This is so as it helps in the examination of the mastery of individuals in odder to let them advance or retain them.

Works Cited

Gorin, Joanna and Embretson, Susan. “Item Difficulty Modelling of paragraph comprehension Items.” Applied Psychological Measuring , 30.5 (2006): 394-411. Print.

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WIAT-4 (WIAT-IV) (Wechsler Individual Achievement Test®-Fourth Edition ) - Overview

WIAT-4 (WIAT-IV) (Wechsler Individual Achievement Test®-Fourth Edition ) – Overview

What is the wiat-4 (wiat-iv).

The Wechsler Individual Achievement Test®, Fourth Edition (WIAT®-4 or WIAT®-IV) measures an individual’s academic achievement. It is one of the most widely administered achievement tests and is offered to individuals between the ages of 4 and 50 years and 11 months. The WIAT-4 (WIAT-IV) was published in 2020 and is based on the WIAT III but has 5 new subtests, 5 new composite scores, and automated scoring of Essay Composition.

The WIAT-4 (WIAT-IV) measures various aspects of academic achievement, including:

• Mathematics: measures numerical operation, math problem solving, and math fluency
• Oral Language: Measures receptive and expressive vocabulary, phonemic proficiency, listening comprehension, and oral expression
• Reading: measures word reading, pseudoword decoding, reading comprehension, and oral fluency
• Written Language: measures spelling, punctuation, capitalization, sentence combining, and essay composition

The WIAT-4 (WIAT-IV) provides scores that can be used to identify a person’s strengths and weaknesses in each of these areas, as well as an overall composite score that provides an estimate of comprehensive academic achievement. The test is administered individually by a psychologist or trained examiner, and it typically takes between 1.5 and 2.5 hours to complete. The results of the test can be used to inform educational and intervention planning and to help identify students who may need additional support or accommodations to succeed academically.

For what purpose is the WIAT-4 (WIAT-IV) test given?

It can be used for a variety of purposes, including identifying learning disabilities, evaluating academic progress, and developing educational interventions. Some schools use the WIAT-4 (WIAT-IV) as part of the admission process, while other schools may use it for admission into their gifted program.

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How is the WIAT-4 (WIAT-IV) different from the WIAT-III?

The WIAT-4 (WIAT-IV) is an updated version of the WIAT-III. The WIAT-4 (WIAT-IV) includes several changes and improvements over the previous version.

• Updated Norms
• Expanded Age Range
• New Subtests
• Improved Test Structure
• Enhanced Interpretive Report

Overall, WIAT-4 (WIAT-IV) is an updated comprehensive assessment with new subtests and improved normative data. It assesses an individual’s academic achievement and reflects changes in educational practices and demographics.

What are the new subtests on WIAT-4 (WIAT-IV) and what do they measure? 

• Questions here might be, “Say “car” but change the /c/ sound to a /t/ sound – “tar” (beginning sound).
• Or say “bat” but change the /a/ to an /e/ sound – “bet” (middle sound).
• Or say “rut” but change the /t/ sound to a /n/ sound. – “run” (end sound).
• Or say “popcorn” but don’t say “pop.” Or say the word “bat” backwards – “tab.”
• Orthographic Fluency (Reading Fluency) – This subtest measures an individual’s orthographic and sight vocabulary.
• A student is shown 8 words that are spelled differently than they sound. They must read each word aloud within a time limit.
• On the Pseudoword subtest, students are shown 6 nonsense words that are spelled phonetically correct. They must read these words within a time limit. This tells us if a child has a strategy for phonetic decoding each word.
• Sentence Writing Fluency (Writing Fluency) – This measures the speed of writing sentences.  A student is shown pictures, each with an accompanying word.  They must write as many complete sentences as they can within 5 minutes that incorporate the word exactly and take inspiration from the picture.
• Orthographic Choice (Oral Language) – This recognition spelling subtest assesses a student’s ability to recognize and decode irregularly spelled words. These must be recognized by sight because they aren’t spelled the way they sound.  For example, a student is shown 3 words – thay, tha, they.  One is correctly spelled, the other two are spelled the way they sound phonetically.  The student must identify which is spelled correctly.  This subtest is only available with the online version of WIAT-4 (WIAT-IV).

What WIAT-4 (WIAT-IV) subtests are given at each grade level?

Not every subtest is given to every student.  The chart below shows you which subtests are given at each grade level.

How is the WIAT-4 (WIAT-IV) different from the WISC-V?

The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children®, Fifth Edition (WISC®-V) is a standardized intelligence test used to assess cognitive or reasoning abilities in individuals between the ages of 6 and 16 years 11 months. This test assesses a person’s thinking abilities and not what they learn in school. The WISC-V evaluates performance in the following areas- verbal comprehension, visual-spatial ability, fluid reasoning, working memory, and processing speed.

