Glossary

Term	Definition
Affinity Group	A type of blueprint element similar to a standard or SOCK. An affinity group, unlike a SOCK, is always used for test administration. An affinity group may optionally be used for reporting. Whereas standards are nested in a standard hierarchy in a Content Standards Repository (CSR), affinity groups do not belong to the hierarchy.
Association	The link connecting an item and a stimulus, or connecting two items.
Attributes	Characteristics of an item or stimulus, such as description and standard.
Benchmark	A standard or set of standards, used as a point of reference for evaluating performance or level of quality. Benchmarks are statements that describe concrete learning outcomes.
Blueprint	A set of requirements for a test form. It specifies the minimum and maximum number of total items and field test items that will appear on the form, along with other test form attributes.
Blueprint Element	Alignment used in a blueprint. There are three types of blueprint elements: Standard SOCK Affinity group
Cloze	Based on or being a test of reading comprehension in which the test taker is asked to supply words that have been systematically deleted from a text.
Content Level	A blueprint element representing a standard and allowing the standard to be used for the administration and/or reporting of a test.
Entity	An item or stimulus that is presented to a student for assessment purposes.
Item Bank	The item repository set up for a client or project.
Item Distractors	The incorrect choices available for an item.
Item Exemplar	An item sample or specimen used for providing instructions to students.
Item Graphic	A picture, a chart, a table, or an answer space that is unique to a particular test item. Note that this is different from a stimulus that is used by multiple test questions.
Item Key	The correct answer for an item.
Item Options	Used in multiple-choice item format only. These are the choices available for an item, one of which is the key (or answer).
Item Record	Consists of the item attributes (or characteristics of the item) as well as the item text (the stem/prompt, options, rubric) and any graphics (pictures, charts, tables).
Item Rubric	Used in constructed-response item format only. The rubric outlines the guidelines that should be used when scoring the question.
Item Stem	The part of an item that falls before the response area.
Item Text	The item stem/prompt, options, and rubric.
Level Of Effort	An item metric that estimates the amount of effort required by a student to answer the question.
Lexile	A framework of reading, which is an educational tool that uses a measure called a Lexile to match readers of all ages with books, articles, and other leveled reading resources. The Lexile Framework produces scores using quantitative methods, based on individual words and sentence lengths, rather than qualitative analysis of content.
Quantile	The numeric representation of what an individual is capable of understanding in mathematics or the difficulty of learning that skill.
SOCK	Stands for Some Other Category of Knowledge. A type of blueprint element similar to a standard or affinity group. By definition, unlike standards and affinity groups, SOCKs are used only for reporting, not for test administration. Whereas standards are nested in a standard hierarchy in a Content Standards Repository (CSR), SOCKs do not belong to the hierarchy. Some SOCKs define an organization of content standards that is different from the organization of the CSR. Others consist of other information that does not belong to the organization of the CSR; for example, Depth of Knowledge levels.
Standard	Also called a content standard, among other things. A learning goal for a student in a specific subject and grade (or course). Standards are usually adopted at the state level, and test items are written to measure achievement of a specific standard.
Stimulus	A graphic, piece of text, table, or chart that is used by multiple test items; in reading, this is often referred to as a passage. Note that this is different from an item graphic that is used by only one test item.
Stimulus Attributes	Characteristics of the stimulus, such as stimulus type and description.
Stimulus Graphic	A picture, chart, table, or map that is a part of the stimulus. The stimulus graphic could be the entire stimulus, or it could accompany some stimulus text.
Stimulus Record	Consists of the stimulus attributes (characteristics of the stimulus) and the stimulus text (the written text) and/or any graphics (pictures, charts, tables).
Strand	A description of the assessment’s area of coverage in terms of its relationship with the Learning Progressions. An example is below. The Read with Understanding assessment strand includes items from the following progressions: Vocabulary Language and text features Comprehension Reading critically
Submit	To enter an item or a stimulus into the review process; item writers have access to their items until they are submitted. CAI does not begin reviewing items until they are submitted.
TTS	Text-to-Speech.
Virtual Test	A test that combines multiple segments. Each segment exists as a test in ITS, and the configuration that defines whether an ITS test is a segment in a virtual test is set in FlightPlan. Downstream systems, such as the Test Delivery System (TDS), combine the segments into the virtual test.

