FTCE Professional Education Test Study Guide Complete Questions With 100% Verified Answers | 2nd Edition |

X Percentile ranking Percentile ranking compares how well a student performed in comparison to other students who took the same test. A percentile ranking of 53% can be interpreted one of two ways. Either the student performed better than 53% of those who also took the test, or 47% of those taking the test performed better than the student. Percentile rankings are given as individual student percents and may be shown on a bar graph with 50% highlighted, since 50% is the median or average ranking. X Proficiency of a skill or standard Proficiency may be reported in a number of ways, including a percent value, a bar graph, or a box-andwhisker plot. Percent values and bar graphs are pretty straight forward. The percent is a number reported out of 100, and a bar graph is a visual of that percent out of 100. Typically, when scores are reported as a percent from an outside testing source, percent ranges are assigned proficiency levels similar to FSA and FCAT levels. For example, students scoring 50-70% mastery may be very close to satisfactory but not quite there yet. A box-and-whisker plot is used in the same manner, but the values reported are a little different. A box-andwhisker plot shows a median score, variations of the median, and the lowest and highest values. You do not need to know how to create a box-and-whisker plot. You only need to know that the line in the middle of the box is the median value, or value in the middle of the data collected. This value is where students are typically considered proficient. Note that a box-and-whisker plot can be displayed horizontally, as shown, or vertically. Example 3 Analyzing Data A teacher receives the information that her 7th grade student has a grade equivalency reading level of 6.8. How should the teacher interpret this score? A. The student is reading slightly below grade level. 2. B. The student is reading at grade level. C. The student is reading 8 points above a 6th grade level. D. The student is reading substantially below their enrolled grade level. Correct Answer: A A grade equivalency level of 6.8 refers to a 6th grade reading level. Because the decimal values range from .0 to .9, a decimal value of .8 is very close to the next grade level. Therefore, the student is reading just slightly below their current grade level, which is 7th grade. Select formative and summative assessments that match learning objectives leading to student mastery. When answering questions on the FTCE Professional Education Test, it is helpful to understand what effective assessment looks like in the classroom. An effective educator consistently analyzes and applies data from multiple assessments and measures to diagnose students’ learning needs, informs instruction based on those needs, and drives the learning process. Assessments should not only come in a variety of forms but also in a variety of formalities and must always provide feedback that is aligned to student mastery of the standards being taught. Formative Assessments Remember, on the FTCE Professional Education Test, formative assessments are referred to as informal and ongoing. They can produce qualitative data—observational data, anecdotal data—or quantitative data—test scores, reading levels. Additional examples of formative assessments: • Observations • Running record • Exit tickets • Online quiz sites • Weekly unit quiz • Mini whiteboards Summative Assessments Remember, on the FTCE Professional Education Test, summative assessments are referred to as formal and outcome driven. Use summative assessments at the end of learning to measure objectives, skills, or outcomes. Typically, summative assessments produce quantitative data. Performance-based assessments, such as a science lab or presentation, can also be summative assessments. • Mid-term/final exam research paper or presentation • District benchmark tests • Chapter tests • State assessments • Science lab at the end of a unit • Final performance-based assessments like a • History fair project Assessment Sequence The best teachers use ongoing assessment to drive instructional decisions. They typically administer diagnostic, formative, and summative assessments in a sequence. Please note, a diagnostic assessment is a preassessment that is a type of formative assessment because it informs instruction. Step 1: Diagnostic Assessment (Preassessment) – Before the unit, the teacher gives students a pretest to measure skills, prior knowledge, preconceptions and misconceptions. Based on that data, the teacher makes instructional decisions moving forward. Step 2: Formative Assessment (Ongoing) – As students move through the lesson objectives, the teacher uses formative assessments—observations, quick checks, writing samples, etc.