The document discusses constructed response tests, as presented by Popham, emphasizing their complexity compared to selected response tests. It covers short-answer items and essay prompts, providing guidelines for creation and scoring. Additionally, it outlines the pros and cons of constructed response assessments, highlighting their authenticity but also the challenges in scoring accuracy.

1. Chapter 7:
Constructed Response Tests
Popham, W. J (2007). Classroom assessment: What teachers
need to know. Pearson/Allyn and Bacon.
Presentation by Jeanne Sinclair / UTSA
October 22, 2014

2. Constructed
Response
Selected
Response
•Predetermined list of
answers
• e.g. Multiple Choice
questions, True/False,
and Matching
•Open-ended assessment, e.g. fill-in-the-
blank, short answers, essays, oral
presentations, demonstrations,
portfolios, writing tasks
• a.k.a. Performance Assessment
•This chapter focuses on Short Answer
Items and Essays

3. It is said that constructed
response questions (like
essays) are more difficult
for students than
selected response
questions.
Do you agree or
disagree? Why?

4. Popham says…
Partial knowledge is not enough to
produce the correct answer in
constructed response questions.

5. Part 1: Short-Answer Items

9. Short Answer Items
• Student supplies a word, phrase, or sentence to
answer a question or complete a statement.
• These items usually show acquisition of
knowledge. However, they can be constructed
to demonstrate higher levels of thinking.
Examples:
Who was the first Prime Minister of Canada?
Columbus landed in this country in the year __________.
In 100 words or less, describe the water cycle.

10. Popham’s Guidelines for Short Answer Items
• Use direct questions, not incomplete
statements (especially for young students).
• If you use incomplete statements, construct
them so there is only one unique answer.
• The item should require a very concise
response.
• Use no more than one or two blanks in each.
• Make all blanks equal in length
• Use blanks at the end, not in the middle.

11. Let’s Grade the Test!

12. Let’s Grade the Test
Short Answer Item –
1. Ms. Joyce has dinner with three of her
friends. The four friends decide to split the
cost equally. The bill comes to $31.00, and
the women plan to leave a small tip. How
much should Ms. Joyce pay for her share of
the dinner? ____________________

13. Let’s Grade the Test
Short Answer Item –
2. _____________ consists primarily of
____________ and _____________.

14. Let’s Grade the Test
Short Answer Item –
3. ____________ is the measure of central
tendency that is most affected by extremely high
or low scores.

15. Let’s Grade the Test
Short Answer Item –
4. Teachers’ salaries should not be based on
their students’ test scores. Do you agree or
disagree? Explain. _______________

16. Part 2: Writing essay prompts

19. Essay Items…
• Are longer than short answer
• Are useful to gauge a student's ability to
synthesize, evaluate, and compose.
• Can be a “performance test” if it is a writing
sample.
• take time to create (prompts).
• sometimes have unreliable scoring.

20. Popham’s Guidelines for Essay Items
• Be clear about:
• how long response should be (preferably in
words)
• explicit description of task: as detailed as
possible
• time to be spent on each item and its value
so students know where their energy should
be spent
• no optional items
• imagine a quality response to see if the
essay prompt is reasonable

21. Let’s Grade the Test!

22. Let’s Grade the Test
Essay Item –
1.

23. Let’s Grade the Test
Essay Item –
2.

24. Let’s Grade the Test
Essay Item –
3. Using details and information from the article
(America’s Saltiest Sea: Great Salt Lake),
summarize the main points of the article.

25. Let’s Grade the Test
Essay Item
4. Scientists have found that oceans can
influence the temperature of nearby
landmasses. Coastal landmasses tend to have
more moderate temperatures in summer and
winter than inland landmasses at the same
latitude. List three coastal landmasses.

26. Let’s Grade the Test
Essay item–
5. Sample Question (10th Grade Social Studies)
Consider the time period during the Vietnam War and the
reasons there were riots in cities and at university campuses.
Write an essay explaining three of those reasons. Include
information on the impact (if any) of the riots. The essay
should be approximately one page in length. Your score will
depend on the accuracy of your reasons, the organization of
your essay, and brevity. Although spelling, punctuation, and
grammar will not be considered in grading, please do your
best to consider them in your writing. (10 points possible)

27. Part 3: Essay scoring

28. Popham’s Guidelines for Scoring Essays
• Holistic scoring vs. analytical scoring
• Holistic can include evaluative criteria, but
does not give points for each criterion
• Analytical: gives points for each category
• Hybrid: holistic for high achievers,
analytical for low achievers
• Make a key before you grade
• Decide if mechanics are important
• score all of the same item at one time
• Try to keep it anonymous

29. Let’s Grade the Test!

30. Let’s Grade the Test
Scoring –
1.
A high school class called U.S. Government Service.
"l was using a four-item essay examination. I worked up a
tentative analytic scoring guide for each item. My scoring
keys placed no emphasis on a student's use of mechanics.
l scored each student's response to all four items at a
single sitting, and I found I could usually interpret
students' responses more sensibly because, from the
student's name on the first page of the response booklet,
I could tell whose responses I was grading.”

31. Let’s Grade the Test
Scoring –
2. (From earlier example about Vietnam War)
Content Accuracy -- up to 2 points for each accurate reason
the riots ensued (6 points total)
Organization -- up to 3 points for essay organization (e.g.,
introduction, well expressed points, conclusion)
Brevity -- up to 1 point for appropriate brevity (i.e., no
extraneous or "filler" information)
No penalty for spelling, punctuation, or grammatical errors.

32. Constructed Response Pros and Cons

33. Popham says…
Authentic! Real-life
Requires that
students create
their responses
Time-consuming to
grade
Inaccuracies in scoring
In sum…”they give up scoring accuracy for greater
congruence between constructed response assessment
strategies and the kinds of student behaviors about which
inferences are to be made” (p. 150).

34. References
http://home.messiah.edu/~ab1418/cartoon.png
http://wamu.org/sites/wamu.org/files/styles/headline_landscape/public/
images/attach/08.15.12news-flickr-multiple-choice-test-pencil-edit_
0.jpg?itok=jErIcnEK
http://cache.boston.com/bonzai-fba/
Globe_Photo/2007/09/20/1190276115_1963.jpg
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-
zBRZTIY_MxE/Ui9i7ONkfnI/AAAAAAAAAFI/d4iY3Jp5ZX4/s1600/agree-to-disagree.
jpg
http://lunar.thegamez.net/greenenergyimage/pros-and-cons-of-alternative-
energy-sources/people-often-make-lists-of-pros-and-cons-when-
making-a-decision-1000x709.jpg
http://fcit.usf.edu/assessment/constructed/constructa.html