WIAT-4 (WIAT-IV) evaluates an individual’s academic abilities in language, reading, writing, and math. It is similar to state achievement tests in the way that doing well on this test depends on what has been learned in school.

How does the automated scoring of the Essay and Sentence Composition subtests work in WIAT-4 (WIAT-IV)? 

For the Essay Composition subtest , the prompt is something like this: “Write about your favorite ____ and tell me at least 3 reasons why you like it.”  The test administrator transcribes the child’s essay into the scoring software for WISC-4.  Trained on thousands of WIAT-III and WIAT-4 (WIAT-IV) actual student essays, smart artificial intelligence (AI) software is used to automatically score the essay.  It looks for errors in the areas of capitalization, end punctuation, internal punctuation, omission of words, extra words, spelling, verb usage, pronoun usage, word ending, and word order.

For the Sentence Composition subtest , it looks at the number of words and sentences written, the correct usage of the target word in the sentence without changing it, and subject-verb agreement.  For this subtest, students should keep their sentences short and to the point, going for as many correct sentences as possible within the 5-minute timeframe.

How is the WIAT-4 (WIAT-IV) scored?

Composite scores are provided for each area of achievement, including the following:

• Mathematics Composite includes subtests measuring numerical operations, math fluency, math problem solving, and math reasoning.
• Oral Language Composite includes subtests measuring phonemic proficiency, listening comprehension, oral expression, and oral language composite.
• Reading Composite includes subtests measuring word reading, pseudoword decoding, reading comprehension, and oral reading fluency.
• Written Language Composite includes subtests measuring spelling, sentence composition, and essay composition.

To obtain the composite scores, the individual subtest scores are combined using a weighted formula. This formula considers the number of subtests taken in each composite and the relative importance of each subtest.

The WIAT-4 (WIAT-IV) also offers a Dyslexia Index which helps identify risk for dyslexia among students or individuals ages 5 through 50.  It includes scores on Phonemic Proficiency, Word Reading, Orthographic Fluency, and Pseudoword (Nonsense Word) Decoding subtests. These subtests can be administered apart from the rest of the WIAT-4 (WIAT-IV) test.

The WIAT-4 (WIAT-IV) is a comprehensive assessment of an individual’s academic achievement. The scores are interpreted in the context of a representative sample of students (individuals) in the same grade/age group.

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Achievement 8 - Armstrong

How to become eligible for promotion.

1.   General Advancement Pre-Requisites  (Ref: CAPR 60-1, 5.2.3) Be a current CAP cadet, as shown in eServices . Possess a CAP uniform and wear it properly. Be able to recite the Cadet Oath from memory. Participate actively in unit meetings. Have spent a minimum of 8 weeks (56 days) in Achievement 7, unless eligible for a JROTC accelerated promotion (see CAPR 60-1, 5.6.2.3).

2.   Leadership :   Take Cadet Interactive Learn to Lead chapter 8 module OR pass an online test on  Learn To Lead chapter 8 , with a grade of 80% or higher, open-book. 

To find the test and Cadet Interactive module go to eServices>  Learning Management System  > Go to AXIS > Cadet Achievement tab

Drill and Ceremonies  performance test

3.   Aerospace:    Take an  Aerospace Dimensions  Cadet Interactive module OR pass an online test with a grade of 80% or higher, open-book. You may take the  Aerospace Dimensions  modules in any order.

4.   Fitness:   Have attained the Healthy Fitness Zone (HFZ) in the Cadet Physical Fitness Test (CPFT), within the previous 180 days, under the "run plus 2 out of 3" rule. 

5.   Character:     Participate in at least 1 character activity in the squadron.    

6.   Special Requirement: You must write a 300-500 word essay and present a 5 to 7 minute speech to the unit on one of the topics below. A senior member will evaluate the essay and speech using these  critique forms .

Explain why America’s aerospace power is vital to commerce, science or national security.

Describe leadership mistakes you have made and explain what you learned from them.

Explain the difference between followership and leadership.

7.   Honor Credit:   Available.  Complete Learn to Lead Chapter 8 test, Learn to Lead Chapter 8 Interactive module, Aerospace Dimensions module test, AND Aerospace Dimensions Interactive module.

