Lecture Notes 3 - Assessment in Learning 1
Lecture Notes 3 - Assessment in Learning 1
Introduction
The instructional objectives must be specific, measurable and observable. Teachers must develop test items that should match
with the instructional objectives appropriately and accurately.
• Assessing the performance of every student is a very critical task for classroom teacher.
• Teacher-made tests are developed by a classroom teacher to assess the learning progress of the students within classroom.
• The strengths of a teacher-made test lie on its applicability and relevance in the setting where they are utilized.
• Its weaknesses are the limited time and resources for the teacher to utilize the test and also some of the technicalities
involved in the development of the assessment tools.
• Test constructors believed that every assessment tool should possess good qualities.
• Validity and reliability are considered to be the most common technical concepts in assessment.
• Assessment should be carefully developed so that it may serve whatever purpose it is intended for and the test results must
be consistent with the types of assessment that will be utilized.
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.
The performance task of the students should also be clearly presented.
The teacher should also discuss clearly with the students the evaluation procedures, the criteria to be used and the skills to be
assessed in the task.
Appropriateness of Assessment Tool
The type of test used should always match the instructional objectives or learning outcomes of the subject matter posed
during the delivery of the instruction.
Teachers should be skilled in choosing and developing assessment methods.
Objective test
Requires student to select the correct response from several alternatives or to supply a word or short phrase to answer a
question or complete a statement.
It includes true-false, matching type, & multiple-choice questions.
The word objective refers to the scoring.
Subjective test
Permits the student to organize and present an original answer.
It includes either short answer or long general questions.
This type of test has no specific answer.
It is scored on an opinion basis.
Performance assessment
Students are asked to perform real-world tasks.
It can measure learning objectives which focus on the ability of the students to demonstrate skills or knowledge in real-life
situations.
Portfolio assessment
Assessment based on the systematic, longitudinal collection of student work created in response to specific known
instructional objectives and evaluated in relation to the same criteria.
Oral questioning
Collecting assessment data by asking questions.
The most commonly used of all forms of assessment in class.
The ability of the students to communicate orally is very relevant to this type of assessment; a form of formative assessment.
Observation Technique
The teacher will observe how students carry out certain activities either observing the process or product.
There are two types of observation techniques: formal and informal observations.
Self-report
The responses of the students may be used to evaluate both performance and attitude.
Assessment tools could include sentence completion, Likert scales, checklists, or holistic scales.
Validity
-The degree to which a test measures what it intends (purports, claim, suppose) to measure or the truthfulness of the
response.
-The validity of a test concerns what the test measures and how well it does so.
Example: To assess the validity of teacher-made test, it is necessary to consider what kind of teacher-made test is supposed to
measure and how well it serves its purpose.
Validity
-No test can be said to have a “high” or “low” validity in the abstract.
-Its validity is determined with reference to the particular use for which the test is being considered.
-The validity of the test must always be considered in relation to the purpose it is to serve.
-A valid test is always valid. This means a valid test had veracity or truthfulness of the answer.
Example: Social Science test is administered twice to second year college teacher education students. The answer of Student C on
Item 8 “What is the capital of Zamboanga del Norte?” is Dipolog City. In the second administration, his answer is still the same on Item
8. His answer is both valid and reliable.
Valid because his answer is correct and reliable due to the consistency of his answer.
Reliability
-This means that the extent in which a test is consistent and dependable. The test agrees with itself.
-It is concerned with the consistency of responses from moment to moment.
-Even if a student takes the same test twice, the test yields the same results. However, a realizable test may both always be valid.
Example: Student D took Mathematics test twice. His answer is eight (8) to Item 9, “How many sides are there in heptagon?” In the
second administration of the test, his answer to the same question remains the same, 8. Thus, his response is reliable due to
consistency of responses, but not valid because the correct answer is seven (7). Hence, a reliable test may be always be valid.
Practicability
It means the test can be satisfactorily used by teachers and researchers without undue expenditure of time, money and effort. In other
words, practicability means usability.
1. Ease of Administration
Instruction must be complete and precise.
As a rule, group test are easier to administer than individual tests. The direction is given only once to group of examinees
thus, saves time and effort on the part of the examiner or teacher.
