Math is still confusing....

[patsmor]

OK, I got my (California Basic Education Skills Test) CBEST scores today. The email says:

Reading Section: Scaled Score 52
Math Section: Scaled Score 51

(Note: We won't get the Writing Scores until Sept 6.)Note that each section score is reported on a scale ranging from 20 to 80. For the Reading and Mathematics sections, your score is based on

Comments

A number means what they mean it to mean

[metageek]

...no more, and no less. They can pick whatever scaling they want; about the only thing we can be reasonably sure of is that higher scaled scores indicate higher raw scores.

If it's a linear scale, then 52 means you got, um, 27 out of 50 right, and 51 means you got 26 out of 50 right. However, they could have picked it to generate a bell curve, or a modified bell curve (they could put the peak wherever they want it, and have the tails stretch out assymetrically). Or even a lemur curve (leap, leap!) if they really wanted to.

The upshot is: unless you can get some actual data from the test administrators, math won't help you. It'd just be myth-making. Sort of like a Greek observing lightning bolts to figure out the geometry of Zeus's hand. Geometry In, Garbage Out. :-)

O-kaayyy... thanks, guys!

[patsmor]

Yeah, yeah, you are a smartass, but while I don't say "Math is Hard!" and go off to fuss with Skipper's hairdo and make dinner for Ken, I did report to y'all that I had to spend time working on the computation part just to be sure I was doing the sums correctly. I've begun to overcome my math phobia in the last ten years (probably by working through Duncan's with him), but when he gets to Pre-Calculus this year, he's on his own.

I like metageek's answer best;-)

holyhippie, your explanation explains why you were doing math in graduate school and I was doing Medieval Literature. It's much easier to compute angels on the head of a pin than understand whatever it was you said. [Boinks head against screen again

Re: O-kaayyy... thanks, guys!

[holyhippie]

Actually, I do computers. The math intense class (introduction to scientific computing) killed me. I just could never wrap my brain around what a fast fourier transform meant.

I never pursued my masters (deep sigh) because at the time, Stanford required a pass on that intro to scientific computing class. Which is too bad, I enjoyed the class, and think I got something out of it. I just couldn't follow the math.

[holyhippie]

There's also no telling if each question is weighted evenly. They could weigh the easy questions disporportionally high (if you get *those* wrong you don't belong there as a teacher), or something else ... all I'd say is that unless you get the testing company to explain it, you really don't know.

If I remember my information about how some of the SAT and GRE testing worked, it doesn't work on the raw number of questions you get right or wrong. Instead, each question has a score value associated with it - as in if you were to score higher than that value you get it right, lower than that value you would get it wrong. They home in on the score you get by seeing that you get questions with a difficulty score higher than your final score wrong, and questions with a difficulty score lower than your final score right.

This is what I remember from prepping for the computer based GRE about 10 years ago. I nailed the analytical section.

Maybe I don't feel so bad...

[patsmor]

Analysis of the CBEST from the Technology explanation on the National Evaluation Systems (NES) enrollment form I received (~8 pt type ;-) I didn't read the back, as it was printed in medium grey on grey-blue paper and I didn't see it until I was filing stuff tonight...).DUH.
CBEST today is a 100 item multiple-choice test, 50 each in reading comprehension items and basic math. There is also a writing test with a set of protocols for assigning numerical grades. (Only 80 of the 100 multiple-choice items, however, are used for calculating reading and math scores. The remaining 20 items are used for constructing future versions of CBEST.)

I've been looking for some numbers on average CBEST scores across the state. Found these examples:

One of the UC's that spits out the teachers almost universally rated as being some of the best in the country has this as their goals for CBEST improvements 2000-2004:

Performance Indicators for 2003-04
There will be a 8% increase in the average CBEST scores.

CBEST Scores Goals:
By yearReadingMath

[cvirtue]

Unless I missed something, you didn't tell us if you passed or failed the tests, though!

[patsmor]

I'm sorry; it's in the quoted bits:

"For both California and Oregon, the passing score on each CBEST section is a scaled score of 41."

I made 51 and 52, respectively.