System and method for processing test reports

Abstract

A system and method enable processing and displaying of test results in accordance with information and specifications provided by the client requiring such services. Skills examined by a test are identified, and skill-by-skill analysis of test results is provided. Performance within constituent skill categories are compared to applicable standards, thereby providing criterion-referenced conclusions about a student's performance within each skill category tested. Evaluation and recommendation statements are generated for students or groups of students based on their test performance and procedures for automatically generating such statements are provided. Test results are also used to identify skills in which individual students and groups have the greatest potential for growth. Test reports are produced in print and electronically using the same electronic document structures and data source files to ensure consistency between the two display mechanisms. The analyses and reports generated provide instructional information tailored to the student's or group's needs, as identified by analysis of test performance. Teachers and administrators can track the progress of students and groups through useful, accurate, and easily accessible test reports.

1 . A method of providing test performance results for an individual test-taker comprising: 
 obtaining the individual test-taker's overall score achieved on test questions within a subject area that was tested on the test;    providing a statement relating to the test-taker's overall score achieved on the test questions within the subject area, the statement being selected from a group of predefined statements, each statement of the group of predefined statements being reflective of a different level of performance with respect to the test questions within the subject area;    listing two or more skills within the subject area;    for each of the listed skills, providing a score achieved by the test-taker on those of the test questions within the subject area deemed to test each of the listed skills;    for each of the listed skills, providing a comparative score representative of the score achieved by individual test-takers within a comparative population of test-takers on those of the test questions deemed to test each of the listed skills; and    providing a statement for each of the listed skills relating to the score achieved by the test-taker on those of the test questions deemed to test each of the listed skills, the statement being selected from the group of pre-defined statements based on a comparison between (1) the score achieved on the skill by the individual test-taker and (2) the score achieved on the skill by the individual test-takers within the comparative population of test-takers.    
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the comparative population of test-takers consists of a population selected from the group of populations comprising: 
 (a) all test-takers who took the particular test for which the performance results are being provided; and    (b) all test-takers who took the particular test for which the performance results are being provided and whose overall score achieved on questions within the subject area corresponds to a specific one of the predefined statements of the group of predefined statements.    
   
   
       3 . The report of  claim 1  wherein the score reported for each skill comprises: 
 (a) a percentage of correct responses on those of the test questions within the subject area deemed to test the skill; or    (b) a number of correct responses on those of the test questions within the subject area deemed to test the skill.    
   
   
       4 . The report according to  claim 1 , wherein the comparative score comprises a percentage of correct responses by the test-takers within the comparative population on those of the test questions within the subject area deemed to test the skill for which the score is reported; or a number of correct responses by the test-takers within the comparative population on those of the test questions within the subject area deemed to test the skill for which the score is reported.  
   
   
       5 . The report according to  claim 4 , wherein the comparative score comprises the average percentage or number of correct responses of all test-takers within the comparative population or a range of the percentage or number of correct responses of all test-takers within the comparative population.  
   
   
       6 . A method for generating statements for individual test-takers of a group of test-takers with respect to separate skills within a subject area assessed on a test, the method comprising: 
 (a) obtaining overall test scores achieved on test questions within the subject area as a whole for all test-takers of the group of test-takers;    (b) obtaining a set of separate skills within the subject area;    (c) for each of the separate skills, obtaining the scores achieved on those of the test questions deemed to test the skill for all test-takers of the group of test-takers;    (d) obtaining a score-to-statement mapping between (i) possible overall scores achievable by individual test-takers on the test questions within the subject area, and (ii) a set of statements used to describe the overall performance of individual test-takers with respect to the subject area, such that each statement of the set of statements correspond to an associated range of possible scores achievable by individual test-takers on the test questions within the subject area; and    (e) selecting from the information obtained in steps (a) through (d) one of the statements to describe the performance of each individual test-taker on each skill assessed on the test.    
   
   
       7 . A method of providing test performance results for an individual test-taker comprising: 
 obtaining the individual test-taker's overall score achieved on test questions within a subject area that was tested on the test;    providing a statement relating to the test-taker's overall score achieved on the test questions within the subject area, the statement being selected from a group of predefined statements, each statement of the group of predefined statements being reflective of a different level of performance with respect to the test questions within the subject area;    listing two or more skills within the subject area;    for each of the listed skills, providing a score achieved by the test-taker on those of the test questions within the subject area deemed to test each of the listed skills; and    providing a statement for each of the listed skills relating to the score achieved by the test-taker on those of the test questions deemed to test each of the listed skills, the statement being selected from the group of pre-defined statements relating to the test-taker's overall score achieved on the test questions within the subject area.