Leadership Expectations

Fulfilling the promotion eligibility requirements above is only half the battle. You also need to show that you have some leadership skills. Look at the goals below and once in a while ask yourself how well you're doing in those areas. Attitude Maintains a positive attitude and encourages good attitudes in others; does not flaunt rank or authority

Core Values Displays commitment to Core Values; promotes team spirit, professionalism, and good sportsmanship as a team leader

Communication Skills Proficient in informal public speaking (i.e., in giving directions to and training junior cadets)

Sense of Responsibility Enforces standards; trustworthy in supervising a small team and leading them in fulfillment in a series of simple tasks; given a plan, is able to carry it out

Interpersonal Skills Guides and coaches junior cadets; recognizes when junior cadets need help; leads by example; is not a "boss"

Critical Thinking Not applicable

Delegation Skills Not applicable  

Typical Duties Upon Promotion

Support staff NCO, flight sergeant, first sergeant, or flight commander  

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January 31, 2024

Strategy for Writing an Accomplishment Essay (with examples)

Maybe you’re familiar with macros – the nutrients your body needs to function. Achieving the proper balance of macros leads to optimal health. When it comes to writing your MBA personal statements and application essays, it might be helpful to think of your accomplishments as the carbohydrates, protein, and fat – in other words, the macros – you need to make your submissions the best they can be. A fascinating brainstorming session among Accepted’s admissions consultants revealed that applicants don’t always understand how MBA adcoms define an accomplishment, so we wrote this post to explain what goes into the recipe for an enticing “accomplishments sandwich” and remove the guesswork on your part. Here are the simple macros:

Carbohydrates = Impact and Initiative

Protein = Overcoming Obstacles

Fats = Demonstrating Leadership

Carbohydrates are known as the “staff of life,” something nearly everyone considers a staple of their diet. Similarly, for your accomplishment essay, your “carbs” are what will . 

For example, maybe you took the initiative to boost membership in a group or led a team to victory. Perhaps you built a coalition in student government. Or you increased sales, cut costs, or found a solution to a problem that paved the way for a critical deal to go forward.

When you assess whether your achievements belong in a greatest accomplishment essay, think impact and initiative . 

Do awards count? It depends. If you won an award for a published story, an athletic competition, or some other “personal best,” then yes, those would be excellent choices for an essay about a personal achievement. More often, however, you will be asked to write about a significant achievement with impact beyond your own personal growth . In these situations, an award you’d like to write about would have had to result from an effort – either academic or professional – that involved a team or people other than yourself. This is the kind of achievement that transcends a “personal best.”  

By now, you can probably see the difference between a primarily personal achievement and a career-related one. You might even already recognize which of your accomplishments are notable enough to write about. But let’s say you don’t have much that feels important enough. How you can identify potential experiences for your accomplishments essay?

A good place to start is by reviewing your resume. Ideally, it will be loaded with as many quantifiable achievements as possible, from both professional and extracurricular roles. If you work in marketing and clinched four new accounts in a single year, leading to a promotion, that’s an achievement. If you work in a social service agency and developed a new intake system for clients that the agency adopted, leading to a more organized and streamlined process, that’s an achievement. In college, you might have been involved in a student organization that promotes career development and leadership among minority students, and even became president of that organization. That’s an achievement.

Which experiences on your resume stand out to you now? No doubt you’ll start to see things popping out at you.

Seemingly small achievements can also be big. The following sample essay offers a great example where the impact seems limited to one person but radiates outward: 

From the first day I was tasked to mentor a new hire, Thomas, it was a challenge. He had strong work experience in product development at his previous job, but he was soft-spoken and reserved, and had a strong stutter. I felt pain for him as he struggled to complete a word or a sentence, but it was also awkward for both of us as I waited for him to finish his point. During a department meeting, someone actually rolled her eyes as Thomas was answering a question. I just glared at her for being so cold. At our weekly department lunches, which were meant to be a relaxed social time for everyone, Thomas hung back quietly, seeming like he was a million miles away. 

I still didn’t understand why Thomas seemed a little slow to catch on to the ways of our department. He was clearly very intelligent. It was taking me longer to complete my own work because of the extra time I was spending with him on his assignments. One afternoon on a whim, I invited him to join me for dinner at a popular burger place. He looked surprised but agreed.

That night broke the ice. Thomas relaxed and enjoyed his dinner, and I noticed his speech was more fluid as well. We discovered a mutual love of soccer and political thriller novels. I really enjoyed his company and told him so. We went out again the following week to an Italian place that he chose. On our third “date,” Thomas opened up about a broken engagement that happened just before he started this new job. He knew that his grief was distracting him, clouding his thinking, and making his stutter worse. 

“I know I’ve not been easy to train,” he told me, “but I’m starting to come out of it now.” After that night, Thomas’s work improved rapidly. He risked speaking up more at the weekly lunches and at meetings, and everyone was patient when he struggled to say something, though those occasions were less frequent. 

I consider this mentoring experience one of my greatest accomplishments, because in trying to befriend a coworker, I not only gained a true friend for myself but also helped him gain confidence and perform to his capacity at work. It was the first time in my life I felt I had such a strong and positive impact on another person. It showed me the power of small gestures of friendship and understanding. 

This writer’s decision to offer a listening ear to a coworker who was clearly in some sort of distress became an inspiring achievement that was both personal and professional. His actions had impact that flowed outward beyond just Thomas to the entire department and organization. 

