Reliability:

This is a term used by educators to describe the consistency with which a test measures the subject area. The AP Music Exam is reliable based on a type of reliability called internal consistency. This evidence looks at the degree to which the items on a test are doing their measurement job. On the AP Music Theory Exam, this relates to if the questions on the test are all measuring musical knowledge.In the link under the Grading header, one can see the break down of every question and its relation to music. The Standard Deviation, is an important measure of evidence of reliability used to see how close the students that took the test were to one another. The closer the SD is to 1 the more reliable are the inferences made from the test score. The link under Norm Group gives scores from the previous year.

Music Theory AP Test

What it is and why take it

Harrison Goodale Ian Jackson

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Sources: Popham, W. James. Classrrom Assessment: What teachers Need to Know p. 61-75, 83-104, 307-329 Collegeboard.org

Classroom Assessment

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What is The AP Music Test?

Purpose of AP Music Test
-The exam tests a students understanding of musical structure and compositional procedures through recorded and notated examples. It also determines eligibility for college credit as well as qualification for scholarships at Universities and Colleges. The AP music theory test is a five-part test that assesses:

Is The AP Music Test Standardized? Yes, this is a type of standardized test, more specifically a criterion-based aptitude test. A a criterion test is a type of assessment used to predict future success in a similar subject area. Interpretations of standardized scores can be also called relative interpretations because your students scores are compared against other students taking the test or have taken the test in the past. This differs from most classroom tests because scores evaluated with absolute inferences. Teachers in classroom settings are looking to see the degree to which students have mastered a skill.

Is the Music AP Test Accurate?

The accuracy of the AP Music Theory test can be broken down into two main ideas. Validity and Reliability.

Validity is a term used by educators

to describe whether or not the testbased inferences are in line with what the test claims to be measuring. It is misleading to talk about if a test is valid or not valid, rather one should focus on the relationship between student status and curricular aims. Evidence for the Validity of test-based inferences for the AP Music Theory test are Content related, and criterion related. Content Related- how well does the test represent the subject matter. Go to this link to see an in depth look at the content of The Music Theory Exam, http://www.collegeboard.com/student/te sting/ap/music/exam.html?musictheory Criterion Related- how much confidence can be placed in the scores of the test to predict how well a student will perform on a criterion variable,-or some test taken in the future. Educators use the term Criterion-Related Evidence of Validity, to describe the relationship between student performance on the AP test and how well they perform on future assessments.

Grading
The two sections are weighted 45% and 55% respectively. These are also divided into subscores from the total or composite grade. Much like the SATs or ACTs, this test is based on a scale-score interpretation. There is an extensive rubric that is used and constructed prior to testing. Scoring guidelines can be found at this web address: http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testin g/ap/music/samp.html?musictheory This type of rubric is defined by educators as Item Response Theory, or ITR. This means that the scale-score takes into account the difficulty and technical properties of each item on the test. Students scores are interpreted through using percentiles. The student taking the test will have their score compared to a norm-group, What is a Norm Group? A norm group is a large sample of students that have been administered the test prior to publication. In the case of the AP music test, the scores are based on a global norm group. The distributions for the May 11 test can be found at this web address

I. II. III. IV. V.

Musical Terminology Notational Skills Basic Compositional Skills Score Analysis (with or without aural stimulus) Aural Skills

What is a Standardized Test?

A standardized test is a type of assessment form designed to collect a criterion-based inference based on a pre-determined rubric. In regard to the AP Music Test, there are two sections that use notated and recorded examples to test musical understanding. These two sections use a combination of selected- response(multiple choice) and constructed-response questions(short answer or essay and performance)