* Planning the Test

DEVELOPING * Selecting and

TOOLS FOR Constructing Test
Items and Tasks
CLASSROOM-BASED * Improving a
ASSESSMENT Classroom-Based
Assessment
is an integral part of instruction
that enhances, empowers, and
celebrates student learning.
Definitions:

 The process of collecting, synthesizing and interpreting

information to aid in classroom decision making.(Airasian
2005)

 Assessment refers to assessment carried out by teachers in

the classroom. (Mckay 2006)

 Plays a significant role in collecting information about

learners' learning and can also be used to support teachers'
teaching and learning (Rea-Dickins, 2001).
Source:https://www.ukessays.com/essays/english-language/definitions-of-assessment-and-classroom-based-assessment- english-
language-essay.php
 – Classroom -Based Assessments are the occasions when the
teacher assesses the students in the specific assessment(s)
that are set out in the subject or short course specification.
Classroom-Based Assessment can be produced in
– The digital, visual or audio formats and it may be
written, in these formats through the use of an interview or
supporte
d
presentation
.
Source: https://www.curriculumonline.ie/Junior-cycle/Short-Courses/SPHE/Assessment-and-reporting/Classroom-
Based-Assessment. Retrieved May 7
 o PLANNING THE TEST
– The main goal of classroom testing is to obtain valid, reliable
and useful information concerning student achievement.
STEPS FOR PLANNING:
Determining the purposes
Developing specifications
Selecting appropriate test items
Preparing relevant test items
Assembling the test
Administering the test
Appraising the assessment and using the result
Source: Bashir, Ayesha et.al., “Planning for Classroom Test”. Retrieved from Slideshare @ May 6, 2018
General Principles of Testing:
According to Ebel and Frisbie (1999) as
cited by Garcia (2008)…
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
Source : Gabuyo, Yonardo A., “Assessment of Learning”, Rex Publishing
 o SELECTING AND CONSTRUCTING
TEST ITEMS AND TASKS

Things to Consider:
Length of test
Weight to be given to each objective
Weight to be given to each level of taxonomy
Estimate number of items in each cell
Source: Google.com Source :Bashir, Ayesha et.al., “Planning for Classroom Test”. Retrieved from Slideshare @ May 6, 2018
 … in selecting appropriate type of test items, the tests
constructed by teachers maybe classified as 1) Objective Type
and 2) Essay Type

Selection Type
Supply Type • True or
• Short Objective false
Answer •
• Type Matching
Limitations Completion Type Strengths
 Cannot assess Type •  Can have
higher level Multiple many items
skills (problem Choice  Highly
formulation, structured
organization,  Scoring quick,
creativity) easy, accurate

Source : Bashir, Ayesha et.al., “Planning for Classroom Test”. Retrieved from Slideshare @ May 6, 2018
 Limitations
Inefficient for Strengths
measuring knowledge Can assess
Essay Few items (poorer higher level
Type

Scoring difficult
sampling) skills
Time consuming Classroom Test”. realistic
Source : Bashir, Ayesha et.al., “Planning forMore Retrieved from Slideshare @ May 6, 2018

However, there are another assessment

tool used like:
Performance Assessment
Portfolio Assessment
Oral Questioning
Self-Report Observation Technique Resource: Gabuyo, Yonardo A., “Assessment of Learning”, Rex Publishing
 Steps in Developing Assessment Tools

1. Examine the instructional objectives of the topics

previously discussed.
 It is the first step in developing assessing tools to
match the test items to the instructional objectives.

2. Make a Table of Specifications (TOS).

 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)
Source: Gabuyo, Yonardo A., “Assessment of Learning”, Rex Publishing
3. Construct test items.
General guidelines for test items constructions (Kubiszyn and Borich
2007)

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

Match items to intended outcomes at appropriate level of difficulty to provide valid

measure of instructional objectives. Limit the question to the skill being assessed.

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

Be sure the problem posed is clear and unambiguous.

Be sure that the item is independent with all other item. A hint to one answer
should not be embedded to another item.

Source: Gabuyo, Yonardo A., “Assessment of Learning”, Rex Publishing

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

Prevent unintended clues to an answer in the statement or questions. Grammatical

inconsistencies such as a or an give clues to the correct answers to those students who are
not well prepared for the test.

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

Avoid trick or catch questions in an achievement test. Do not waste time testing how ell the
students can interpret your intentions.

Try to write items that require higher order thinking skills,

Source: Gabuyo, Yonardo A., “Assessment of Learning”, Rex Publishing

Multiple-Choice Test: used to measure knowledge outcomes and other types of
learning outcomes such as comprehension and applications.
General guidelines in Constructing Multiple-choice Test

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

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

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

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

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

Source: Gabuyo, Yonardo A., “Assessment of Learning”, Rex Publishing

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 a best answer.

13. Avoid using “all of the above” options. It is usually the correct answer and makes the item
too easy for the examinee with partial knowledge.
Source: Gabuyo, Yonardo A., “Assessment of Learning”, Rex Publishing
Matching Type Test: consists of two columns. Column A contains the descriptions
(left) and Column B contains the options (right).
General guidelines in Constructing Matching Type Test

1. The descriptions and options must be short and concise.

2. The description must be placed at the left side and marked with column A. Then the option
must be at the right side and marked with column B.