Protein= Overcoming Obstacles

Overcoming obstacles such as a lack of resources – time, money, talent, or people – magnifies your accomplishments. Our best-laid plans rarely go smoothly, so make sure you discuss any difficulties you faced. By the way, the obstacle can work “double-duty,” representing a failure that you experienced and chose to learn from, while also showing that you emerged wiser and more capable at the end. When discussing either obstacles or failures, make sure not to blame other people or circumstances, or to complain about the unfairness of it all. Pointing fingers makes you look small and as though you want to avoid accountability. State the facts simply, and the situation will speak for itself. 

Here’s an example of how one applicant dealt with a significant obstacle: 

My book launch had been planned for nearly one year. This was my first book, a biography about my great-grandmother, a trailblazing homeopathic physician who lived at a time when even regular women MDs were a rarity. I wanted to self-publish but knew there was a huge amount of work involved that I didn’t feel suited for. There was editing, design, layout, marketing, getting the book accepted into the book distribution system, logistics, and more. Most published books are quickly forgotten and sell few copies. I didn’t want that to happen to mine. 

My solution was to sign an agreement with my friend Haley to publish my book. She was a talented graphic artist who had set up her own publishing company to publish her husband’s book. Our agreement spelled out our individual financial obligations and responsibilities, but I had a nagging worry. Her marriage was tumultuous, and she could make impulsive decisions. 

Six weeks before the publishing date, a popular book blogger promised a 5-star review on her blog. I also sold an excerpt to a women’s magazine with more than 4 million readers. I was still doing my “happy dance” when Haley called to tell me that our deal was off. She was leaving her husband and driving to stay with her mother, who lived in another state. She said she’d be in touch to work something out. She didn’t say when.

I was furious and anguished. My biggest problem was that the book’s ISBN (identification) numbers for print and digital downloads were assigned to Haley’s company and could not be reassigned to anyone else. Haley also had the distribution and payment agreements in her name. I could have kicked myself for not listening to my intuition, which warned me against working with someone whose life was so upside-down.

I researched my options. The ISBNs could not be transferred to me, but if I bought her publishing company, I would also own her ISBNs. I had no idea if Haley would agree to this or how we would work out terms, but the only way to save my book was to do the very thing I had tried to avoid: become a publisher myself. 

The following week, Haley agreed to sell me her publishing company for a token amount. It had no assets, and I had already paid for all book-related costs, except for Haley’s time. She also promised to help me with the transition of all the accounts. I decided not to look too far ahead and just focus on giving my book the best send-off into the world that I could. I named the publishing company after my great-grandmother. 

This story about a close call with a publishing disaster revealed the writer’s achievement of stretching beyond what she thought she could do and moving forward because she had to. Making lemonade out of lemons this way was certainly an achievement worth sharing.  

Let’s review where we are so far with our “macros”       

Protein = Overcoming Obstacles 

Now, let’s incorporate our “fats.”       

Leadership accomplishments that work well in application essays usually involve one’s ability to influence, motivate, persuade, direct, and work effectively with others. This adds much needed energy to your essay.                

Think about how you have worked with other people – how you led a team, what you learned, and so on. What specifically did you do to demonstrate leadership skills? What did you learn about leadership , and how have you grown as a leader through the experience?

In this next example, the writer’s accomplishment through leadership seemed almost accidental:

My job teaching in a private school began uneventfully. I had a class of bright 4th graders, with only a handful expected to be “challenging.” I loved my supervisor, Monica, who was a gifted teacher but new to her role as a team lead overseeing the 3rd and 4th grades. In addition to having one class of her own, Monica was supposed to create interventions for struggling students, incentivize specific behavior or achievements, plan events and trips, and offer guidance to teachers. 

Monica quickly showed that her skill set was strong in the classroom but not in administration. She let requests from teachers for interventions or advice pile up, and she got testy when I reminded her that I was waiting for her feedback. I wanted to work with her and not against her, so I offered to help. I suggested we meet twice a week after school to review her in-box, which was when I discovered that just by having me sit and listen to her discuss the situations, she focused much better. Although I only had two years’ experience as a teacher, Monica still seemed to value my opinion on handling awkward situations, such as when a wealthy parent who was on the school’s board of directors refused to face the reality of her daughter’s chronically aggressive behavior in class. This case was bigger than the both of us. We agreed that Monica needed to bring it to the headmistress of the school for her intervention.

About halfway through the year, Monica and I were still meeting regularly. It was an unexpected partnership, and it was clear to both of us that she wanted to return to full-time teaching. I realized that the administrative tasks and decision-making came more naturally to me than to her, and that after a few more years of teaching experience and a master’s degree in education, I might enjoy having a job like hers. 

Another person in her situation might have simply become angry or resentful at my trying to play a role in her job. She could have shut me out completely. But Monica and I became friends, and I learned a lot from watching her dynamism in the classroom. Additionally, she courageously told the headmistress about our arrangement and asked if the school could pay me for my extra hours – which it did. 

