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DISTINGUISHING ABILITY FROM ACHIEVEMENT
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The vast array of testing instruments that are called to our attention these days can be confusing if we are new to the field of testing or have not taken the time to distinguish between the various types of tests available and their purposes. Millions of standardized tests are administered in our country annually, mostly in the public and private school sectors, but homeschooling parents are confronted with their share of tests as well. The language of testing itself can be intimidating and can cause us to retreat or to wave the white flag. There is no doubt that test construction is a complex and difficult science, but we have found that a few definitions can clear up several important issues and reduce the fear and avoindance that some experience when it comes to testing.
The term, "standardized" is frequently used in describing tests, but could be a point of confusion. It is a word used to distinguish between a test created by a classroom teacher for a specific teaching/learning situation and one that has been designed and tested professionally, usually by a testing organization. Such instruments are most often published and their use is controlled. There are specific directions given for administering standardized tests as well as for scoring them. Such tests have usually been administered to students over a broad geographical area so that test takers can compare their scores and averages with a broad sampling of students who have also taken the same test. In this way, testing organizations can establish average scores that would be considered normal for students to achieve (testing norms).
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Because of the scientific care taken in the creation of standardized tests, supplementary material is usually available that explains the purpose of the test and its use as well as technical information regarding reliability and validity. Reliability is a measure of how well the test assigns the same value to a characteristic each time that it is measured under essentially the same circumstances. In other words, does this instrument produce the same measurement result every time it is given? Validity is a measure of the extent to which the procedure accurately measures what it intends to measure. In other words, does this test really measure the skills or abilities that it claims to measure? Typical tests made up by classroom instructors may not do well when judged by either of these criteria because the instruments themselves have not been submitted to tests of reliability or validity. These same instructors may change or eliminate items on a test when they discover after administering it several different times that an item or two produces confusion or misunderstanding on the part of students. By doing this, they may be moving closer to reliability and validity.
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Understanding the difference between an achievement test and an ability test will also provide clarity in understanding testing. Annual achievement tests are required of home educators in most states, so what is their purpose? These instruments focus on measuring present academic achievement -- what a student has learned over a given period of time in studing a particular subject. In one sense, all tests are achievment tests because they are based on what we have learned previously. In fact, it is probably impossible to create a test that does not measure or that is not based on previous learning. We cannot even read the questions without previous learning. But the intention of an achievement test is to measure achievement straight forwardly and with clarity. The California Achievement Test (CAT), for example, is a well known academic achievement measure and there are many others. Ability tests, on the other hand, attempt to measure "horsepower" or innate ability to perform apart from previous learning. They try to predict potential for future achievement. The well known IQ(intelligence quotient) test is an example of this type of test, focusing on measuring general ability rather than special ability. But there is one other ability test showing great flexibility and potential that will be discussed later.
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Several problems exist in writing and in evaluating ability tests, specifically the standard IQ test. One of the problems in creating such tests is in the definition of terms: there is little agreement over the meaning of intelligence itself. For example, some would argue that intelligence has to do with reasoning ability while others would maintain that our ability to make effective decisions should be the measure of intelligence. The importance of this question lies in the fact that people who design ability tests must define intelligence specifically for themselves first since in the tests they are suggesting that the items selected are those which an intelligent person should be able to answer.
Another problem with the IQ test has been a tendency by parents and others to interpret scores as unchangeable measures of abilities most necessary to success in life. Many have regarded the IQ score as a permanent mark of intellectual limitation. And it would be natural for people to interpret the test in that way since it claims to measure ability or horsepower. But the truth is that an IQ is always a score on a particular test. Students do not have IQs; they earn IQ scores. Exam results may vary from test to test, and most certainly scores will change as people age and acquire more information and skill.
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And finally, IQ tests do not distinguish between various mental abilities. All abilities are lumped together to produce one score. Creativity and some other important abilites are left out or are not individually delineated. For this reason, I
Q test have not been consistent in identifying genius. The abilities that people possess are so varied and the qualities needed in society are so diverse that ability tests usually do fall far short of measuring meaningful characteristics.
One the other hand, there is an ability test more recently developed that does exceptionally well in measuring ability and in delineating basic skills that are important to learning, whether in a school related context or in a vocational setting. The Structure of Intellect (SOI) test delineates or distinguishes between various mental abilities, including problem solving and creativity, memory, evaluation, and cognition. In addition, it considers individual learning styles as well as the complexity of the material to be learned, and it provides specific learning modules to strengthen and enhance any of the abilities or combination of abilities measured.
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