Development of Classroom Assessment

Tools

General Principles of Testing

1. Measure all instructional objectives.2. Cover all the learning tasks.3. Use appropriate test items.4. Make test valid and reliable.5. Use test to improve learning.

Principles of High Quality Assessment

• Assessing the performance of every student is a very critical task for classroom teacher.

• It is very important that a classroom teacher should prepare the assessment tool appropriately.

Clarity of the Learning Target

• When a teacher plans for his classroom instruction, the learning target should be clearly stated and must be focused on student learning objectives rather than teacher activity.

• The learning outcomes must be SMART.

Appropriateness of Assessment Tool

1. Objective Test2. Subjective Test3. Performance Assessment4. Portfolio Assessment5. Oral Questioning6. Observational Technique7. Self-report

Different Qualities of Assessment Tool

1. Validity2. Reliability3. Fairness4. Objectivity5. Scorability6. Adequacy7. Administrability8. Practically and Efficiency

Step in Developing Assessment Tools

1. Examine the instructional objectives of the topics previously discussed.

2. Make a table of specification (TOS).3. Construct the test items.4. Assemble the test items.5. Check the assembled test items.6. Write directions.7. Make the answers key.8. Analyze and improve the test items.

Examine the Instructional Objectives of the Topics Previously Discussed

• The first step in developing an achievement test is to examine and go back to the instructional objectives so that you can match with the test items to be constructed.

Table of Specification (TOS)

• Is a chart or table that details the content and level of cognitive level assessed on a test as well as the types and emphases of test items (Gareis and Grant, 2008).

• Provides the test constructor a way to ensure that the assessment is based from the intended learning outcomes.

Preparing a Table of Specification

A. Selecting the learning outcomes to be measured.

B. Make an outline of the subject matter to be covered in the test.

C. Decide on the number of items per subtopic.D. Make the two-way chart as shown in the

format 2 and format 3 of a Table of Specification.

E. Construct the test items.

Different Formats if Table of Specification

A. Format 1 of Table of Specification

Specific Objectives

Cognitive Level Type of Test Item Number Total Points

Solve worded problems in consecutive integers.

Application Multiple-choice 1 and 2 4 points

• Specific Objectives– Refer to the intended learning outcomes stated as

specific instructional objective covering a particular test topic.

• Cognitive Level– Pertains to the intellectual skill or ability to

correctly answer a test item using Bloom’s Taxonomy of educational objectives.

• Type of Test Item– Identifies the type or kind of test a test item

belongs to.• Item Number– Simply identifies the question number as it

appears in the test.• Total Points– Summarize the score given to a particular test.

B. Format 2 of Table of Specification (one way table of specification)

Contents Number of Class Season

Number of Items

Test Item Distribution

K-C A HOTSBasic Concept Fraction

1 2 1-2

Addition Fraction 1 2 3-4Subtraction Fraction

1 2 5-6

Multiplication and Division of Fraction

3 6 7-12

Application/Problem Solving

4 8 13-20

Total 10 20

Cognitive Level

C. Format 3 Table of Specification (two-way table of specification)

Content Class Sessions

Rem. Und. App. Eva. Creating Total Items

Item Distribution

Concept 1 2 1-2

Z-score 2 4 3-6

T-score 2 4 7-10

Stanine 3 6 11-6

Percentile rank

3 6 17-22

Application 4 8 23-30

Total 15 30

Krathwohl’s Cognitive Level

Construct the Test Items

• In this section, we shall discuss the different format of objectives type of test items, the step in developing objective and subjective test, the advantage and its limitations.

General Guidelines for Constructing Test Items

1. Begin writing items far enough or in advance so that you will have time to revise them.

2. Match item to intended outcomes at appropriate level of difficulty to provide valid measure of instructional objectives.

3. Be sure each items deals with an important aspect of the content area and not with trivia.

4. Be sure the problem posed is clear and ambiguous.

5. Be sure that the item is independent with all the other items.

6. Be sure the item has one or best answer on which experts would agree.

7. Prevent unintended clues to an answer in the statement or question.

8. Avoid replication of the textbook in writing test items; do not quote directly from the textual materials.

9. Avoid trick or catch questions in an achievement test.

10. Try to write items that require HOTS.

Determining the Number of Test ItemsAssessment Format Average Time to Answer

True-False 30 seconds

Multiple-choice 60 seconds

Multiple-choice of higher level learning objectives

90 seconds

Short Answer 120 seconds

Completion 60 seconds

Matching 30 seconds per response

Short Essay 10-15 minutes

Extended Essay 30 minutes

Visual Image 30 seconds

Assemble the Test Items Guidelines

A. Group all test items with similar format.B. Arrange test items from easy to difficult.C. Space the test items for easy reading.D. Keep items and option in the same page.E. Place the illustrations near the description.F. Check the answer key.G. Decide where to record the answer.