This was a totally unexpected situation that helped me realize that I wanted to take a fork in the road of my career in education. 

Finding the experiences in your life where you have shown initiative and impact, overcome obstacles, and demonstrated leadership will help you write an essay deserving of a chef’s kiss!

Are you thinking about what you could include in a winning accomplishments essay? Team up with Accepted’s consultants for help identifying your best material. As your partner and guide in this process, we will ensure that your selections make you stand out for all the right reasons!

By Judy Gruen, former Accepted admissions consultant. Judy holds a master’s in journalism from Northwestern University. She is also the co-author of Accepted’s first full-length book, MBA Admission for Smarties: The No-Nonsense Guide to Acceptance at Top Business Schools . Want an admissions expert help you get accepted? Click here to get in touch!

Related Resources:

• From Example to Exemplary , your guide to writing outstanding essays
•   Four Ways to Show How You’ll Contribute in the Future
• Four Tips for Highlighting Your Strengths in Your Application Essays

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Achievement test: meaning and types – explained.

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Read this article to learn about the meaning, types and objectives of achievement test.

Meaning of Achievement Test:

Achievement test is most probably the very important area of appraisal for a guidance programme for the benefit of the individual. Scores on achievement test are excellent means for evaluating educational (academic) attainments and for the individual in the concerned area of the subject covered by the test. It involves a determination of how quickly, how accurately and at what level an individual can perform the tasks taken to represent accomplishment.

Achievement test measures present proficiency, mastery and understanding of general and specific areas of knowledge. Achievement tests attempt to measure what and how individual has learnt, viz. his present standard of performance. Scores of achievement test indicate the academic status of the individual learner in different subjects as a whole or individually.

Achievement test scores are quite helpful clues for vocational guidance since these mostly related to aptitudes and interests. In the circumstances the achievement test should be based on systematic testing programme of every school that desires to undertake suitable guidance service for the individuals.

Types of Achievement Test :

Achievement tests can be of various categories basing on form, purpose, time, method and subject area. Achievement test can be of different forms like oral test, written test and practical test. Items of achievement test can be essay type questions or short answer questions or objective type of questions or combination of all these types.

Achievement test may be of different types on the basis of the purpose for which it is administered. They are diagnostic tests, prognostic test, accuracy test, power test, spit test etc. Achievement tests can be administered in different period of time. When it is based on time or period factor, the test is summative test, daily test, weekly test, fortnightly test, monthly test, quarterly test, half yearly test, annual test or final examination at the end of course of study of an academic year.

On the basis of content or subject matter, achievement tests are categorized as language test, reading test, spelling test, history test, geography test, mathematic test, science test etc. Broadly speaking, all these achievement tests can be divided into two on the basis of quality that is standardized test and teacher made test. Here let us have a discussion on the objective type of achievement test.

The traditional system of examination or the essay type of examination has come under heavy fire. Students reject it because of its heavy strength or pressure. The parents criticize it because of its injurious effect on the physical and mental health of children.

The teachers complain because of its harmful effect on school work. The practical psychologist speaks ill of it because of its unreliability and invalidity and the educational theorist attacks it because it lacks definiteness in aim and purpose.

To remove some of the evils of the essay type examinations, objective tests seem to be very useful. Modern educationists give much stress on this type of tests to supplement the traditional type of tests. The All India Council for Secondary Education has set up an “evaluation unity.”

Many workshops and seminars have been organised during the past 10 years with a view to preparing new type tests. The services of Dr. Bloom of America, an expert in evaluation were secured for some time for the purpose of popularizing the new type of tests and given training to a large number of teachers in the use of these tests.

Related Articles:

• Top 2 Important Types of Achievement Tests
• Merits and Demerits of Objective Type Test

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Essay About Achievements: Top 5 Examples and 6 Prompts

Are you having problems writing your essay about achievements? Then, continue reading this article for samples and prompts to guide you in your writing.

Achievement influences our expectations and self-growth. It’s also often connected with an individual’s progress in life. It gives way for recognition in attaining a goal through standards. 

Achievement acknowledges successes, productiveness, and involvement. But sometimes, achieving doesn’t result in a feeling of satisfaction. Writing an achievement essay is usually based on experiences from yourself or others. You can explore different viewpoints, such as what they consider an “achievement,” how to overcome weaknesses, or why they want a specific achievement. Below are 5 examples and 6 writing prompts to assist you in your essay:

1. The Greatest Achievements In Life by Gerard Reese

2. greatest professional or academic achievement by james taylor , 3. essay on achievements from my professional life by bdoan, 4. my accomplishment by taylor wood, 5. when my weakness became my greatest accomplishment by jay merrill logan, 6 writing prompts on essay about achievements, 1. ways to achieve within different settings, 2. achievements in the small things, 3. how to build confidence, 4. the power of overcoming fear, 5. steps to be successful, 6. guide to building a strong character.

