Test Construction

1. Leticia V. Catris, PhD
TEST CONSTRUCTION

2. HOW do we know
that our students
have learned what
we have taught
them?

3. “The aim of education is to teach the
child to think, not what to think”
John Dewey
Development of
functional literacy

4. OBSERVATIONS :
• The performance of boys in science, math, did not
significantly differ from the girls. Girls,
however, performed better in the content areas
of life sciences, environmental issues, and the
nature of science
• The students performed lowly in free -response
and open -ended types of tests
• Teachers recognize homework as very
important and use them to assess performance

5. • Other resource books were used by teachers in
selecting problems and applications for
assessment and evaluation.
• Teachers depended on the Teacher’s Guide in
presenting topics for instruction.
•
reference in the choice of problems
and exercises.
Textbooks were the major source of

6. • Major Emphasis on
• knowing basic facts
• understanding concepts
• applying concepts to solved problems and
develop explanations

7. • designing and conducting investigations
• communicating scientific procedures
and explanations in written and oral form
• Hardly emphasized

8. CURRENT TRENDS
 the subject matters in basic education
have been relegated to a supporting role
in favor of the promotion of process
skills and the development of functional
(scientific, technological, numerical)
literacy,

9.  the methodology has shifted from
one of “sharing problems solved”, i.e.
lecturing, reading, verifying, to one of
“shared problem solving” – questioning,
investigating, discussing,
designing activities

10.  the emphasis has transformed
from mere acquisition of knowledge
to students’ demonstration of their
ability to use the skills they have
learned and the conceptual
understanding they have developed in
the context of a real-world application.

11. NEW ROLES OF TEACHERS
Our role is no longer that of
preparing the child to fit into a
static society, but to educate
them to take part in an
improving society

12.  our focus should no longer be on
memorization of facts and development of
fixed habits, but should emphasize on
identifying and solving problems and
developing constructive habits of the mind
 our activities should no longer be
limited to reading, listening and
recalling, but should include experiences
and opportunities for guided practice of
thinking skills

13.  our evaluation techniques should no longer
be restricted to paper and- pencil tests, but
should be based on the child’s performance in
applying his/her learning

14. Paradigm Shifts in Education
Changes in the
Teaching/Learning
Process
Shift from teacher to
student centered
classroom
Importance of
collaborative learning Growing use of
technology in the
classroom

15. KNOWING WHAT THEY DO NOT KNOW
KNOWING WHAT THEY
NEED TO KNOW
KNOWING WHAT THEY KNOW

16. Measurement
Techniques: tests, ratings, observations and
interviews
Traditionally been defined as a systematic process of
assigning numbers to performance
The process by which traits, characteristics, or
behavior are differentiated

17. Evaluation
> Involves an interpretation of what has been gathered
through measurement, in which value judgments are
made about the performance
 Process of determining the merit or worth of
something

18. Classroom Assessment
• Gathering information on what pupils know,
what they can do, and what their dispositions are
 Process more focused on quantities
and /or testing procedures

19. Knowledge Acquisition Knowledge Application
comprehension
concept
formation
principle
formation
oral
discourse
composing
problem
solving
decision making
research

20. Information About Student Progress
evaluation
measurement
may involve
tests exams
can be
objective subjective
(regular)
can be
formative
summative
can be
norm-
referenced
criterion-
referenced
can be obtained
formally
informally
about
knowledge
skills
attitude

21. Test Construction Observations
• Test items are recycled over periods of
time.
•Test items are copied from books, and other
instructional materials.
•Test items do not match objectives of the
lessons.
•Tests items are constructed without careful
thinking/analysis/planning.

22. ASSESSMENT
TRENDS
Short-answer
items
Selected – Response
Items
• binary – choice
• multiple choice
•Interpretive
•exercises
Essay Items
• restricted response
• extended response
• constructing
• scoring
Performance
assessment

23. HOW TO’S OF
ASSESSMENT

24. Short-answer items are easy to construct
but are limited to assessing knowledge of
terminology or facts
short-answer items
require students to fill in the blanks of
incomplete statements or answer questions
with a word or phrase.

25. Checklist for Writing Short Item Tests
• Is there only one correct answer?
• Are questions from textbooks avoided ?
• Is it clear to the students that the answer is brief?
• Is the space provided for answers consistent
with the length required ?
• Are the words used in the item too difficult ?