Write Directions

• Check the test directions for each item format to be sure that it is clear for the students to understand.

Check the Assembled Test Items

• Before reproducing the test, it is very important to proofread first the test items for typographical and grammatical errors and make necessary corrections if any.

Make the Answer Key

• Be sure to check your answer key so that the correct answers follow a fairly random sequence.

Analyze and Improve the Test Items

• Analyze and improve the test items should be done after checking, scoring and recording the test.

Different Formats of Classroom Assessment Tools

• Type of assessment tool should always be appropriate with the objectives of the lesson.

• There are two general types of test item to use in achievement test using paper and pencil test. It is classified as selection-type items and supply type items.

Selection type or Objective Test Items

• Selection type items require students to select the correct response from several options. This is also known as objective test item. Selection type items can be classified as: multiple-choice; matching type; true or false; or interpretative exercises.

• Objective test item requires only one correct answer in each item.

Kinds of Objective Type Test

A. Multiple-choice Test– Is used to measure knowledge outcomes and

other types of learning outcomes such as comprehension and applications.

– Multiple choice item consist of three parts: the stem, the keyed option and the incorrect options or alternatives.

General Guidelines in Constructing Multiple-choice Test

1. Make a test item that is practical or with real-world application to the students.

2. Use diagrams or drawing when asking question about application, analysis or evaluation.

3. When ask to interpret or evaluate about quotations, present actual quotation from secondary sources like published books or newspapers.

4. Use tables, figures, or charts when asking question to interpret.

5. Use pictures if possible when students are required to apply concepts and principles.

6. List the choices/options vertically not horizontally.

7. Avoid trivial questions.8. Use only one correct answer or best answer

format.

9. Use three to five options to discourage guessing 10. Be sure that distracters are plausible and effective.

11. Increase the similarity of the options to increase the difficulty of the item.

12. Do not use ‘none of the above’ options when asking for best answer.

13. Avoid using ‘all of the above’ options.

Guidelines in Constructing the Stem

1. The stem should be written in question form or completion form.

2. Do not live the blank at the beginning or at the middle of the stem when using completion form of a multiple-choice type of test.

3. The stem should pose the problem completly.

4. The stem should be clear and concise.5. Avoid excessive and meaningless use of words

in the stem.6. State the stem in positive form.7. Avoid grammatical clues in the correct

answer.

Guidelines in Constructing Options

1. There should be one correct answer in each item.

2. List options in vertical order not a horizontal order beneath the stem.

3. Arrange the options in vertical order and use capital letters to indicate each option such as A, B, C, D, E.

4. No overlapping options; keep it independent.

5. All options must be homogenous in content to increase the difficulty of an item.

6. As much as possible the length of the options must be the same or equal.

7. Avoid using the phrase ‘all of the above’.8. Avoid using the phrase ‘non of the above’ or ‘I

don’t know’.

Guidelines in Constructing the Distracters

1. The distracters should be plausible.2. The distracters should be equally popular to all

examinees.3. Avoid using ineffective distracters.4. Each distracters should be chosen by at least

5% of the examinees but not more than the key answer.

5. Revise distracters that are over attractive to the teachers.

Example of Multiple-choice Items

1. Knowledge Level- The students are required only to recall.

The most stable measures of central tendency is the _______.A.MeanB.Mean and MedianC.MedianD.Mode

2. Comprehension Level- the students are required to describe.

Which of the following statements describe normal distribution?A.The mean is greater than the median.B.The mean median and mode are equal.C.The scores are more concentrated at the other

part of the distribution.D.Most of the scores are high.