2. Ease of Scoring
Ease of scoring depends upon the following
Construction of the test is objective
Answer keys are adequately prepared
Scoring directions are fully understood
Tips: *It is easier if examinees are instructed to write their answer as letter or number
or word in one column at the right. It is obsolete and impractical to let the
examinees write their response column before the item or left column.
3. Ease of Interpretation and Application
Result of test are easy to interpret and apply if tables are presented.
All scores must be given equivalent from the tables without necessity of computation
As a rule, norms must be based on age and grade/year level as in the case of school achievement tests.
It is also desirable if all achievement test must be provided with separate norms for rural and urban learners and various
degrees of mental ability.
4. Low Cost
It is more practical if the test is low cost material-wise. It is also economical if test can be reused by future teachers.
5. Proper Mechanical Make-up
A good test must be printed clearly in an appropriate font size for the grade or year level the test is intended to be given.
Careful attention to the pictures and illustrations must be given to lower grades.
Justness
It is the degree to which the teacher is fair in assessing the grades of the learners .
The learner must be informed on the criteria they are being assessed.
Example: In a Mathematics class, the criteria are quizzes, 30%; assignment and class participation, 30%; departmental test, 30%; and
character, 10% with a total of 100%.
Character includes punctuality and regularity of attendance, industry, courtesy and honesty.
The teacher must be just in assessing the achievements of the learners based on the criteria.
MORALITY IN ASSESSMENT
• It is the degree of secrecy of grades of the learners.
• Morality of ethics in assessment of test results or grades must be confidential to avoid slow learners from embarrassment.
• Learners who passed the test with flying colors or the honor students, the top ten must be published at the bulletin board as
incentive.
• Learners with low scores or grades must be kept confidential.
• Only the concerned learners and the teacher should be aware of the test results or grades.
• Parents whose children are low achievers must be informed in order that they can advise their children to study hard or hire a
tutor to assist their children in their studies.
ETHICS IN ASSESSMENT
Teachers should free the students from harmful consequences of misuse or overuse of various assessment procedures such
as embarrassing students and violating student right to confidentiality.
Teachers should be guided by laws and policies that affect their classroom assessment.
Administrators and teachers should understand that it is inappropriate to use standardized student achievement to measure
teaching effectiveness.
TEST
It is a systematic form of assessment that answer the question.
How well does the individual perform – either in comparison with others or in comparison with a domain of performance task?
Purposes/Uses of Test
Standardized Test
This is carefully prepared by experts in the light of accepted objectives. Exact procedures in controlling the method of
administration and scoring are provided.
• Constructed by a professional item writer, cover a large domain of learning tasks with just few items measuring each specific
task.
• items are of average difficulty and omits very easy and very difficult items
• emphasize discrimination among individuals in terms of relative level of learning
Teacher-Made Test/Non-Standardized Test
• Constructed by a classroom teacher, give focus on a limited domain of learning tasks with relatively large number of items
measuring each specific task.
• matches item difficulty to learning tasks, without alternating item difficulty or omitting easy or difficult items,
• Emphasize description of what learning tasks students can and cannot do/perform.
Ability Test
A combination of verbal and numerical ability, reasoning and computations.
Aptitude Test
This test is a predictive measure of a person’s likelihood of benefit from instruction or experience in a given field, such as art,
music, mechanical task, clerical work, academic studies.
Teacher-Made/Non-Standardized Test
Test constructed and prepared by classroom teachers which measure and appraise student progress in terms of specific
classroom/ instructional objectives.
Objective test is a type of test in which two or more evaluators give an examinee the same score.
These are in the form of a single word or phrase or symbol.
Supply test is a type of test that requires the examinees to supply an answer, such as an essay test item or completion or short answer
test item.
Supply/Constructed/Free Response
o Short-Answer
o Completion
o Identification
o Fill in the Blanks
o Enumeration
Fixed-response test is a type of test that requires the examinees to select an answer from a given option such as multiple-
choice test, matching type of test, or true/false test.
o Selected/Fixed Response
Matching Type
True-False/Alternative Response/Alternate response/Binary-Choice/Binomial Choice
Multiple Choice
a. Limited Response Type
This requires the student to select the answer from a given number of alternatives or choices.