26. EXAMPLE:
Poor: What does the term reptile mean ?
Improved: Name three characteristics of
reptiles
1.
2.
3.

27. True /False Items or Binary Choice Items
• Does the item contain a single proposition or idea ?
• Is the type of answer logically consistent with the idea ?
• Is the item stated positively ?
• Is trivia knowledge being tested ?

28. Example:
Poor: California is susceptible to earthquakes
because of the collision between oceanic
and continental plates.
Improved : Earthquakes in California are caused by
the collision between oceanic and
continental plates.

29. 1. Make the stem either an incomplete statement
or a question, preferably the latter.
When the stem is an incomplete statement,
place the blank at the end.
2. State the specific problem as clearly as
possible in the stem, and at a reading level
appropriate for the examinees.
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PREPARING
MULTIPLE-CHOICE ITEMS

30. 4. Make the options approximately equal in
length, appropriate and grammatically
correct in relation to the stem, and
plausible to anyone who does not know
the correct answer.
5. Arrange options having a natural
order (e.g., ages or dates) in that order,
otherwise randomly or alphabetically.

31. 6. In constructing distracters, formulate reasons why
examinees that do not know the correct answers may
select those distracters.
7. Popular misconceptions that are partially correct
often make good distracters.
8. Eliminate verbal associations between the stem and
options and other clues to the correct answer.

32. 9. Most multiple-choice items contain four or five
options, but two or three options may be equally
satisfactory, particularly in the lower grades.
10. Avoid or at least minimize negative expressions
(e.g., “not”), specific determiners (e.g., “always,”
“never”), and “all of the above,” “none of the
above,” and “more than one of the above.”

33. 11. Do not include interrelated or interlocking
items, in which the answer to one item gives a
clue to the answer to another item.
12. Use numbers to designate items, and letters to
designate options.
13. Have items reviewed and edited by another
experienced test construction before including
them on the test.

34. Essay:
• Is the targeted reasoning skill measured ?
• Is the task clearly specified?
• Is there enough time to answer the questions?
• Are choices among several questions avoided?

35. What is Performance
Assessment?
Any assessment in which the students
create an answer or a product that
demonstrates their knowledge and
skill.
Shows what students can do in a real-
life situation.

36. Why Do Performance Assessment?
• There are certain instruction types which needs non-paper and
pencil assessment.
• There is a clear distinction between being able to describe how a
skill should be performed and being able to actually perform it.
• With most written tests, the teacher only observes there result of the
students’ intellectual process, but not the thinking that produced the
result
• MOST RELEVANT TODAY: performance assessment provides a
away to assess students’ higher-level thinking

37. When is an assessment
“performance”?
• When students are asked to
demonstrate a process they
have been taught
• When the process to be
demonstrated can be broken
down into smaller steps
• When the process to be
demonstrated is directly
observable
• When the performance is judged
based on the performance on
the smaller steps

38. Developing Performance
Assessment
1. Have a clear purpose that identifies the decision to be
made from the performance assessment
2. Identify observable aspects of the student’s
performance or product that will be judged
3 Provide an appropriate setting for eliciting and judging
the performance or product
4. Have a predetermined scoring or rating criteria

39. Guidelines in identifying
performance criteria
• Identify the overall performance or task to
be assessed.
• List the important aspects of the
performance or product
• Limit the number of performance criteria
• If possible, have groups of teachers think
through the important behaviors included
in the task

40. Guidelines in identifying
performance criteria
• Express the performance criteria in terms of
observable student behaviors or product
characteristics
• Don’t use ambiguous words like good and
appropriate
• Arrange the performance criteria in the order in
which they are likely to be performed.
• Check for existing performance criteria before
defining your own.

41. Somewhat Authentic
Explain the steps when manipulating the
microscope in examining the body parts of a
tiny animal.
 Authentic
 Very Authentic
Get any specimen and examine this
using the microscope.
Demonstrate how to use the microscope in
examining the body parts of a tiny animal.

