Reading Test 1 - Rising Stars

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Reliability and predictionsReading testsAll good reading tests should be a fair experience for each student; with some questions being easy,some quite challenging and some hard. This makes the reading assessment a valid experience,enabling the student to show progress in reading and writing both fiction and non-fiction. The testmust also cover what has been taught. The questions in the Rising Stars tests assess across the rangeof assessment focuses for reading, at a level which is appropriate for the target age group. In aproperly designed and balanced test, it is possible to work out a set of theoretical pass markthresholds and these are discussed below. Theory and practice must come together, however, and theRising Stars tests need to be standardised and linked to the National Curriculum levels established byQCA in order for the levels to be reliable and valid. These equated sub-levels are given on page 73.Writing tasksIn the writing tasks, the challenges are chosen to be suitable for the age and experience of the pupil.We believe it helps for the writing tasks to be taken after the reading test as this gives backgroundand pointers to assist students in their own writing. The writing tasks should enable students todemonstrate what they have learned against the criteria of the writing assessment focuses, thusenabling them to achieve appropriate levels in the tests. The writing tasks also provide opportunitiesto assess spelling and therefore mirror the optional and KS3 tests from QCA.Standardising the testsRising Stars conducted research with three schools in April, May and June 2008. Students sat anumber of the reading tests, appropriate for each term of their year. The scores students obtainedwere then equated to reading levels obtained from the 2007 QCA KS2 reading test for Year 7 and the2008 QCA KS3 reading test for Year 9.The table below summarises the number of students in the sample.Year 7 8 9Actual sample analysed 220 0 221Original sample taking part 330 420 350Teachers and students in the schools also commented on the language, illustrations and suitability ofthe questions in the tests. A number of the questions were refined and improved thanks to this advice.The equating data for the reading testsA series of equating exercises were undertaken to link the levels and scores obtained for the Year 7and Year 9 Rising Stars reading tests to QCA levels. This was done by an independent specialist usingthe same methodology used to equate National Curriculum tests from one year to the next in thedevelopment of QCA’s tests. A review of the equating data enabled the algorithm, which converts amark to a level, to be modified slightly to ensure the Rising Stars tests more closely reflect QCA levels.See the Appendix for further information.
YEAR 9/RELIABILITY AND PREDICTIONSDevelopment of tests – technical informationA level has been ascribed to every mark so that the tests can be seen from the outset to be balanced,covering an appropriate span of levels for the year group in question.The equating data was used to provide an empirical model that would enable Rising Starstheoretically-generated sets of thresholds to be informed by the equated ones. We could then see howthe tests compare in terms of level of demand to the Key Stage 2 reading test in Year 7 and the KS3reading test in Year 9. The same algorithm was used for Year 8, having first been confirmed by theYear 9 research data.• Questions at their working level – students get correct 60% of the marks available;• Questions at one level below their working level – students get correct 80% of the marksavailable;• Questions at two levels below their working level – students get correct all of the marksavailable;• Questions at one level above their working level – students are able to get correct 30% of themarks available (40% in Year 7);• Questions at two levels above their working level – students are able to get correct 10% of themarks available.Overall, we find that Rising Stars tests, by design, are quite similar and as challenging as QCA tests.The writing tasks, however, are more supported for weaker students through wider use of ‘planningsheets’. The equating process makes sure that the sub-levels we report for reading match to the KeyStage reading levels. Feedback from our research schools and users of Rising Stars tests over the pastyears indicates that challenging tests, requiring written answers, taken throughout the year improvestudents’ performance more than tests that are too easy.AppendixReading test equipercentile relationship to QCA levelsIn the trialling process, the Rising Stars levels were very close to, but not completely in line with, QCAlevels. This is shown by the equipercentile graphs, which do not overlap at all points. In order toimprove the match with QCA levels, the Rising Stars algorithms were adjusted so that the thresholdsquoted on page 74 match closely with the end-of-year QCA levels for Years 7, 9 and 8.Cumulative %1009080706050403020100Year 7Equipercentile equating graphs1 2 3 4 5 6MarksKey: QCA Level RS2 LevelThe y axis shows the cumulative percentage of students gaining levels.Cumulative %1009080706050403020100Year 9Equipercentile equating graphs1 2 3 4 5 6MarksKey: QCA Level RS2 Level
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Reading Test 1 - Rising Stars

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