Multiple Choice Test
It consists of a stem each of which present three to five alternatives or options in which only one is correct or definitely
better than the other. The correct option choice or alternative in each item is merely called answer and the rest of the
alternatives are called distracters or decoys or foils.
True-False or Alternative Response
This consists of declarative statements that one has to respond or mark true or false, right or wrong, correct or incorrect,
yes or no, fact or opinion, agree or disagree and the like. It is made up of items which allow dichotomous responses.
Matching Type
This consists of parallel columns with each word, number or symbol in one column being matched to a word sentence, or
phrase in the other column. The items in column I or A for which a match is sought are called premises and the items in
column II or B are called responses.
Subjective test is a type of test in which the scores are influenced by the judgement of the evaluators, meaning there is no one correct
answer.
Educational Test
An achievement test which aims to measure a person’s knowledge, skills, abilities, understanding, and other outcomes in
subjects taught in school or measures the results/effects of instruction. Achievement test in Math/English
Unstructured (unrestricted test)– the examinee is free to respond in any way he likes, thinks, feels, or has experienced and there are no
incorrect answers. Ex. projective tests
Individual test- administered to only one person at a time using careful oral questioning. Ex. Personality test
Group test – given to more than one person at a time or group of individuals, questions are typically answered using paper and pencil
technique. Ex. IQ test and achievement test
Types of Test (According to the degree to which words are used in test items and in learner’s response)
Verbal Test
It is of the paper-pencil test variety but questions may be presented orally or in written form or objects may be presented
for identification.
It is one in which words are very necessary and the examinee should be equipped with vocabulary in attaching meaning to
or responding to test items.
Nonverbal Test
A minimum amount of language is used. The test composed mostly of symbols, may be written or given orally but the
answers are given solely in numbers, graphical representations, or three dimensional objects or materials.
One on which words are not that important, student responds to test items in the form of drawings, pictures or designs.
PSYCHOLOGICAL TEST
This measures an individual’s ability or personality as developed by general experience.
This also aims to measure students’ intangible aspects of behavior. i.e. Intelligence, attitudes, interests and aptitudes.
Personality Test
A test which measures the ways in which individuals’ interest with other individuals (or in terms of the roles an individual
has) ascribed to himself and adopts in the society. This is designed to measure some aspects of an individual’s personality.
Intelligence Quotient Test
This is a composite test made of parts that have been found to correlate well with some practical measure of intellectual
ability, such as success in school. It measures general mental ability.
Intellectual Test
It measures the intelligence quotient (IQ) of an individual as very superior, superior, high average, average, low average,
borderline or mentally defective. Its function is to establish the ability to think abstractly or to organize parts of a situation
into a coherent whole.
Aptitude Test
This is designed to indicate a person’s potential ability for performance of a type of activity as in musical aptitude test,
prognostic test, scholastic aptitude test, mechanical aptitude test and the like. This type of test measures special ability or
talent.
PROJECTIVE TESTS
These were developed in an attempt to eliminate some of the major problems inherent in the use of self-report measures
such as the tendency of some respondents to give “socially acceptable responses”.
The purpose of such tests are usually not obvious to respondents, the individual is typically asked to respond ambiguous
items.
The most commonly used techniques is the method of association, this technique asks the respondent to react to a stimulus
such as a picture, inkblot or word.
The stimulus is usually unstructured and produces responses reflecting the person’s individuality.
o Rorschach Test
This is consisting of inks blots which the subject interprets and his interpretations reveal his personality.
o Thematic Apperception Test
This is consisting of standardized pictures which the respondent interprets and his interpretations will
reveal his values, motives, and other aspects of his personality.
o Personality Test
This determines an individual’s personal characteristics. i.e. emotional adjustment or tendencies toward
introversion or extroversion, and may be arranged for self-rating, or for rating by other persons. This test
also measures dominance and submissiveness.
o Locus of Control Test
A 13-item questionnaire developed by Rotter (1966). It measures generalized expectancies for internal
versus external control of reinforcement.
People with an internal locus of control believe that their own actions determine the rewards that they
obtain, while those with an external locus of control believe that their own behavior doesn't matter much
and that rewards in life are generally outside of their control.