42. Purpose
Sample
knowledge
with maximum
efficiency and
reliability
Assess
thinking skills
and/or
mastery of a
structure of
knowledge
Assess
knowledge
during
instruction
Assess ability to
translate
knowledge and
understanding
into action
Students’
Response
Read,
evaluate,
select
Organize,
compose
Oral
answer
Plan, construct,
and deliver an
original
response
Major
Advantage
Efficiency –
can
administer
many items
per unit of
testing time
Can
measure
complex
cognitive
outcomes
Joins
assessment
and
instruction
Provides rich
evidence of
performance skills
Influence
on
Learning
Encourages
memorization
Encourages
thinking and
development
of writing
skills
Stimulates
participation
in
instruction,
provides
immediate
feedback
Emphasizes use of
skill and knowledge
in relevant problem
contexts
VARIOUS TYPES OF ASSESSMENT METHODS
Objective Test Essay Test Oral
Question
Performance
Assessment

44. Table of Specifications
LEARNING TARGETS
Content
Areas
Number
Of
Items
TOTAL
Number Of Items / %

46. Knowledge
- identification and recall of factual data
* who, what, when, where, how . . . ?
* describe . . . .
Comprehension
- organization and selection of facts, ideas
and concepts
* retell . . . in your own words
* what is the main idea of. . . . . ?

47. Application
- use of facts, rules, and principles
* how is . . . .an example of . . . . ?
* how is . . . . related to . . . . ?
* why is . . . . significant ?
* describe the uses of . . . . .
* show how . . . .

48. Analysis
- separation of a whole into component
parts
* what relationships exists between . . .
* how are they different . . .
* state the point of view . . .
* how does… compare contrast with . .
* what evidence can you present for . . .

49. Synthesis
- combination of ideas to form a new whole
* predict what would happen if . . .
* propose an alternative solutions for . . . .
* what would you predict/infer from . . . ?
* how would you create or design a new . . . ?
* what ideas can you add to . . . .?

50. Evaluation
- development of opinions, judgments,
or decisions
* what criteria would you use to
assess . . . ?
* do you agree . . . .?
* what do you think about . . . .?
* prioritize. . . according to . . . .

52. CONCEPTUAL UNDERSTANDING:
Which of the following body systems work closely
Together to make the body move?
a. Muscular and digestive systems
b. Skeletal and muscular systems
c. Digestive and skeletal systems
d. Circulatory and muscular systems

53. CONCEPTUAL UNDERSTANDING:
When people go to high places, they feel their
ears pop or crack. Why ?
a. Air is cooler
b. Air is cleaner
c. There are more air particles
d. There are less air particles

54. CONCEPTUAL UNDERSTANDING:
Why is the sun the only star that could be
seen during the day?
a. The sun is bigger than the other stars
b. The sun is hotter than the other stars
c. The sun is the closest star to the earth
d. The sun is the brightest star

55. REASONING AND ANALYSIS
What causes the high amount of rainfall
in tropical rainforests ?
a. Low temperature
b. High humidity
c. Strong wind
d. High air pressure

56. REASONING AND ANALYSIS
A liquid rises in the medicine dropper after releasing
a squeezed rubber bulb. Why does this happen to the
liquid?
a. It is pulled up by air pressure
b. It is pushed by air pressure
c. It is sucked up by the rubber bulb
d. It sticks to the sides of the medicine dropper

57. REASONING AND ANALYSIS
In what order will the flame go out?
1 2 3 4
a. 1 2 4 3
b. 2 4 3 1
c. 3 4 2 1
d. 2 4 1 3

58. REASONING AND ANALYSIS
Shown below is a graphical representation of matter
in its microscopic level where the atoms are presented
as circles.
I II III IV
1a. Which of the above represents a substance?
a. I and II c. I and IV
b. II and III d. II and IV

59. 1b. Why? Justify your choice.
a. they have a definite composition and distinct
properties
b. they are combinations of two different elements
c. they consist of 2 or more atoms of elements that are
chemically combined
d. they consist of a single type of atom that cannot be
decomposed into simpler substances by ordinary
chemical means

60. 2a. Which is an element?
a. I b. II c. III d. IV
2b. Why? Justify your choice.
a. it is a combination of 2 different types of elements
b. it consists of 2 or more substances that are
uniformly distributed
c. it consists of 2 or more atoms of an element
that are chemically combined
d. it consists of a single type of atom that cannot be
decomposed into simpler substances by ordinary
chemical means