3. Application Level- the students are asked to apply.

What is the standard deviation of the following scores of 10 students in mathematics quiz, 10, 13, 16, 16, 17, 19, 20, 20, 25?A.3.90B.3.95C.4.50D.4.25

4. Analysis Level- the students are required to distinguish.

What is the statistical test used when you test the mean difference between pre-test and post-test?A.Analysis of varianceB.T-testC.CorrelationD.Regression analysis

Advantage of Multiple-choice Test

1. Measure learning outcomes from the knowledge to evaluation level.

2. Scoring is highly objective, easy and reliable.3. Scores are more reliable than subjective type of

test.4. Measures board samples of content within a short

span of time.5. Distracters can provide diagnostic information.6. Item analysis can reveal the difficulty of an item and

can discriminate the good and poor performing students.

Disadvantage of Multiple-choice Test

1. Time consuming to construct a good item.2. Difficult to find effective and plausible distracters.3. Scores can be influence by the reading ability of

the examinees.4. In some cases, there is more than one justifiable

correct answer.5. Ineffective in assessing the problem solving skills

of the students.6. Not applicable when assessing the students’

ability to organize and express ideas.

B. Matching Type Test

• Matching Type Test has two column, the column A which contains the description and must be place at the left side while column B contains options and placed at the right side.

Guidelines in constructing Matching Type of Test

1. The description and options must be short and homogenous.

2. The description must be written at the left side and marked it with Column A and the options must be written at the right side and marked it with Column B to save time for the examinees.

3. There should be more options than descriptions or indicate in the directions that each option may be used more than once to decrease the chance of guessing.

4. Matching directions should specify the basis for matching.

5. Avoid too many correct answers.6. When using names, always include the

complete name (first and surname) to avoid ambiguities.

7. Use numbers for the descriptions and letters for the options to avoid confusions to the students that have a reading problem.

8. Arrange the options into a chronological order or alphabetical order.

9. The descriptions and options must be written in the same page.

10. A minimum of three items and a maximum of seven items for elementary level and a maximum of seventeen items for secondary and tertiary levels.

Advantage of Matching Type Test

1. It is simpler to construct than a multiple-choice type of test.

2. It reduces the effect of guessing compared to the multiple-choice and true or false type of test.

3. It is appropriate to assess the association between facts.

4. Provides easy, accurate, efficient, objective and reliable test scores.

5. More content can be covered in the given set of test.

C. True or False Type

• A “force-choice test”• The students are required to choose the

answer true or false in recognition to a correct statement or incorrect statement.

Guidelines in constructing True or False Test

1. Avoid writing a very long statement.2. Avoid trivial questions.3. It should contain only one idea in each item

except for statement showing the relationship between cause and effect.

4. It can be used for establishing cause and effect.

5. Avoid using opinion-based statement, it it cannot be avoided the statement should be attributed to somebody.

6. Avoid using negative or double negatives.7. Avoid specific determiner such as “some”,

“always”, “all”, “none” for they tend to appear in the statement that are false.

8. Avoid specific determiner such as “some” “sometimes,” and “may” that tend to appear in the statement that are true.

9. The number of true items must be the same with the number of false items.

10. Avoid grammatical clues that lead to a correct answer such as the article (a, an, the).

11. Avoid statement directly taken from the textbook.

12. Avoid arranging the statement in a logical order such as (TTTTT-FFFFF, TFTFTFTF, TTFFTTFFTT)

13. Directions should indicate where or how the students should mark their answer.

Advantage of a True or False Test

1. It covers a lot of content in a short span of time.

2. It is easier to prepared compared to multiple-choice and matching type test.

3. It is easier to score because it can be scored objectively compared to a test that depends on the judgement of the caters.

4. It is useful when there are two alternatives only.

5. The score is more reliable than essay test.

Disadvantages of True or False Test

1. Limited only to low level of thinking skills such as knowledge and comprehension, or recognition or recall information.

2. High probability of guessing the correct answer (50%) compared to multiple-choice which consist of four options (25%).

Supply Type or Subject Type of Test Items

• Require students to create and supply their own answer or perform a certain task to show mastery of knowledge or skills.

• Also known as constructed response test.

Constructed response test are classified as:

A. Short answer or completion typeB. Essay type items (restricted or extended

response)

Subjective Test Items

• Requires the student to organize and present an original answer (essay test) and perform task to show mastery of learning (performance-base assessment and portfolio assessment) or supply a word or phrase to answer a certain question (complition or short item type of test).

Essay test

• Is a form of subjective type of test.• Measures complex cognitive skills or process.

