Stats & the Bell Curve
What measure of central tendency is most affected by extreme scores?
What is the mean?
A test that gives consistent results has what property?
What is reliability?
What does it mean for a test to be standardized?
It’s administered and scored in a uniform, consistent way.
Which law guarantees access to school records?
FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act).
A student scores low on a math test. What’s the first question to ask before interpreting the results?
“Was the test administered and interpreted under standardized, fair conditions?”
What is the shape of a normal distribution called?
What is a bell curve?
A test that measures what it is intended to measure has what property?
What is validity?
Why is a good norming sample important?
It ensures test scores are meaningful and comparable to the right population.
Which law requires testing accommodations for individuals with disabilities in employment settings?
ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act).
You’re using a test normed on adults with a group of teens. What’s the problem?
The norms aren’t representative — results won’t be valid.
What is the difference between norm-referenced and criterion-referenced tests?
Norm-referenced compare individuals to others; criterion-referenced compare to a fixed standard.
Name one threat to test reliability.
Inconsistent administration, unclear items, or testing environment issues.
What are specialized subgroup norms?
Norms created for specific populations (e.g., age, culture, language group).
Which act ensures individuals with disabilities can access fair vocational assessments?
Carl Perkins Act.
A teacher wants to use a personality test not designed for minors. What’s your role as a counselor?
Educate and advocate for appropriate, developmentally valid measures.
If the mean = median = mode, what does that tell us about the distribution?
It’s a perfectly normal distribution.
What is one question you can ask to assess a test’s validity?
“Do the test items correspond to the theoretical construct being measured?”
What question should be asked about a test’s standardization sample?
“Is the population being tested similar to the one the test was standardized on?”
Which act ensures fair testing for students with disabilities, including free evaluations?
IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act).
A bilingual student performs poorly on a test administered only in English. What ethical concern arises?
Cultural and linguistic bias — test results may not reflect true ability.
Why are measures of central tendency important in test interpretation?
They summarize group performance and help identify how an individual compares to the norm.
True or False — A test can be reliable but not valid.
True. (It can consistently measure the wrong thing.)
How does modern test theory (Item Response Theory) differ from classical test theory?
It uses mathematical models to analyze item-level data and improve test precision.
Which law mandates that tests measure ability, not disability?
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.
A parent requests to see their child’s assessment results. What law supports their right?
FERPA (right to access educational records).