Scores range from 0 to 13. A low score indicates an internal control while a high score indicates external
control.
NON-PROJECTIVE TESTS
Personality Inventories
This presents a list of questions or statements describing behaviours characteristic of certain personality traits and the
individual is asked to indicate (yes or no, undecided) whether the statement describes her or him.
Creative Test
Test of Creativity are really tests designed to measure those personality characteristics that are related to creative
behaviour.
One such trait is referred to as divergent thinking; unlike convergent thinkers who tend to look for the right answer divergent
thinkers tend to seek alternatives
Interest Inventories
An interest inventory asks an individual to indicate personal dislike, such as kinds of activities he or she likes to engage in.
Two-way TOS
The test is designed to reflect the levels of cognitive behavior per test content based on the theory behind cognitive testing.
Example: The common framework for testing at present in the DepEd Classroom Assessment Policy is the Revised Bloom’s
Taxonomy (DepEd, 2015).
Three-way TOS
The test is designed to reflect the features of one-way and two-way.
NOTE:
* The number of item for each level will depend on the skills the teacher wants to develop in his students. In the case of tertiary level,
the teacher must develop more higher-order thinking skills (HOTS) questions.
*For elementary and secondary levels, the guidelines in constructing test will be as stipulated in the DepEd Order 33, Series 2004 must
be followed. That is, factual information 60%, moderately difficult or more advanced questions 30%, and HOTS 10% for distinguishing
honor students.
General Guidelines for Constructing Test Items (Kubiszyn & Borich, 2007)
1. Begin writing items far enough or in advance so that you will have time to revise them;
2. Match items to intended outcomes at appropriate level of difficulty to provide valid measure of instructional objectives. Limit the
questions to the skill being assessed;
3. Be sure each item deals with an important aspect of the content area and not with trivia;
4. Be sure the problem posed is clear and unambiguous;
5. Be sure that the item is independent with all other items. The answer to one item should not be required as a condition in answering
the next item. A hint to one answer should not be embedded to another item;
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. Grammatical inconsistencies such as a or an give clues to the
correct answer to those students who are not well prepared for the test;
8. Avoid replication of the textbook in writing test items; do not quote directly from the textual materials. You are usually not interested
in how well students memorize the text. Besides, taken out of context, direct quotes from the text are often ambiguous;
9. Avoid tricky or catchy questions in an achievement test. Do not waste time testing how well the students can interpret your
intentions; and
10. Try to write items that require higher order thinking skills.
Determining the number of test items
* Consider the following average time in constructing the number of test items.
*The length of time and the type of item used are also factors to be considered in determining the number of items to be constructed in
an achievement test.
* The number of items included in a given assessment will also depend on the length of the class period and the type of items utilized.
ESSAY ITEMS
Extended Response Essays
* Allows the students to determine the length and complexity of the response.
* Useful in assessing the synthesis and evaluation skills of the students.
Examples:
1. Present and describe the modern theory of evolution and discuss how it is supported by evidence from the areas of (a) comparative
anatomy, (b) population genetics.
2. From the statement, “Wealthy politicians cannot offer fair representation to all the people.” What do you think is the reasoning of the
statement? Explain your answer.
Restricted Response Essays
* Places strict limits on both content and the response given by the students.
* The content is usually restricted by the scope of the topic to be discussed and the limitations on the form of the response is indicated
in the question.
Examples:
1. List the major facts and opinions in the first state of the nation address (SONA) of Pres. Duterte. Limit your answer to one page only.
The score will depend on the content, organization and accuracy of your answer.
2. Point out the strengths and weaknesses of a multiple-choice test. Limit your answer to five strengths and five weaknesses. Explain
each answer in not more than two sentences.
Guidelines in Constructing Essay Test Items
1. Construct essay question used to measure complex learning outcomes only.
2. Essay questions should 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 and it must clearly focus on the desired answer.
5. All students should be required to answer the same question.
6. Number of points and time spent in answering the question must be indicated in each item.
7. Specify the number of words, paragraphs or the number of sentences for the answer.
8. The scoring system must be discussed or presented to the students.