—to move the lesson along. If any students are struggling with the objectives, the teacher uses targeted interventions to meet the specific needs of all students. The teacher continues to progress monitor throughout the lesson and unit by using formative assessments. Step 3: Summative Assessment (End of learning) – After the learning has concluded and the teacher has administered all strategies and interventions, the teacher administers a summative assessment. The teacher uses that data to measure outcomes and make decisions moving forward. The summative assessment also lets the teacher know if the strategies and interventions were impactful. Example 1 Use of appropriate assessments A math teacher wants to assess whether or not his 4th grade students understand the concept of division. Which of the following assessments is the best formative assessment for the teacher to use to determine if students understand the concept? A. a 5-question quiz that includes at least two division problems B. a preassessment on addition, subtraction, and multiplication facts through 12 C. a paired activity where students explain how to solve division problems to one another D. a game involving the whole class that includes multiplication and division facts Correct Answer: C The question is asking for the best formative assessment to monitor learning of division by 4th grade students. Option A is monitoring more than just division, so we can eliminate this choice. Option B is a great formative assessment, but not one for monitoring the learning of a particular skill that has just been taught. So, eliminate answer choice B as well. Option D is a very informative assessment and will provide the teacher with insight, but games are not always the best method for revealing understanding. In addition, the game includes multiplication, which is a prerequisite skill for division but is not the skill itself. The best option here is the paired activity. During this activity, the teacher can circulate the room, listening to responses and answering questions. By collecting qualitative data through this activity, the teacher can determine if students are still struggling and what their level of understanding is. 3. CAUTION: When answering assessment questions, try to avoid answer choices that promote using multiple choice tests. In the real-world, teachers use multiple choice tests all the time. However, this test will often require you to choose the best assessment to measure progress, which are most often formative. Summative assessments are often associated with multiple-choice tests. Use a variety of assessment tools to monitor student progress, achievement, and learning gains. Teachers can use a variety of assessment tools to monitor students’ progress towards learning goals. An assessment tool is the actual instrument (test, rubric, survey, etc.) that is used to collect data that allows a teacher to monitor student progress. Progress Monitoring Throughout the FTCE Professional Education Test, you will answer questions regarding how to monitor student progress. As previously mentioned, this is done in both a formal manner and informal manner. For example, a teacher might use a quick formative assessment, such as an exit ticket, to determine if students are understanding a particular skill or concept. A teacher may also use test scores that measure several concepts to measure progress over time. The following are a variety of assessment tools teachers can use to monitor student progress, achievement, and learning gains. Assessment Definition Example Type Diagnostic A pre-assessment providing instructors with information about students’ prior knowledge, preconceptions, and misconceptions before beginning a learning activity. Diagnostic assessments are considered formative assessments because they inform instruction. Before starting a science unit, a teacher gives a quick assessment to determine students’ prior knowledge of concepts in the text. She uses this information to make instructional decisions moving forward. Formative A range of formal and informal assessments or checks conducted by the teacher before, during, and after the learning process in order to modify instruction. A teacher is walking around the room, checking on students as they work through math problems, and intervening when necessary. The teacher uses this observational data to make instructional decisions. Summative An assessment that focuses on the outcomes. It is frequently used to measure the effectiveness of a program, lesson, or strategy. A teacher gives a unit exam to measure outcomes and the effectiveness of instructional strategies. Performance- Based An assessment that measures students’ ability to apply the skills and knowledge learned from a unit or units of study: the task challenges students to use their higher-order, critical thinking skills to create a product or complete a process (Chun, 2010). After reading text about the Civil War, students develop stories about different historical figures in the war. Students then perform these stories in front of the class and answer questions. Portfolio A purposeful collection of student work that has been selected and organized to show student learning progress over time. Portfolios can contain, samples of student work, self-evaluations/reflections, etc. Over the course of a semester, students collect weekly writing samples and organize them by date in a designated folder. During parent conferences, students show their parents the portfolio and reflect on progress. Criterion- Reference An assessment that measures student performance against a fixed set of predetermined criteria or learning standards. Most commonly known criterion-reference exams are state standardized assessments. At the end of the spring semester, students take the Florida Standards Assessment (FSA). The state uses the scores for accountability measures. Norm- Reference An assessment or evaluation that yields an estimate of the position of the tested individual in a predefined population with respect to the trait being measured. Results are usually communicated as a percentile ranking. The NAEP is an exam given every few years for data purposes only to compare students’ reading scores across the U.S. Screening An assessment used to place students in appropriate classrooms or grade level. Students are typically screened throughout the year to determine at what level they are reading. Placement decisions are made based on the outcomes of the screening. Example 1 Assessment types