Final answer:
Standardized tests are used to diagnose students' strengths and weaknesses, which is true. They must be normed and standardized on a representative sample, and while the No Child Left Behind Act included students with disabilities in these tests, it also led to increased dropout rates and 'teaching to the test' practices that focused more on test prep than on broader educational goals. Hence, option (a) is correct.
Step-by-step explanation:
Standardized tests can indeed be a tool for teachers to diagnose students' strengths and weaknesses; hence, the answer is true.
To ensure that a test is normed and standardized, it must be tested on a representative sample. This means that the test should be administered to a diverse group of individuals that accurately reflects the population of the group the test is intended to measure. This is crucial for the validity of the test results. The process of standardization also includes ensuring that the administration, scoring, and interpretation procedures are consistent across different instances of the testing.
Under the No Child Left Behind Act, which focused heavily on standards and standardized testing, students with disabilities were to work toward the same standards and take the same tests (with accommodations, if needed) as students without disabilities. However, the outcomes highlighted issues such as an increase in dropout rates and some schools being less welcoming to students with disabilities.