ABSTRACT

During the adolescent years, assessment occurs for different purposes and students spend considerable time preparing for and taking various assessments. In classrooms, teachers use assessments to determine the concepts and skills students have mastered, to determine grades for a course, and to make recommendations for future courses concerning remedial or advanced placements (Dorn, 2010). Guidance counselors administer interest inventories to assess adolescents’ interests and preferences. Students take annual state-mandated assessments to measure their mastery of content standards and school systems use the results to determine if schools are making adequate yearly progress (Payne-Tsoupros, 2010). A small percentage of students participate in alternate state assessments if their disability precludes them from taking the state assessments with accommodations (Hodgson, Lazarus, & Thurlow, 2010). In some states, students take exit exams to determine the type of diploma they will receive as they exit the public school system ( Johnson, Stout, & Thurlow, 2009). Other assessment activities during the secondary years vary by a student’s postsecondary goal and may include admission exams such as the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) or the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB).