ABSTRACT
This chapter shows different ways of measuring, analyzing, and reporting student learning results. High schools use a variety of means to assess student learning. Most schools are members of districts and states that use standardized tests at some, or all, grade levels. Other common means of assessing student learning are more classroom-based, such as performance assessments, portfolio assessments, teacher-given grades, and teacher observations. Standardized tests are assessments that have uniformity in content, administration, and scoring. They can be used for comparing results across students, classrooms, schools, school districts, and states. Norm-referenced test scores create meaning through comparing the test performance of a school, group, or individual with the performance of a norming group. The normal curve is a distribution of scores or other measures that in graphic form has a distinctive bell-shaped appearance. Grade-level equivalent scores are okay for a snapshot in time, but they should not be averaged or taken literally.
