STANDARDIZED TESTING AT DARIEN HIGH SCHOOL
THE DARIEN HIGH SCHOOL GUIDANCE DEPARTMENT
Darien
High School students participate in three arenas of standardized testing as they
move from the Freshman through the Senior year; The Comprehensive Testing Program III (CTP III)
published by the Educational Records Bureau, the state-mandated Connecticut Academic Performance Test (CAPT), the College
Board Testing Program, consisting of
three tests that are optional for students, but one or more are most
likely taken if the student is college-bound.
These are; the Preliminary Scholastic Assessment Test
(PSAT) the Scholastic Assessment Test I (Reasoning Tests) and the Scholastic Assessment Tests II (Subject Tests). Additionally, students who are enrolled in
one or more Advanced Placement Courses may elect to take one or more of the Advanced Placement Tests (AP). Each of these tests are described in some detail below. The ACT and TOEFL are both listed below.
The Comprehensive Testing Program III, commonly known in this district
as the ERB after its New York publisher, Educational Records Bureau, is
administered to all Freshmen during the early Fall. The program consists of five tests that involve the verbal areas
of achievement and two tests that involve the quantitative areas of
achievement. The five verbal tests are:
Verbal Ability: This
test is designed to measure a student’s ability to apply knowledge of printed
language structure and meaning appropriately.
In doing so, it evaluates the student’s proficiency in analyzing
information, drawing inferences and deducing relationships.
Vocabulary: This test examines the
breadth of a student’s reading vocabulary.
With few exceptions, the targeted vocabulary is presented in context
rather than in lists.
Reading Comprehension: After
reading one or more passages, the student is asked to respond to a variety of
questions that tap vocabulary, recall, identifying main ideas and ability to
analyze and hypothesize based on the reading passages.
Writing Mechanics: This
test examines a student’s understanding of writing conventions necessary for
meaningful compositions. The components
of spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and usage are examined in this test.
Writing Process: This
test assesses a student’s ability to recognize good and effective writing and
also to recognize ineffective writing and correct it. Specific samples of writing are presented to the student for
evaluation.
The two quantitative reasoning tests are:
Quantitative Ability: This
test examines a student’s ability to “think” in mathematical terms, that is, to
apply knowledge of mathematical concepts and principals, to identify critical
features in new situations and to make correct generalizations.
Mathematics:
This
test examines a student’s ability to apply mathematical knowledge to solve
problems, compute solutions, to reason and to estimate mathematically.
Scores
on the CTP III are reported in stanines (numbers from 1-9 where 4, 5 and 6 are
considered to be within an “average” range, 7,8 and 9 “above average” and 1-3
“below average”) and percentile ranks.
Three
norms are generally available for cross comparison. They are national norms, suburban school norms, and independent
(private) school norms.
The
CTP III is used in a variety of ways.
The total results give us a good snapshot of the Freshman class, students not already identified as needing
additional support may be identified, and academic departments such as the
English department, take these scores into consideration when making honors
placements.
(2)
The Connecticut Academic Performance Test (CAPT) is
mandated by legislation and is administered with very few exceptions to every
10th grader in Connecticut.
The State specifies a window of about two weeks in early May to
administer and complete the tests. The
most recent revision of the test, known as Generation 2 was first given in the
2000-2001 school year. Generation 2 is
an expanded CAPT which necessitates about seven sessions, at one session per
day, to complete.
The
tests comprising the CAPT appear below:
Response
to Literature: A one hour and 10 minute test in which
students read a short story and respond in writing to various questions
concerning the story. The student is
evaluated in terms of his or her understanding of the story in terms of symbolic
meaning and asked to go “beyond the text” to predict or make inferences.
Reading
for Information: In this 45 minute test, the
student reads relatively short non-fiction passages in subject areas such as science
or history and responds in writing to questions concerning the passages. The primary difference between Response to
Literature, the student is writing in an open-ended fashion while in Reading
for Information the student responds in writing in short answer essay form.
