An Accountability & Assessment Brief: 2010-2011 GHSGT Scale Scores

2011 Scale Scores and Cut Scores for the Georgia High School Graduation Tests

The Georgia High School Graduation Tests (GHSGT) ensures that students qualifying for a diploma have mastered essential core academic content and skills in English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies. Students take the graduation tests for the first time in the eleventh grade in the spring. Students who do not pass on the first attempt of the tests have multiple opportunities to receive additional instruction and opportunities to retest to qualify for graduation before the spring of the twelfth grade. Over the past years, the GHSGT has been transitioning from the Quality Core Curriculum (QCC) to the Georgia Performance Standards (GPS). As of the spring 2011 administration for first-time eleventhgrade test takers, the GHSGT reflects the GPS.

Curricular Transition and Graduation Requirement

Students are held responsible for the knowledge and skills in the curriculum under which they enter ninth grade. In 2005 and 2006, transitional dually aligned blueprints in English Language Arts and Science were used to develop the GHSGT. The Georgia Department of Education worked with Georgia educators to identify those core concepts/skills that are common to both the QCC and GPS curricula and developed a plan that ensured students were tested on concepts they had an opportunity to learn whether instruction was provided through the QCC or the GPS. This transitional blueprint was in effect for two academic years (2005 2006 and 2006 2007) before a solely GPS aligned GHSGT in English Language Arts (ELA) and Science was implemented. In the spring of 2008, all first-time eleventh-grade test takers had received only GPS instruction during their high school careers, and the GHSGT that these students took were aligned to GPS only; new test performance standards and cut scores were set. Beginning in spring 2008, a transitional dually-aligned test in Social Studies was administered. In spring 2010, the GHSGT in Social Studies was aligned exclusively to the GPS, and new test performance standards and cut scores were set. Due to the way the new mathematics curriculum was introduced into high school there was no transitional form created. In spring 2011, the GHSGT in Mathematics was aligned with the GPS, and new test performance standards and cut scores were established. Prior to this past spring, the GHSGT in Mathematics was aligned to QCC. With the transition to the GPS curriculum, students are required to take the test that best reflects the curriculum they engaged with during their high school career. For example, those students that entered ninth grade in or before the fall of 2003 must pass the QCC form of all the subject tests. Those students that entered ninth grade in the fall of 2004 are responsible for the transitional forms of ELA and Science as well as the QCC forms of Mathematics and Social Studies. Those students who entered ninth grade in the fall of 2005 or 2006 are required to pass the GPS forms of ELA and Science as well as the transitional form of Social Studies and the QCC form of Mathematics. Those students who entered ninth grade in the fall of 2007 are required to pass the GPS forms of ELA, Science and Social Studies and the QCC form of Mathematics. Students entering ninth grade in the fall of 2008 or thereafter are required to take the GPS-based GHSGT in all four content areas. Beginning in fall 2011, the GHSGT program will continue to offer repeat test-takers the form of the test (GPS or transitional) that became their graduation requirement when these students first entered high school as freshmen (i.e., ninth grade).
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An Accountability & Assessment Brief: 2010-2011 GHSGT Scale Scores Scale Score Ranges
Scores on all reports are expressed as scale scores. With the phasedin implementation of the Georgia Performance Standards (GPS), the GHSGT now has two score scaling systemsone for those content areas still based on Georgias Quality Core Curriculum (QCC) and the other for those content areas that have fully transitioned to GPS. In both scoring systems, the scale score reported for each content area is derived by converting the number of correct responses on the test (the raw score) to the GHSGT scale. Since the scale scores are equivalent across test forms within the same content area and grade, students obtaining the same scale score have demonstrated the same level of performance with respect to the Georgia QCC or GPS. Scale scores are comparable across all test forms and administrations for the same content/grade. For example, a scale score of 320 from one administration indicates the same examinee ability as a score of 320 from any other administration. However, for those subject areas that have transitioned to GPS, the GPS-based scale scores are NOT comparable to QCCbased scale scores from previous years since the content and test standards have changed. The content and associated performance standards differ for each content area assessment. Therefore, scale scores are not comparable across content areas. Scores on GPSbased GHSGT assessments are structured to range from 100 to 350 or above depending upon content area. Similarly QCCbased GHSGT assessments range from 400 to 600. Variations in test characteristics and student performance resulted in different lower and upper limits (also known as Lowest and Highest Obtainable Scale Scores) for each content area. The chart below shows the Lowest Obtainable Scale Score (LOSS) and the Highest Obtainable Scale Score (HOSS) that are applicable for the GHSGT content area forms. English/Language Arts Curriculum GPS QCC LOSS/HOSS 100/350 400/600 LOSS/HOSS 100/400 400/600 LOSS/HOSS 100/370 400/600 LOSS/HOSS 100/450 400/600 Mathematics Science Social Studies