This year, students will take an exam that compares student performances to one another. Students are taking what type of assessment? A. formative B. norm-referenced C. criterion referenced D. diagnostic Correct Answer: B A norm-referenced assessment yields an estimate of the position of the tested individual in a predefined population with respect to the trait being measured. Use norm-referenced assessments to compare student performances as a percentile ranking. QUICK TIP: Be sure you know the difference between criterion-referenced and norm-referenced assessments. Criterion-reference assessments test students’ skills against a criterion. That criterion is the state standards. The FTCE Professional Education Test is a criterion-reference assessment because it measures your skills against the Florida Educator Accomplished Practices (FEAPs), the standards that govern this exam. Norm-reference assessments compare student performances. Typically, norm-reference assessments provide students with a percentile ranking. For example, if you scored in the 85th percentile, you scored at or above 85% of the people taking the exam; you are at the top. If you scored in the 25th percentile, you only scored at or above 25% of others taking the same test; you are at the bottom. Rubrics A rubric is an evaluation tool or set of guidelines used to promote the consistent application of learning expectations, learning objectives, or learning standards in the classroom, or to measure their attainment against a consistent set of criteria (The Glossary of Education Reform, 2013). Rubrics are typically used for large projects and writing, but they can be used for any assignment. The following is an example of a rubric. 1 - Minimal 2 - Meets 3 - Exceeds Grammar and Mechanics Many spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors; sentence fragments; incorrect use of capitalization. Some spelling and grammar errors; most sentences have punctuation and are complete; uses uppercase and lowercase letters. Correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation; complete sentences; correct use of capitalization. Ideas and Content Key words are not near the beginning; no clear topic; no beginning, middle, and end; ideas are not ordered. Main idea or topic is in first sentence; semi- defined topic; attempts beginning, middle and end sections; some order of main idea and details in sequence. Interesting, well-stated main idea or topic sentence; uses logical plan with an effective beginning, middle, and end; good flow of ideas from topic sentence to details in sequence. Organization Ideas are unorganized and do not follow a coherent structure. Organized enough to read and understand the ideas. Very organized and easy to understand. THINK ABOUT IT: Rubrics should be given to students before, during, and after the assignment or task. For example, before starting a research paper, the teacher should go over the rubric with students to set the expectation and communicate what students must include in the paper. During the writing process, students should use the rubric to be sure they are meeting expectations. Once students complete the research paper, the teacher should use the rubric to score the papers and provide specific and meaningful feedback. Test Design You will be required to identify appropriate test questions or items created for tests you give in your classroom, whether teacher made, publisher made, or a combination of both. More and more, teachers are making their own assessments, and it is important when this happens that the test and the test items align appropriately to the standard. The same holds true for a test from a publisher as well. Tests at the end of a chapter in a textbook are not necessarily good tests. It is the teacher’s responsibility to determine if the test is reliable and valid. A good way for a classroom teacher to evaluate assessment items is to complete an item analysis after the test. An item analysis is a process which examines student responses to individual test items (questions) to determine the quality of those items, the quality of the test as a whole, or the quality of the instruction for the skills on the test. Large testing companies run statistics on tests and test items all the time; it is one of the reasons scores for FTCE tests are sometimes delayed. It is equally important that teachers conduct item analyses for their classroom tests as well. An item that is missed by many students is not always just because the students didn’t study. Poor item quality can be attributed to several factors including: • the wording was misleading or confusing. • the skill taught does not align to the skill tested on the assessment. • there is not a correct answer choice. • the question is not answerable because there is misinformation in the question. • the item is too difficult (likewise, an item may be too easy as well). Example 2 Validity of assessments A teacher wants to be sure that the questions she has developed for a classroom assessment are measuring the appropriate skills. Which of the following practices would be most beneficial in determining if the teacher’s questions are performing properly? A. Give the assessment over and over again. B. Survey students to see how they liked the assessment. C. Conduct an item analysis. D. Align activities to test taking strategies. Correct Answer: C Giving the assessment multiple times will not determine if the assessment is valid. In fact, giving the same assessment multiple times makes the assessment invalid because students know what to expect. Therefore, we can eliminate answer choice A. We can also eliminate answer choice B because whether or