“Nobody succeeds on the first try, we take our mistakes and learn from them. Mistakes are the things that help us strive for greatness, which is why failure should not be viewed as something negative, but more as something we can use to attain [what] we want in life.”

Reese’s piece on achievement talks about learning from failure and trying again until you reach success. Time and failure are contributors to our achievements. He emphasizes that failure can be a steward and teacher to help us get where we want to be. He also provides lists of individuals who encountered crises in their lives until they reached their most successful phases. 

“My father always instilled in me the importance of education. He knew very well that in order for his children to be successful he needed to set them up for success and place them in a position where we would be afforded the opportunity to succeed.”

Family significantly impacts one’s interpretation of what achievements are about. Taylor’s essay highlights the idea of what his father taught him about education and success. He mentions how he embarked through life while keeping his father’s acknowledgment of his potential in the field he has chosen. His essay shows that family shapes one’s belief about what’s considered a successful life.

“I consider the experience in Japan as a big achievement and an important step in my career. The fact that I could master the complex situation gave me much self-confidence and showed that I could manage people successfully even in difficult situations. Today, this unique ability of handling teams attributed me as a strong leader for my people.”

Bdoan’s essay focuses on past experiences and how she handled cultural differences and beliefs, leading to her successful professional life. To achieve fulfillment in work, she breaks the barrier, communicates effectively, and embraces Japanese culture, which she set as a significant setting stone in her career life.

“Through the influence of my best friend, I have motivated myself to spend two hours during the night before I go to sleep to master the lessons the teacher has discussed in class. This helped me greatly since I would no longer have to cram and study everything for the exams later.”

Wood’s essay highlights the external factors that contributed to his achievements. External factors can lead a person to success or frustration. Through a piece of great advice, he changed his lifestyle by allowing himself to move forward and build a quality life. He compares this to Newton’s First law of motion, which he quoted and put at the beginning of his essay.

“…the more I thought about my own greatest personal academic achievement, I realized it was simply getting an A in a college history class my freshman year. Succeeding in this upper-level history class set the tone for all my future college courses and gave me the confidence I needed to achieve greatness, and I am not even a history major.”

Logan talks about his worst subject, History. He recounts how he approached his professor and overcame his weakness. This essay points out that words from others can influence self-growth and confidence. He says he developed faith in his study during college and attained his most outstanding accomplishment.

Are you having problems connecting your ideas smoothly? See this guide on transition words for essays.

After reading through the samples above, it’s time to explore your desired achievement subjects. Here are six prompts about achievements you can use:

Everyone sets expectations for themselves, dependent on the environment they’re in. It can be at work, school, or home. In these cases, the result is just as important as the process.

You can focus your essay on a relatable viewpoint, such as a student who wants to get A+ grades or an office worker who wants to get the Employee of the Month Award. Discuss ways they can excel in their surroundings. Your essay will serve as a guide to help them grow personally and professionally.

Achievements don’t need to be grand. Sometimes, simply getting out of bed is an achievement, especially for those suffering from mental illnesses such as depression. Center your essay on the simple things that can be considered achievements in their way. 

Your essay will not only serve as a reminder that it’s essential to appreciate the small things. It will also comfort those who are going through a hard time.

This topic asks you to highlight the relationship between confidence and achievements. You can interview someone confident in themselves. Ask for tips on building confidence and relay them to your readers while explaining the opportunities they can get by believing in themselves more.

In this busy world, fear is one of the most significant setbacks for people in accomplishing their goals in life. In this essay, you can explain to your readers how acknowledging their fears will help them advance.  

You can also conceptualize the effect of anxiety in achieving your desires and help you set your standard in developing self-growth. Feel free to share your experience with fears and how you plan to deal with them.

To be successful is everyone’s goal. However, sharing steps and tips on how to achieve success is general prompt many writes about. To make your piece stand out, you can tailor it to a group of individuals. For example, a student’s image of success is going on stage and graduating with honors.

Someone’s character is critical to achieving achievements. You can write about a well-known individual who went against the usual route of how success is reached. Such as Steve Jobs, who founded Apple but was a college dropout. 

There are many ways to reach a goal. Tell your readers that they don’t need to follow the conventional method of accomplishing things to get their hands on the achievements they crave.

Do you want to be more confident with your writing? Here are 11 essay writing tips you need to learn today!

Maria Caballero is a freelance writer who has been writing since high school. She believes that to be a writer doesn't only refer to excellent syntax and semantics but also knowing how to weave words together to communicate to any reader effectively.

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What is the importance of achievement tests in education?

Leila Atta January 25, 2023 46,134 Views

The achievement test is a mechanism inherent in any educational process; it is a procedure for assessing educational outcomes and evaluating different levels of learners.