Mathematics: Mathematics is a two session test, each session
lasting one hour and five minutes, administered over a two day period. . Unlike
most teacher-made tests or norm referenced tests the student is not involved in
such things as solving equations but rather using mathematical knowledge in new
and different ways. For example, in one
recent question entitled “Hit and Run”, the students accompany Detective Watson
and use their math skills to determine such things as the speed of the errant
vehicle, compute the number of possible combinations of an incomplete marker
number, and engage in a mathematical forensic examination to determine whether
shards of glass found in the back seat and floor area are vehicle window glass
or glass from a bottle (as the suspect claims). When mathematical formulas are needed to complete operations,
they are supplied to the student.
Science: The science section of the CAPT requires student
preparation in a highly specific manner.
Well before the CAPT begins, the State’s CAPT vendor, The Psychological
Corporation, sends the school materials to be used in a science experiment that
must be conducted before the students sit for the CAPT science test. Therefore, it is imperative that each
student who will take (or re-take) the science examination participates in the
experiment.
The
topics covered in the science test are general scientific concepts such as heat
transfer, specific gravity, etc.
Interdisciplinary
Writing: This is a two-session test of 55 minutes
duration for each session. It is
administered over a two day period.
Basically, students are asked to read material dealing with
controversial subjects such as acid rain, global warming, genetics (cloning),
etc. The material is selected from newspaper
editorials, and various magazines. The
important factor is that the material has been selected to represent varying
opinions regarding the subject. Based
on the readings, the student is asked to “take a stand” and reference their
argument or defense to specific material supplied – not to any other source
that may have previously been read either in a class or outside of class.
Editing
and Revising: This 25 minute test combines
some of the elements found in the ERB
Writing
Mechanics and Writing Process test.
Because of its brevity, it is usually convenient to pair it with another
test. (CAPT legislation limits the
number of minutes in each school day that a student can be engaged in CAPT
testing; therefore, other tests cannot be combined.
Supplementary: Each Connecticut high school is assigned a supplementary test in
one of the areas described above.
Supplementary tests are “beta” versions or experimental versions
containing questions or formats the test designers may use the following year
or later in the testing program.
(3)
As
you can see, the CAPT is not a minimum competency test but rather, a
challenging test with a unique format.
Evaluation instruments like the CAPT are known as criterion-referenced
rather than traditional norm referenced tests, (ex. ERB, SAT.). The CAPT asks students to apply what
they know rather than merely demonstrate what they know.
Another
feature of the CAPT is that students are required to write their answers in
special examination books. There is
little of the multiple choice response format.
Scores
on the CAPT are reported as two and three digit scaled scores. The scaled scores are derived from the
number of “points” assigned to the
answer with respect to the specific scoring rubrics that a scorer applies. (The
CAPT is scored by school teachers outside the state and employed by the
Psychological Corporation. The teachers
receive special training in the rubrics. DHS teachers are also familiar with
the scoring rubrics which enable us to design and evaluate our own practice
CAPT items for our students.)
A
cut-off scaled score, called a “Goal Standard” represents the minimum passing
score. A student must score at or above
the Goal Standard in order to receive a Certificate of Mastery for that
test. Individual score reports clearly
show the student’s scaled score for each test compared to the Goal Standard set
for that test. Customized messages which
comment on the quality of the student’s work for each test also are included on
the score report.
Students
who do not attain a Certificate of Mastery in one or more of the CAPT tests may
elect to take those tests again in May of their Junior year and again in the
Senior year if necessary. CAPT
legislation requires that the Certificate of Mastery be affixed to the student transcript of grades and courses. Some employers and all colleges and
universities require official transcripts to be sent to them by the student’s
school.
CAPT
scores do not enter into graduation requirements for DHS. Administration of the CAPT is not mandated
beyond the 10th. grade level so the decision to re-take any area is
up to the student and parents. The
Guidance Department recommends re-taking CAPT areas which score below the Goal
Standard, especially if the student
“missed” the goal by only a few scale score points.
The Preliminary Scholastic Assessment Test/National Merit
Scholarship Qualifying Test.
The
PSAT is given each year around the second week in October. Unlike the SAT I and II, the PSAT is given
only once each year. AT DHS, nearly
100% of Sophomores and Juniors sign up for the PSAT, which also doubles as the
qualifying test for the National Merit Corporation. However, only Juniors can qualify for National Merit.