Scale Scores and Performance Levels A process known as standard setting helps to define points along the scale
score range and gives additional meaning to student performance. Georgia educators and stakeholders from around the state participate in the standard setting process. For the GHSGT there are a different number of performance levels depending upon whether the content area is QCC-based or GPS-based. For the GPS-based tests, there are four performance levels: Below Proficiency, Basic Proficiency, Advanced Proficiency, and Honors. For QCC-based tests three performance levels have been defined: Fail, Pass, and Pass Plus. GPS-based tests range from 100 to 450. o Below Proficiency is defined by scores below 200. o Basic Proficiency is defined by scores from 200 to 234. o Advanced Proficiency scores range from 235 to 274 for ELA, Science, and Social Studies; for Mathematics, 235 to 284. o Honors are scores of 275 and above for ELA, Science, and Social Studies; for Mathematics 285 and above. QCC-based and transitional tests range from 400 to 600. o Fail scores are those below 500. o Pass scores vary by subject; ELA range from 500 to 537 ; Mathematics range 500 to 534; Science range from 500 to 530; and Social Studies range from 500 to 525. o Pass Plus scores also vary by subject; ELA 538 or above; Mathematics 535 or above; Science 531 or above; and Social Studies 526 or above.

How Cut Points Define Performance Levels

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An Accountability & Assessment Brief: 2010-2011 GHSGT Scale Scores

During the standard setting process, the participants, consisting of educators with content expertise, identify how many test questions a student must answer correctly to be classified as just meeting standard or just exceeding standard. The raw scores that define one performance level from another are called cut points. The cut points in raw scores are based on the initial administration for that test. When the performance standards are set for a test, the student ability (known as theta among psychometricians) at these cut points is established. These theta estimates are utilized to set the raw score points for each administration. Subsequently, the raw scores are converted to the scale score metric. This is the behind the scenes process that allows student performance from one year to another to be comparable. The thetas for the cut points that define the performance levels remain constant across years and correspond to the established scale cut scores. However, the corresponding raw scores for each cut may vary slightly because tests may differ slightly in difficulty from year to year. The chart below shows the scale cut scores for the Spring 2011 administrations of the GHSGT and the corresponding raw score for each grade/content area test that are applicable to the GPS test forms taken by eleventh-grade first-time test takers. This chart does not reflect information related to all of the applicable test forms for those students who are repeat test takers. Scale Score Cut & Corresponding Raw Cut Score for the GHSGT Administered to Eleventh-grade First-time Test Takers in Spring 2011 English Language Arts Mathematics Science Social Studies GPS GPS GPS GPS Test Performance (55 items) (55 items) (70 items) (80 items) Levels Scale Score Cut/ Scale Score Cut/ Scale Score Cut/ Scale Score Cut/ Raw Score Cut Raw Score Cut Raw Score Cut Raw Score Cut Below Proficiency NA NA NA N/A Basic Proficiency Advanced Proficiency Honors 200/31 235/43 275/50 200/28 235/39 285/49 200/34 235/49 275/62 200/40 235/59 275/68

Caution is always advised when looking at the raw score cut points. The number of correct responses (i.e., raw cut score) to obtain a performance level will vary slightly from year to year because test forms may vary in difficulty from year to year. However, through the equating process test developers are able to make scores from one administration comparable to another by reporting test results in scale scores. This is why scale scores should be used when making longitudinal comparisons for a subject area test that reflects the same curriculum. For more information on interpreting scores, find the 2011 GHSGT Score Interpretation Guide on the Georgia Department of Education website: http://www.gadoe.org/ci_testing.aspx?PageReq=CI_TESTING_GHSGT
This brief is produced by the Assessment Research and Development staff in the Georgia Department of Education. Questions should be directed to Assessment Research and Development staff at 404-656-2668.

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