Test Review: Chapter 6 Page 145: Why are achievement tests used? 1 To gather formal evidence about...

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Classroom Assessment: Concepts and Applications

Chapter 7: Improving

Achievement Tests

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How can we as teachers make test results valid and

reliable?• Assembling Tests and Administering

Tests• Understanding and Addressing

Cheating• Scoring Tests• Giving Feedback to Students

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Assembling Tests

• Test items of the same type should be grouped together.– Avoids shifting

responses– Allows for one set of

directions– Makes scoring

easier© 2008 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.

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• Selection items first

• Supply items should be placed last

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WHY?

Assembling Tests

.

Each test section should have clear directions telling students what to do, how to respond, and where to answer.

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Assembling Tests

When arranging items on a test, remember these commonsense practices:

1. Designate a space for the student’s name and/or ID number.2. Do not split a multiple-choice or matching item across two pages of the test. This can cause unintended errors

when students flip from one page to the next to read the second half of a matching question or the last two options of a multiple-choice question.

3. Separate multiple-choice options from the stem by beginning the options on a new line.4. Number test items, especially if students must record answers on a separate answer sheet or in a special place on

the test.5. Space items for easy reading, and be sure to leave enough space for students to complete supply items.

Remember that young students often have large writing. Do not place items close together.6. Proofread the test yourself or have someone else do so before making copies or administering it on a computer.7. Check the clarity of photocopied tests. Make a few extra copies.8. If the test is delivered on a computer, allow students to navitgate easily back and forth between test items.

Each section of a test should have directions that focus students on what to do, how to respond, and where to place their answers. Lack of clear directions is one of the most common faults in teacher-prepared tests and often reduces test validity. Here are some sample directions:

1. Items 1-15 are multiple-choice items. Read each item carefully and write the letter of your answer on the line in front of the question number.

2. Use words from the boxes to complete the sentences. Use each word only once.3. Answer each question by writing the correct answer in the space below the question. No answer should be longer

than one sentence.4. For items 10 to 15, circle Tor F (true or false.)5. Use the chart to help you answer questions 27-33. Write your answers in the space provided after each question.

For older students, it is also helpful to indicate the number of points that will be given to each test section so they can make decisions about how to allocate their time.

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Administering Tests

1. Physical setting

2. Psychological setting

3. Keeping track of time© 2008 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.

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1. Physical Setting

• Students need a quiet, comfortable testing environment.

• Post a “Testing in Progress” sign on the door to minimize interruptions.

• Inform the class, as a whole, if errors or unclear items are discovered.

• Be consistent in answering questions.

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2. Psychological Setting

Reduce text anxiety by:

• Giving students advance notice of the test

• Making an opportunity to prepare for it

• Conducting a test review.

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3. Keeping Track of Time

• Remind students of the time throughout the test.• Such reminders are

particularly helpful at the middle and high school levels during final exams.

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Issues of Cheating

• Cheating is a common occurrence. • Ways to discourage cheating:

– Good instruction– Seating arrangements– Knowing common cheating methods– Observing students during testing– Consequences for those who cheat

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Types of Cheating

• Looking at another student’s paper during a test.

• Allowing other students to copy off of his/her own test or paper.

• Passing items, such as

notes or erasers, which

contain test information.

• Developing codes.

• Using crib notes or cheat sheets.

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Plagiarizing

• Plagiarism is defined as presenting someone else’s work as one’s own, without attribution.

• Students often plagiarize out of pressure to succeed or because they think they can get away with it.

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See page 180

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Table 7.1. Cheating Prevention Strategies4/4

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Scoring Paper-and-Pencil Tests

• The process of scoring a test involves measurement—assigning a number to represent a student’s performance.

• There is a wide range of ease and difficulty encountered when scoring different item types.

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Scoring Selection Items

• Selection items can be scored objectively because they are usually brief and have only one correct answer.

• Teachers compare a key containing correct answers to the answers the student has given.

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Scoring Short-Answer & Completion Items

• Short responses such as a word, phrase, date, or number can usually be scored objectively.

• Lengthier responses increase the subjectivity of the scoring.

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Unexpected Responses

• In scoring unexpected responses, teachers must decide if wrong answers are the result of faulty test items or a lack of student learning.

• How a teacher interprets students’ unexpected responses greatly impacts students’ test scores and grades.

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Scoring Essay Items…the ultimate in scoring complexity!

Many types of scorer subjectivity can influence how an essay item is scored:– Handwriting and neatness– Spelling and grammar– Fatigue of the scorer– Identity of the student– Location of one’s test paper in the

pile of papers

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Scoring Essay Items:Holistic vs. Analytic Scoring

• Holistic scoring provides a single, overall impression of the complete essay and results in a single score or grade.

• Analytic scoring provides a separate score for each component of the essay. For example: accuracy, organization, supporting arguments, and grammar and spelling.

Which do you think gives the most detailed feedback?

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Guidelines for Scoring a Test

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Analyzing Item Validity

Perform posttest reviews to:• Identify and make scoring

adjustments for items that were ambiguous or misunderstood.

• Identify ways to improve items for use on future tests.

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Selective Reviewing of Multiple-Choice Items

• The difficulty index describes the proportion of students who answered it correctly.

• The discrimination index describes how an individual item fares with students who scored high and low on the overall test.– Positive discrimination: one that is more frequently answered correctly by

students who score high on the test as a whole than by students who score low.

– Can range in value from -1.0 to +1.0 with a value between .3 and .8 being generally desirable

– Items with a negative value or a value less than .2 warrants close examination

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Realistic Review of Multiple-Choice Items

While it is desirable to review all items in a multiple-choice test,

limitations in time make it more realistic to review those items that half or more of the students answered incorrectly.

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Discussing Test Results with Students

• Provide feedback to students through written comments on papers or exams.

• Review test results when students have the graded test in front of them to answer questions.

• Explain how tests were scored.

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Universal Design & Test Accommodations

• A test accommodation occurs when one or more aspects of a test are changed to accommodate special needs.

• Advocates of universal design argue that tests should be designed from the beginning to meet a wide range of needs; not changed after it is already created.

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Examples of Universal Design in Testing

• Allow students to record answers directly on the test page

• Use a larger font with more spacing between questions

• Use simple sentence structures

• Use common vocabulary

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Testing Accommodations

Accommodations can be made by:1. Modifying the format of

presentation 2. Modifying the response format3. Modifying the test setting 4. Modifying the timing of a test

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1. Modify the Presentation Format

• Read directions for each test section.

• Have student repeat directions to ensure understanding.

• Read test questions aloud slowly.• Present test in Braille, large print,

etc.• Revise or simplify language level.

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2. Modify the Response Format

• Allow dictionaries, texts, or calculators.• Allow responses in alternate languages.• Provide a scribe.• Provide examples of expected

responses.• Include definitions or formulas.• Allow use of notes.• Make test similar to instruction.

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3. Modify Test Timing

• Provide extra time.• Avoid timed tests.• Test over a period of discrete

testing sessions.• Give extra breaks during testing.• Allow unlimited time.

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4. Modify Test Setting

• Test in a separate, quiet location.

• Seat student away from distractions.

• Test one-on-one: one student, one test administrator.

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Chapter OLC Review

Visit Chapter 7 of the text website for chapter quizzes, related websites, case studies, and other helpful study materials.

www.mhhe.com/airasian6e

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