Many
Sophomores can benefit from taking the PSAT because it gives them the
experience of taking a sustained performance test and familiarizes them with the
entire stimulus complex involved in College Board testing – from arriving early
on a Saturday morning, listening to the Test Supervisor’s instructions, and
engaging the test material. The highly
detailed report of student answers enable a student to understand exactly where
reinforcement is needed for the test in the Junior year. PSAT scores are not reported on the
transcript because colleges do not ask for them. Therefore, taking a PSAT is “risk free”. However, the student’s counselor does
receive a copy of the individual score report.
This is necessary for test preparation advisement for future College
Board tests.
It
is vitally important that college-bound Juniors participate in the PSAT, even
though they have taken the test in their Sophomore year. Almost always, higher
scores are earned and the accuracy of test preparation advisement is
significantly improved. College-bound
Juniors generally have their first encounter with the SAT I in the Spring.
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The
PSAT, as the title indicates, is a preliminary test designed to familiarize a
student with the SAT I. It is somewhat
shorter than the SAT I, consisting of five sections, which are broken down into
two twenty-five minute Verbal tests, two twenty-five minute Math tests, and one
30 minute Writing Skills test. The
Writing Skills test is a recent addition and unique to the PSAT. It does not appear as a separate test in the
SAT I. The Writing Skills test does not
require the student to actually write, but it does examine a student’s
knowledge of grammar, usage, diction (choice of words) and idiom. The Verbal
tests deal largely with passage comprehension and often require the student to
discriminate whether information is stated or implied in the
passage. Other questions supply a
statement with one or two critical words missing. From a list, the student must supply the correct word or
words. The Math tests examine the
student’s knowledge of algebra and some geometry. There are usually some word problems that require a student to
employ their knowledge of ratio, proportion and response to information given
in graphic form. The math questions do not require knowledge of Algebra II or
Advanced Geometry.
Students
who sign up at DHS to take the PSAT receive a full-length self-scoring practice
test and are extensive PSAT/NMSQT student bulletin which describes each of the
tests and directions for the tests in detail.
There is also a section dealing with the National Merit Scholarship
Program. Students or parents wishing
more information can conveniently contact www.collegeboard.com
to find a very user-friendly website.
SAT I: Reasoning Tests: The
SAT I is a seven section test consisting of two 30 minute Verbal tests, two
thirty minute Math tests, one 15 minute Verbal test and one 15 minute Math
test. An additional equating section, the results of which are not factored
into the student’s score, is also included.
Unlike the PSAT, the SAT I is given several times a year beginning with
the month of October and ending in June.
Darien is an Educational Testing Service Center for the SAT I and SAT II
on most national test dates. The exact
dates are available in the Guidance office and also in the national
registration bulletin for the SAT I and II.
The registration bulletin is also available in Guidance.
In
the normal process, a student takes his or her first SAT I in the Spring of the
Junior year. There are several dates to
pick from and one should seek the advice of their Guidance Counselor.
The
second SAT I is taken in the Fall of the Senior year in October, November, or
December. Candidates for Early Decision at a college or university are advised
to take the October administration so that scores can reach the institution
before the deadline date. Some students
choose to take the SAT I several times in order to increase their score. However, the SAT I as an extremely reliable
test, which means that scores from one time period to the next tend to remain
fairly stable unless some significant preparation has taken place. Score increases of 10 or 20 points on either
the Verbal or Math areas do not exceed the standard error of measurement for the
test and thus are not significant. Even
without practice however, scores often increase significantly between the
Junior and Senior year administration.
Detailed information covering all areas of the SAT I including
preparation information, verbal and math practice questions, and a complete
practice, self-score SAT I test can be found in Taking the SAT I Reasoning
Test, a 71 page manual published by the College Board and available at no
cost in Guidance. Additional practice
material may be ordered through the College Board, www.collegeboard.com. Generally, a student’s Guidance Counselor is
the best source of advice concerning when to take the SAT and how many times
the student should sit for the test.
SAT II: Subject Tests: Each Subject Test is one hour in length and a student is allowed
to take up to three Subject tests in one sitting. However, the SAT I cannot be combined with the SAT II. The student must take each on separate
testing days.
(5)
The
SAT II comprises 18 subject tests including core areas such as Writing,
Literature, U.S. History, World History, Mathematics (two levels to choose
from) Biology, Chemistry and Physics.
