achieve your 2017 assessment resolutions: how to improve your item writing skills and create better...
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Achieve Your 2017 Resolution to Improve Your Test Item Writing Skills and Create Better Exams Ainslie T. Nibert, PhD, RN, FAAN
Consultant
Email – [email protected]
Objectives Create/Edit test items that assess for application and analysis.
Critique exams for alignment with the NCLEX-RN® Test Plan.
Evaluate the relevance and effectiveness of current testing policies.
Resources for Developing Critical Thinking Test Items and Alternate
Format Items:National Council Website
www.nscbn.org◦ NCLEX Test Plans
◦ 2016 RN◦ Candidate FAQ◦ Alternate item formats FAQ◦ Exam Development FAQ
Source: https://www.ncsbn.org/9010.htm
Relationship betweenTesting & the Curriculum
Focus today: INTERNAL Curriculum
Evaluation(Teacher-made Tests)
Writing Critical Thinking Test Items Item Analysis Software & Blueprinting Test Item Banking & Exam Delivery
Internal EvaluationEvaluation of course objectives (faculty designed)
Five Guidelines to Developing Effective Critical Thinking Exams
Assemble the “basics.” Write critical thinking test items. Pay attention to housekeeping duties. Develop a test blueprint. Scientifically analyze all exams.
Critical Thinking Test Items Contain Rationale Written at the Application Level or Above Require Multilogical Thinking to Answer Ask for High Level of Discrimination
Source: Morrison, Nibert, & Flick (2006)
Housekeeping Tips
Rules Get rid of names Get rid of ‘multiple’ multiples Use non-sexist writing style Develop parsimonious writing style
Eliminate Delete scenarios
Write items independent of each other
“of the following…”X
… and More Rules
Use a question format when possible Make distracters plausible and homogeneous Include in stem words repeated in responses
… and More Rules Eliminate “all of the above” and “none of the above” Rewrite any “all except” questions Ensure that alternatives do not overlap Present choices in a logical order Vary correct answer
… and the MOST IMPORTANT Rule
Develop written testing policy Writing style Format
Does the test measure what it claims to
measure?
Content ValidityContent Validity
Use a Blueprint to Assess a Test’s Validity
Test Blueprint Reflects Course Objectives Rational/Logical Tool
Testing Software Program Storage of item analysis data (Last & Cumulative) Storage of test item categories
Consistency of Scores
Reliability Tools
Kuder-Richardson Formula 20 (KR20)—EXAMRange from –1 to + 1
Point Biserial Correlation Coefficient (PBCC)—TEST ITEMS
Range from – 1 to + 1
Item difficulty 30% - 90%
Item Discrimination Ratio 25% and Above
PBCC 0.20 and Above
KR20 0.70 and Above
Standards of Acceptance
one “absolute” rule about item difficulty
TEST ITEMS ANSWERED CORRECTLY BY 30% or LESS of the examinees should always be considered too difficult, and the instructor must take action.
…but what about high difficulty levels?Test items with high difficulty levels (>90%) often yield poor discrimination values.Is there a situation where faculty can legitimately expect that 100% of the class will answer a test item correctly, and be pleased when this happens?RULE OF THUMB ABOUT MASTERY ITEMS: Due to their negative impact on test discrimination and reliability, they should comprise no more than 10% of the test.
Item difficulty 30% - 90%
Item Discrimination Ratio 25% and Above
PBCC 0.20 and Above
KR20 0.70 and Above
Standards of Acceptance
Thinking more about item discrimination statistics on teacher-made tests…IDR can be calculated quickly, but doesn’t effectively consider variance of the entire group. Use it to quickly identify items that have zero/negative discrimination values, since these need to be edited before using again.PBCC is a more powerful measure discrimination.
Correlates the correct answer to a single test items with the total test score of the student.
Considers the variance of the entire student group, not just the lower and upper 27% groups.
For a small ‘n,’ consider referencing the cumulative value.
… what decisions need to be made about Test items?
When a test item has poor difficulty and/or discrimination values, action is needed.All of these actions require that the exam be
rescored.Credit can be given for more than one choice.Test item can be nullified.Test item can be deleted.
REMEMBER: Each of these actions has a consequence, so faculty need to carefully consider these when choosing an action. Faculty judgment is crucial when determining actions affecting test scores.
Standards of Acceptance Nursing
Nursing-PBCC 0.15 and Above
Nursing-KR20 0.60 - 0.65 and Above
3-Step Method forItem Analysis
1. Review Difficulty Level2. Review Discrimination Data
Item Discrimination Ratio (IDR) Point Biserial Correlation Coefficient
(PBCC)3. Review Effectiveness of Alternatives
Response Frequencies Non-distracters
..and a word about using Response Frequencies
A review of the response frequency data can focus your editing.
For items where 100% of students answer correctly, and no other options were chosen, make sure that this is indeed intentional (MASTERY ITEM), and not just reflective of an item that is too easy (>90% DIFFICULTY.)
Target re-writing the “zero” distracters – those options that are ignored by students. Replacing “zeros” with plausible options will immediately improve item DISCRIMINATION.
Critically-thinking Questions
Which intervention is most important?Which intervention, plan, assessment data is/are most critical to developing a plan of care?
Which intervention should be done first?
What action should the nurse take first?Which intervention, plan, nursing action has the highest priority?
What response is best?
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Fair/Common Universal Language
The client is running late for an appointment. The client understands Buddhist practices are peaceful. The client is on five different medications. The client ate a submarine sandwich. The alcoholic client with delirium tremens is agitated. After the client sneezed, the nurse said “bless you.” The nurse is giving a report on the client. The nursing unit is working shorthanded.
Source: Bristol, T. 2016) NCLEX® Updates (webinar series) Available: http://nursetim.com/webinars/nclex
Latest NCLEX® Test Item Format
Considerations Units of Measure•International Systems of Units (SI)•Metric•Imperial Measurement
Generic vs. Trade Names for Medications•Generic names only in most cases•References to general classifications of medications
Item Writing Tools for Success …
Knowledge
Test Blueprint
Testing Software
ReferencesMorrison, S., Nibert, A., & Flick, J. (2006). Critical thinking and test item writing (2nd ed.). Houston, TX: Health Education Systems, Inc.
National Council of State Boards of Nursing. (2016) 2016 NCLEX-RN test plan. Chicago, IL: National Council of State Boards of Nursing. https://www.ncsbn.org/RN_Test_Plan_2016_Final.pdf
Nibert, A. (2010) Benchmarking for student progression throughout a nursing program: Implications for students, faculty, and administrators. In Caputi, L. (Ed.), Teaching nursing: The art and science, 2nd ed. (Vol. 3). (pp.45-64). Chicago: College of DuPage Press.