not students like an assessment has no bearing on its validity. Answer choice D may seem like a good answer choice because it contains good words, but you never want to choose an answer that contains test taking strategies. Teachers should teach the standards, not ways to beat the test. Answer choice C is the best answer choice because an item analysis will show the teacher if any items on the assessment are not performing well. CAUTION: Be on the lookout for good words attached to bad practices. You may see answer choices on the exam that promote test taking strategies. As in the answer above, there may even be a good word attached to test taking strategies—align activities to test taking strategies. While in the real-world teachers do develop students’ test taking skills because these skills are essential for academic success, test taking strategies is not going to be the best answer on the FTCE Professional Education Test. Teachers should be teaching the skills necessary to be successful on the tests, not strategies to beat the test. Determine appropriate assessments and testing conditions to accommodate learning styles and varying knowledge levels of students. On the FTCE Professional Education Test, you will be required to select appropriate assessments and testing conditions to accommodate all students with varying abilities and learning styles. You will also be required to identify practices that align with testing accommodations for all students, including those in Exceptional Student Education (ESE) and those who are English Language Learners (ELL). Testing Environment Students perform better on assessments when they are comfortable with their surroundings. Your test day routine should not make students feel less comfortable than when they are taking notes as part of their daily routine. Routines should be just that – routine. For example, if you turn desks to face the wall and put up big dividers only on test day, you are creating an environment that may lead to students being more nervous or anxious than they would be normally, which could have a negative effect on test scores. This may be more difficult to accomplish during district or state testing, because the need to provide accommodations may require students to be in different locations with an unfamiliar teacher. You can, however, control how testing occurs in your classroom. You don’t want to make students so comfortable they don’t focus on doing well, but you don’t want to create any unnecessary anxiety, either. X Accommodations 4. In the classroom, teachers can make assessment accommodations as they see fit for any of their students. For example, teachers might give students extra time, allow students to use their notes, or permit the use of noise canceling headphones during a classroom assessment. However, on state standardized tests like the Florida Standards Assessment (FSA), testing accommodations are only provided to Exceptional Student Education (ESE) students and English Language Learners (ELLs). X ESE testing accommodations Schools must provide accommodations for students who have an Individual Education Plan (IEP) or a 504 plan, as they are outlined in the plan. According to the Florida Department of Education, examples of these accommodations include: • Flexible presentation - Test administrators might have to use oral language or sign language to accommodate students who are blind or deaf. • Flexible responding - Students may have to dictate responses to a proctor if they do not have use of their hands. Students might also use speech-to-text technology. • Flexible setting - A student may be given the test over short intervals or given the test in a separate testing room. Extended time falls under this accommodation. • Assistive devices and tools - A student may use varied assistive devices to access the computer (e.g., alternative keyboards, trackballs, joysticks, switch scanning systems, touch screens, mouth sticks, head wands, eye-gaze or head control systems).  ELL testing accommodations Districts are required to offer accommodations to students identified as ELL. The following are allowable accommodations for ELL students participating in the FSA ELA Writing Field Test. • Flexible setting - ELLs may be offered the opportunity to be tested in a separate room with the English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) or heritage language teacher acting as test administrator. • Flexible scheduling - ELLs may be provided additional time; however, each test session must be completed within one school day. • Assistance in heritage language - ELLs may be provided limited assistance by an ESOL or heritage language teacher using students’ heritage language for directions. • Approved dictionary - ELLs must have access to an English-to-heritage language translation dictionary and/or heritage language-to-English translation dictionary, such as those made available to ELLs in an instructional setting Accommodations in the classroom will look differently than the accommodations outlined in an IEP for state testing. If a student is struggling with writing, it is perfectly acceptable to ask them questions orally. Remember, the purpose of your TEST TIP: classroom assessments is to determine where the students are in regard to the mastery of standards. If it is not yet the Extra time on state assessments is end of May, your assessments should determine where the the most common accommodation students are in regard to mastery so that you can adjust your for ESE and ELL students. You instruction as needed. On the FTCE Professional Education may see this on the exam. Test, remember that everything you do must meet the needs of all