Educators can’t administer the teaching process without achievement tests, neither in evaluating their students nor in evaluating their teaching methods, nor can learners assess their performance without undergoing them!

But why do achievement tests take on this importance?

You will get a detailed answer to this question in the following lines, where we will discuss the concept of achievement tests, their different types, their intended goals, and the ways in which modern technology has increased their value.

Table of Contents

What are Achievement Tests?

Achievement tests are a mechanism used to assess a person’s performance in a particular field.

They are used in several fields, such as sports, but are more commonly associated with education and training.

Achievement Tests in Education

Achievement tests in education refer to the process used to determine a learner’s academic achievement and cognitive performance in a particular course or instructional program.

These tests are administered at all levels of education, either daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, semi-annually or at the end of each educational period.

The main objective of the achievement tests is to assess the learners’ cognitive abilities in the course

in question and to determine the success or failure of the previously planned educational objectives

of that course.

Traditional achievement tests were intended to serve this purpose but were inadequate due to their shortcomings, such as:

• The focus is on assessing initial cognitive skills such as retention and recall and does not go beyond that to measure higher skills such as criticism or analysis; this creates a significant gap between what a learner learns and what they live.
• Measuring the educational goals in this way isn’t truly sufficient because achievement tests do not usually provide comprehensive coverage of the curriculum.
• There is a lack of objectivity, which neglects an important element of testing: consistency.

As pedagogical concepts and their mechanisms have evolved, different notions of achievement tests have emerged, focusing on measuring deeper levels of knowledge and assessing more learners’ abilities such as IQ, thinking skills, practical performance, etc.

Importance of Achievement Tests

The achievement test is an indispensable procedure for the functioning and development of the learning system.

But before talking about the importance of the achievement test, Let’s get a closer look at its advantages and disadvantages.

The advantages of Achievement tests

• Achievement tests provide detailed data on learners’ academic performance and contribute to the formulation of curriculum development and adaptation to them to be more appropriate and useful to learners.
• It helps in addressing the problems of different education systems and improving them.
• Evaluating the professional performance of teachers, distinguishing between teachers who are fully performing their tasks and others who still need to develop their potential and deepen their experience.
• Using different assessment methods to accurately determine the level of learner engagement in the curriculum.
• Its results and analysis are an incentive for all members of the education system to improve the educational climate.
• It contributes to an objective assessment of teachers’ competence, curricula, and pedagogical practices.

Disadvantages of Achievement Tests

Despite all the advantages that achievement tests offer, there are some shortcomings that should be noted, in particular:

• Preparing, administering, and analyzing the results requires a lot of time, effort, and resources.
• Sometimes the tests can be subjective, so their results are not considered as accurate as they need to be.
• They are not considered the best option to combat the phenomenon of cheating .
• They can have a negative impact on examiners, so many find it a nervous strain, as their educational and professional future depends on the exam results.
• The resources spent on preparing for and conducting examinations are greater than those spent on activities and events that reinforce the role of the educational process.
• Learners are often led to care only about passing the exam and neglect everything related to acquiring real knowledge or new skills.

Importance of Achievement Tests in Education

Achievement tests are used at different educational levels where it plays a significant role within the educational system, namely:

• The systematic analysis of the objectives of the education curriculum; the identification and analysis of the objectives is the first step in the construction of the achievement test.
• In addition, they provide sufficient evidence for decision-making regarding a learner’s transition from one level of learning to a higher level.
• An achievement test is also a recognized mechanism for providing indications of each learner’s academic development by matching that development to predetermined educational goals.
• Teaching teachers about the effectiveness of the modern teaching methods they rely on to teach and manage the educational process in the classroom.
• Diagnosing strengths and weaknesses in learners’ performance, formulating educational plans that ensure the development of strengths, and the treatment of weaknesses.
• Improving learners’ skills and training in dealing with examination pressure and providing the necessary mental and psychological efforts.

Characteristics of Achievement tests

Achievement tests are characterized by a number of components that ensure that the objectives of the achievement test are achieved efficiently and effectively.

The most important features of the test are:

When the content of the test is appropriate to assess its specific purpose and does not assess other purposes instead.

Objectivity

An objective test is one in which the same examiner receives the same score, even if the correctors are different.

Each test must be associated with a clear and specific purpose before it is administered.

Types of Achievements tests

To achieve their objectives, achievement tests are diversified and multiplied to provide a comprehensive assessment of the learner, the teacher, the curriculum, the teaching methods, and even the educational environment.

Achievement tests differ according to the scale on which it is classified as follows:

Types of Achievement tests according to the time scale

• Semi-Annually.

Types of Achievement tests according to their objective

• Predictive tests: they aim to anticipate the level of performance that the examinee will achieve in learning a subject or performing a particular skill.
• Diagnostic tests: They aim to determine what the examinee has already learned as well as to diagnose learning difficulties that may hinder him/her.
• Speed tests: They are determined by a specific response time to measure how quickly the examinee can give the correct answers.
• Performance tests: They are not timed and aim to measure the greatest percentage of correct answers that the examinee can give.
• Competency tests: They aim to assess the examiner’s efficiency and ability to answer the questions correctly.

