ABSTRACT
Most school districts determine their results through student learning measures only. More often than not, schools throughout a district use a simple student learning measure, usually a state-required assessment. While this is clearly a good starting point, generating a sound understanding of how well students are learning requires multiple measures that are disaggregated by school, across demographic groups, and over time. School districts use a variety of means to assess student learning. Most districts are in states that use standardized tests at grades 3–8, or all grade levels. 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 district, 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.
