FTCE Professional Education Practice Exam

What is a standardized test designed to do?

1. A assess student social-emotional skills

2. B evaluate teacher effectiveness

3. C measure knowledge and skills acquired through instruction

4. D determine a student's intelligence quotient (IQ)

The correct answer is: C measure knowledge and skills acquired through instruction

A standardized test is specifically designed to measure the knowledge and skills that students have acquired through instruction. These assessments provide a means to evaluate how well students have learned the material that has been taught in their courses. They follow consistent procedures for administration and scoring, allowing for comparisons across different groups of students, classes, or even schools. This type of testing is commonly used to gather data on student performance in specific subject areas, such as mathematics, reading, or science. The results can help educators to identify areas of strength and weakness in student understanding, guiding instruction and curricular decisions. In contrast, assessing social-emotional skills focuses on students’ behaviors and emotional well-being, which is not the primary purpose of standardized tests. Similarly, evaluations of teacher effectiveness pertain to how well educators teach rather than directly measuring student knowledge. Lastly, determining a student's intelligence quotient (IQ) involves different types of assessments aimed at evaluating cognitive abilities, which also falls outside the scope of standardized academic tests.