Types of Achievement tests according to the type of test

• Written tests.
• Oral tests.
• Practical tests (performance).

The following lines deal with each of these types separately.

Written Tests

Written tests include two different types of questions, namely: Standardized Questions and Essay Questions.

Standardized questions

This type of question is called standardized because it does not allow for a wide range of answers as essay questions do, but accepts only one correct answer and thus does not allow for personal bias on the part of the question developing or correcting

Standardized tests come in several forms, perhaps most noticeably:

Multiple-choice questions MCQ

These are flexible questions suitable for any level of education and can assess a wide range of simple or compound skills, but they require considerable preparation.

Fill the Gap

These questions do not require a great deal of preparation and cover multiple different parts of the curriculum.

However, they can be subjective if the examiner gives a correct answer but not the intended answer; to avoid this, the examiner must choose questions that do not include multiple answers.

True or False

These questions aim to assess the examiner’s ability to distinguish facts and make decisions.

However, this does not adequately capture the curriculum.

These are easy questions to design but are not suitable for assessing complex skills or in-depth knowledge.

Essay questions

These questions, whether open or restricted responses are extremely important.

As they are designed to measure linguistic and expressive skills, and the ability to link and narrate the reporter’s information in a balanced rationale.

In a way that achieves accurate measurement of complex educational outcomes.

Note that a mixture of standardized and essay questions is recommended to maximize the desired benefit of the achievement tests.

However, some teachers are hesitant because of the amount of time and effort required to correct.

To solve the problem of the required effort of correction, you can use Qorrect system , which supports the correction of handwritten essay questions.

Oral tests are the oldest form of achievement tests.

They are used in many practice colleges, and also in postgraduate courses at various universities.

Oral tests are characterized by the fact that they do not require a significant amount of time and effort to conduct or correct.

Performance tests

This type of test assesses the examinee’s level of performance in areas where they have to perform, such as swimming or gymnastics tests in Physical Education Faculties.

Performance tests are used in many fields, for example:

• Military academies.
• Engineering faculties.
• Practical examinations in physics, chemistry, and other sciences.

The administration of achievement tests of any kind is:

• either attributed to the teacher, which is called formative assessment.
• or to the education departments to organize standardized tests which are called summative assessments, such as the Egyptian general secondary school exams or the Saudi achievement tests.

Visit our blog to learn more about the difference between formative and summative assessment.

Objectives of Achievement tests

The most important goal of the achievement test is to use the results to determine whether learners can advance to higher levels of learning, and also employ them in educational development plans.

In addition to this goal, there are several other goals, the most important of which are:

• Classifying learners and assigning them to the appropriate departments and areas.
• Diagnosis of the strengths and weaknesses of all aspects of the educational process, enabling the development of appropriate plans to maximize the strengths and eliminate the weaknesses.
• Evaluate the development rate of learners and the success or failure of the educational process in achieving its specific objectives.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of educational methods and systematic interventions in achieving their objectives and their appropriateness for the age and mental levels of the learners.

Achievement Tests Analysis

Achievement tests cannot be administered without an analysis of their results!

As the results determine the level of learners, the appropriateness of the instructional materials, and the degree of authenticity, completeness, and objectivity of the tests.

They also identify the overall success and failure rates and the strengths and weaknesses of all curricula.

In order to Analyze the results of the examination, two types of tests need to be distinguished:

Criterion-referenced tests

Learner results are analyzed by criterion-referenced tests based on comparing the results of a learner or group of learners with a standard or test set by the teacher.

Norm-referenced tests

Results are analyzed in norm-referenced tests based on a comparison of learners’ results with each other.

In making such comparisons and analyzing the results, educators rely either on simple means such as Excel or on more professional and advanced techniques such as the Qorrect system.

How does Qorrect help you analyze achievement test results?

Qorrect system is your ideal option to thoroughly analyze your test results and help you make the right decisions for the development of your educational institution by providing:

• Detailed reports on educators’ overall success and failure rates.
• Flexible compatibility with any technical system you use in your educational institution, so you can transfer all data and reports on tests and results from Qorrect to any other technical system.
• Instant reports on all scheduled exams.
• Sending result reports to educators, either by email to each examiner or online.
• Various and comprehensive reports on the tests you have recorded in the Qorrect system.

In addition to analyzing test results, Qorrect provides you with various comprehensive analyses of all tests, the quality of questions used, the appropriateness or inappropriateness of questions, and the difficulty level.

You can enjoy all this and much more with the unique Qorrect system.

Book a free demo now to find out how Qorrect can help you organize your achievement tests in a highly professional way!

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About Leila Atta

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