In addition, many foreign languages are available. For students who are
not native speakers of English but have completed two to four years of English
instruction, the English Language Proficiency Test (ELPT) is also
offered as a Subject test. (The Test of English as a
Foreign Language (TOEFL) is not a Subject test, but a separate
instrument from Educational Testing Service and utilized by most colleges to
evaluate the English proficiency of non-native English speakers. The TOEFL
website may be visited at www.toefl.org.)
While
the SAT II is offered several times a year like the SAT I, not all of the 18
examinations are available at each test date.
Candidates for the exam must consult the national registration bulletin
to make sure that the exam or exams they wish to take are available on the
dates they wish to take them.
About
150 selective and highly selective colleges and universities in the United States
require the SAT II as well as the SAT I.
The vast majority of colleges in the U.S. do not. The student’s Guidance
Counselor is familiar with those institutions requiring the SAT II. A school
that requires SAT II’s will generally ask for the Writing exam, the Math exam
(level 1 or level 2 may be submitted) and any exam the student wishes to take
to exhibit proficiency.
Unlike
the SAT I, the SAT II can be taken as early as the Freshman year. Numbers of BSCS Biology students who are
doing well in the course elect to take the SAT II in Biology in June of their
Freshman year and at the end of the instructional period. Guidance test data indicate that most do
very well. The classroom instructor is
often at the best vantage point to advise the student concerning an SAT
II. However, students are advised to be
proactive and not to wait for a teacher to advise them, and should query the
teacher to check with his or her Guidance Counselor well before the
registration deadline.
The ACT: The American
College Testing Program based in Iowa City, and utilized by many
college-bound students in the Midwest is an alternative to the SAT I. The ACT consists of tests in four areas:
English, Mathematics, Reading, and Science Reasoning. The ACT format is quite different from the SAT and some students
may find it more user-friendly. One
interesting difference in test-taking strategies between the two tests is that,
for the ACT, students are encouraged to respond to each question because there
is no penalty for guessing. On the SAT,
students are advised to make “educated guesses” because a fraction is taken off
for each wrong answer to control for random guessing. Because of this and
because of the ACT’s different format, some students elect to take the
ACT hoping that they will score higher.
However, while we have not made a formal, local study of the area,
experience generally demonstrates that scores earned on the ACT versus the SAT
do not vary widely for the same student who takes the two exams within a
relatively short time frame.
Darien
is not an ACT test center, but Guidance Counselors can help a student locate a
convenient center. For more information
on the ACT, parents or students should pick up Preparing for the Act
Assessment, available in Guidance.
ACT’s website can be visited at www.act.org.
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The Advanced Placement Tests:
The College Board’s Advanced Placement Program, which began over
four decades ago, offers qualified students the opportunity to experience
college level studies while still in high school and to receive advanced
placement, credit, or both, in college on the basis of their performance on
rigorous AP tests given in May of each year.
Over 3,000 colleges and universities grant credit and advanced placement
to entering students whose AP grades meet their requirements.
AP
exams are scored by a committee and exams are assigned a number ranging from 1
through 5 where 5 reflects the highest grade attainable.
Unlike
other tests in the College Board Program, AP examinations are given during the
school day and not on Saturdays.
Examinations vary in length, but usually range from two to almost three
hours.
DHS
offers AP courses in English, American History, Law and Government, Calculus
(AB and BC), Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Spanish, French, and Computer
Science. Qualifying students who take AP chemistry may elect the UCONN CO-OP
chemistry which yields UConn credit.
The UConn may be use not only at UConn, but will be accepted at other schools
as well.
Highly motivated students sometimes enter
into a mentor/tutorial relationship with a faculty member enabling them to sit
for other AP examinations such as Micro or Macro Economics or European History.
Sitting
for an AP exam is generally not a requirement to take an AP course and taking
an AP exam does not require that a student has taken an AP course. However, the chances of doing well in an AP
examination without thorough preparation are small and the potential advantage
that may come from scoring well (4 or 5) on an AP exam is considerable. A
student may “cash in” the AP score to avoid large college Freshman classes and
elect a smaller more interesting class.
Since AP scores are not part of the college admission process and since
AP scores from AP courses taken in the Senior year do not arrive at colleges
until late Summer, there is no real disadvantage or risk in taking an AP test.