Kinds of Subjective Type Test Item

A. Completion Type or Short Answers Test- Is an alternative form of assessment because the

examinee needs to supply or create appropriate words, symbols or numbers to answer a question or complete a statement.

Two Ways of Constructing Completion Type or Short Answer Type Test

• Question form; and• Complete the statement form

Guidelines in Constructing Completion Type or Short Answer Type Test

1. The item should require a single word answer.2. Be sure that the language used in the statement is precise

and accurate in relation to the subject matter being tested.

3. Be sure to omit only key words.4. Do not leave the blank at the beginning or within the

statement.5. Use direct question rather than incomplete statement.6. Be sure to indicate the units in which the statement

requires numerical answers.7. Be sure the answer of the student is required to produce

is factually correct.

Essay Item

• Ability to organize and present their original ideas.

“Type of Essay Items”• Extended response essay• Restricted response essay

Restricted Response Essay Questions

Restricted response usually limits both the content and the response by restricting the scope of the topic to be discussed.Useful for measuring learning outcomes requiring interpretation and application of data in a specific area.

Example of Restricted Response

• Describe two situations that demonstrate the application of the law of supply and demand. Do not use those examples discussed in class.

• State the main differences between the Vietnam War and previous wars in which the United States has participated.

Extended Response Essay Questions

Extended response question allows student to select information that they think is pertinent, to organize the answer in accordance with their best judgment, and to integrate and evaluate ideas as they think suitable.They do not set limits on the length or exact content to be discussed.

Examples of Extended Response Essay Questions

• Compare developments in international relations in the administrations of President William Clinton and President George W. Bush. Cite examples when possible.

• Imagine that you and a friend found a magic wand. Write a story about an adventure that you and your friend had with the magic wand.

Types of complex outcomes and related terms for writing essay questions

Outcomes Sample Verb Sample Questions

Comparing compare, clarify, describe Describe the situation and differences between Phil. Educ. And Singapore Educ. System.

Interpreting convert, draw, estimate, summarizes

Summarizes briefly the content of second SONA of the present President.

inferring Derive, draw, estimate Using the facts presented, what is most likely to happen when ___?

Applying Arrange, compute, describe, solve

Solve the solution set of the equation X2+3X-24=0 using factoring method.

Analyzing Breakdown, describe, differentiate, list

List and describe the characteristics of a good assessment instrument.

Creating Compose, design, draw, formulate

Formulate a hypothesis about ”Mathematics Attitude”

Synthesizing Arrange, combine, design

Design a scoring guide in evaluating portfolio assessment.

Generalizing Construct, develop, explain

Explain the function of assessment of learning.

Evaluating Appraise, criticise, describe

Describe the strengths and weaknesses of using performance-based assessment in evaluating the performance of the students.

Guideline in constructing essay test items

1. Construct essay question used to measure complex learning outcomes only.

2. Relate directly to the learning outcomes to be measured.

3. Formulate essay questions that present a clear task to be performed.

4. An item should be stated precisely.

5. All students should be required to answer the same question.

6. Number of points and time spend in answering the question must be indicated in each item.

7. Specify the number of words, paragraphs or the number of sentence for the answer.

8. The scoring system must be discussed or presented to the students

Advantage of Essay Test1. It is easier to prepare and less time consuming

compared to other paper and pencil test.2. It measures HOTS.3. It allows students’ freedom to express individually in

answering the given question.4. Students have the chance to express their own ideas.5. It reduces guessing answer compared to any of the

objective type of test.6. It presents more realistic task to the students.7. It emphasizes on the integration and application of

ideas.

Disadvantage of Essay Test

1. It cannot provide an objective measure of the achievement of the students.

2. It needs so much time to grade and prepare scoring criteria.

3. The scores are usually not reliable most specially without scoring criteria.

4. It measures limited amount of contents and objectives.

5. Low variation of scores.6. It usually encourages bluffing.

Suggestions for Grading Essay Test1. Decide on a policy for dealing with incorrect,

irrelevant or illegal responses.2. Keep scores of the previous read items out of

sight.3. The student’s identity should remain

anonymous while his/her paper is being graded.

4. Read and evaluate each student’s answer to the same question before grading the next question.

5. Provide students with general grading criteria by which they will evaluated prior to the examination.

6. Use analytic scoring or holistic scoring.7. Answer the test question your self by writing

the ideal answer to it so that you can develop the scoring criteria from your answer.

8. Write your comments on their papers.