3. There should be more options that descriptions.

4. Matching directions should specify the basis for matching. Failure to indicate how matches
should be marked can greatly increase the time consumed by the teacher in scoring.

5. Avoid too many correct answers.

Source: Gabuyo, Yonardo A., “Assessment of Learning”, Rex Publishing

6. When using names, always include the complete name to avoid ambiguities.

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

8. Arrange the option 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. Then a
maximum of seventeen items for secondary and tertiary level.

Source: Gabuyo, Yonardo A., “Assessment of Learning”, Rex Publishing

True or False Type Test: consists of two columns. Column A contains the
descriptions (left) and Column B contains the options (right).
General guidelines in Constructing True or False Type Test

1. Avoid writing a very long statement. Eliminate unnecessary word(s) in the statement.

2. It should contain only one idea in each item except sentences expressing cause-effect
relationship.
3. Avoid using opinion-based statement, if cannot be avoided, the statement should be
attributed to somebody.

4. Avoid using negative or double negatives. Construct the statement positively. If this cannot be
avoided, bold negative words or underlined it to call the attention of the examinees.

Source: Gabuyo, Yonardo A., “Assessment of Learning”, Rex Publishing

5. Avoid specific determiner such as “never”, “always”, “all”, “none”, for they tend to appear in
the statements that are false.

6. Avoid specific determiner such as “some”, sometimes”, and “may” for they tend to appear in
the statements that are true.

7. Avoid grammatical clues that lead to a correct answer such as “the”, “a”, and “an”.

8. Avoid statement that are directly taken from the books.

9. Avoid arranging the statements in a logical order or with specific patterns.

10. Make the directions very clear.

Source: Gabuyo, Yonardo A., “Assessment of Learning”, Rex Publishing

Supply Type Test (Subject Tests): requires the students to create and
supply their won answer to perform a certain task to show mastery of
knowledge or skills. It is also known as “constructed response test”. It
is classified into two as:
a. Short answer or completion type
b. Essay type test
Completion/Short Answer Type Test: students need to supply or create
appropriate word (s), symbol (s), or number(s) to complete a statement or answer
a question.
General guidelines in constructing Completion/Short Answer Type Test

1. The item should require a single word answer or brief and definite statement.

2. Be sure that the language used in the statement is precise and accurate.

3. Use direct question rather than incomplete statement.

4. Be sure to indicate the units in which to be expressed when the statement requires numerical
answer.

5. Avoid grammatical clues.

6. Do not select textbook sentences.

Source: Gabuyo, Yonardo A., “Assessment of Learning”, Rex Publishing
Essay Type Test: is appropriate when assessing students’ ability to organize and
present their original ideas.
General guidelines in constructing Essay Type Test

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

2. Formulate essay questions that present a clear tasks to be performed.

3. An item should be stated precisely and it must clearly focus on the desired answer.

4. All students should answer the same questions.

5. Number of points and time spent in answering the question must be indicated in each item.

6. Specify the number of words, paragraph or the number of sentences for the answer.

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

Source: Gabuyo, Yonardo A., “Assessment of Learning”, Rex Publishing
 Checklist for Constructing Test Items
YES NO
1. The item is appropriate to measure a learning objective.
2. The item format is the most effective means of measuring the desired
knowledge.
3. The item is clearly worded and can be easily understood by the largest
student population.
4. The items of the same format are grouped together.
5. There are various items types included in the assessment.
6. The students have enough time to answer all the items.
7. The test instructions are specified and clear.
8. The number of questions targeting each objective matches the weight of
importance of that objective.
9. The scoring guidelines are discussed clearly and available to students.
4. Assemble the test items.

General guidelines in assembling test

items.

1.Group all the items with similar format.

2. Arrange test items from easy to difficult.
3. Space the test items for easy reading.
4. Keep items and option in the same page.
5. Place the illustrations near the description.
6. Check the answer key.
7. Decide where to record the answer.
5. Check the assembled test items.

 It is very important to proofread the test items for

typographical and grammatical errors and make
necessary corrections, if any.

6. Write directions.

 Check the test directions for each item format to

be sure that it is clear for the students to
understand.
7. Make the answer key.

 Be sure to check your answer key so that the

correct answers follow a fairly random sequence.

8. Analyze and improve the test items.

 These should be done after checking, scoring, and

recording the test.
 o IMPROVING A
CLASSROOM-
BASED ASSESSMENT TEST
TEST WITH A
PURPOSE FRIDAY

“So you’re being

Blueprint or Draft
concise and
purposeful on
you’re
assessment.” Source: https://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/high-school-notes/2014/05/12/3-
ways-high-school-teachers- can-improve-assessments

Source: Google.com
IMPROVING A CLASSROOM-BASED ASSESSMENT TEST

“It’s just an important process for

Take time to teachers to reflect on the assessment
analyze and not to see it as the end of the
results learning process.”

Source: https://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/high-school-notes/2014/05/12/3-ways-high-school-teachers-
can-improve-assessments

Source: Google.com
IMPROVING A CLASSROOM-BASED ASSESSMENT TEST

"You may have asked a question

Collaborate with and thought it made perfect sense
Colleagues and then someone else reads it and
they are confused by it."

Fellow teachers
can give honest
feedback.

Source: https://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/high-school-notes/2014/05/12/3-ways-high-school-
teachers- can-improve-assessments

Source: Google.com
https://ph.images.search.yahoo.com/