Affinity Group

A type of blueprint element similar to a standard or SOCK.

An affinity group, unlike a SOCK, is always used for test administration.
An affinity group may optionally be used for reporting.
Whereas standards are nested in a standard hierarchy in a Content Standards Repository (CSR), affinity groups do not belong to the hierarchy.

Association

The link connecting an item and a stimulus, or connecting two items.

Attributes

Characteristics of an item or stimulus, such as description and standard.

Benchmark

A standard or set of standards, used as a point of reference for evaluating performance or level of quality. Benchmarks are statements that describe concrete learning outcomes.

Blueprint

A set of requirements for a test form. It specifies the minimum and maximum number of total items and field test items that will appear on the form, along with other test form attributes.

Blueprint Element

Alignment used in a blueprint. There are three types of blueprint elements:

Standard
SOCK
Affinity group

Cloze

Based on or being a test of reading comprehension in which the test taker is asked to supply words that have been systematically deleted from a text.

Content Level

A blueprint element representing a standard and allowing the standard to be used for the administration and/or reporting of a test.

Entity

An item or stimulus that is presented to a student for assessment purposes.

Item Bank

The item repository set up for a client or project.

Item Distractors

The incorrect choices available for an item.

Item Exemplar

An item sample or specimen used for providing instructions to students.

Item Graphic

A picture, a chart, a table, or an answer space that is unique to a particular test item. Note that this is different from a stimulus that is used by multiple test questions.

Item Key

The correct answer for an item.

Item Options

Used in multiple-choice item format only. These are the choices available for an item, one of which is the key (or answer).

Item Record

Consists of the item attributes (or characteristics of the item) as well as the item text (the stem/prompt, options, rubric) and any graphics (pictures, charts, tables).

Item Rubric

Used in constructed-response item format only. The rubric outlines the guidelines that should be used when scoring the question.

Item Stem

The part of an item that falls before the response area.

Item Text

The item stem/prompt, options, and rubric.

Level Of Effort

An item metric that estimates the amount of effort required by a student to answer the question.

Lexile

A framework of reading, which is an educational tool that uses a measure called a Lexile to match readers of all ages with books, articles, and other leveled reading resources. The Lexile Framework produces scores using quantitative methods, based on individual words and sentence lengths, rather than qualitative analysis of content.

Quantile

The numeric representation of what an individual is capable of understanding in mathematics or the difficulty of learning that skill.

SOCK

Stands for Some Other Category of Knowledge. A type of blueprint element similar to a standard or affinity group.

By definition, unlike standards and affinity groups, SOCKs are used only for reporting, not for test administration.
Whereas standards are nested in a standard hierarchy in a Content Standards Repository (CSR), SOCKs do not belong to the hierarchy.

Some SOCKs define an organization of content standards that is different from the organization of the CSR. Others consist of other information that does not belong to the organization of the CSR; for example, Depth of Knowledge levels.

Standard

Also called a content standard, among other things. A learning goal for a student in a specific subject and grade (or course). Standards are usually adopted at the state level, and test items are written to measure achievement of a specific standard.

Stimulus

A graphic, piece of text, table, or chart that is used by multiple test items; in reading, this is often referred to as a passage. Note that this is different from an item graphic that is used by only one test item.

Stimulus Attributes

Characteristics of the stimulus, such as stimulus type and description.

Stimulus Graphic

A picture, chart, table, or map that is a part of the stimulus. The stimulus graphic could be the entire stimulus, or it could accompany some stimulus text.

Stimulus Record

Consists of the stimulus attributes (characteristics of the stimulus) and the stimulus text (the written text) and/or any graphics (pictures, charts, tables).

Strand

A description of the assessment’s area of coverage in terms of its relationship with the Learning Progressions. An example is below.

The Read with Understanding assessment strand includes items from the following progressions:

Vocabulary
Language and text features
Comprehension
Reading critically

Submit

To enter an item or a stimulus into the review process; item writers have access to their items until they are submitted. CAI does not begin reviewing items until they are submitted.

TTS

Text-to-Speech.

Virtual Test

A test that combines multiple segments. Each segment exists as a test in ITS, and the configuration that defines whether an ITS test is a segment in a virtual test is set in FlightPlan. Downstream systems, such as the Test Delivery System (TDS), combine the segments into the virtual test.