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Test Development Process
1. Statement of Goals2. Content Outline3. Table of Specifications4. Item Selection5. Item Construction6. Composition of Instructions7. Development of Answer Sheets8. Construction of Answer Keys9. Test Administration10. Test Revision
Today’s Focus
3. Table of Specifications4. Item Selection5. Item Construction
Two Important Characteristics of Tests
Reliability– consistency
• free from extraneous sources of error
Validity– how well a test measures what it is
supposed to measure
Formative vs. Summative Tests
Formative– monitor progress toward goals within a
course of study
Summative– assess overall achievement of course
goals
A. Table of Specifications
Blue print for testPurpose
– ensure proper emphasis given to all elements of a course of study
– content validity
Guide for writing items
Table of Specifications (2)
Start with Instructional Objectives
– Biology 30: Circulation Unit TestBiology 30: Circulation Unit Test
1. 1. Identifies parts of circulation Identifies parts of circulation system.system.
2. 2. Explains function of parts in Explains function of parts in relation relation to whole system.to whole system.
3. 3. Distinguishes between circulation Distinguishes between circulation system and other bodily systems.system and other bodily systems.
Biology 30: Circulation
Levels Of Understanding
Content Knowledge Comprehension Application
Parts
Function
Relationto othersystems
Need to Consider and Decide:
Length of TestWeight to be given to each
objectiveWeight to be given to each level of
taxonomyEstimate number of items in each
cell
Biology 30: Circulation
Levels Of Understanding
Content Knowledge Comprehension Application
Parts 10 5 0 15
Function
5 5 5 15
Relationto othersystems
0 5 10 15
15 15 15 45
B. Item Selection
Types of Items– Objectively Scored (Selection)
• true/false• completion• matching• multiple choice
– Subjectively Scored (Supply)• interpretive exercises• essay
C. Item Construction
Selected Response Test Items
– Item construction skills for valid and reliable measures of student achievement.
Guidelines which apply to all types
Specific Suggestions for writing each type
Advantages and Disadvantages of Each
Guidelines for Writing Objective Items
1. Construct at appropriate level of difficulty for examinees
2. Include Items at appropriate level of difficulty for purpose of test.
3. Test significant elements of a course.
4. Write independent items.
5. Construct questions free from extraneous reasons for problems.
6. Communicate the question in clear, concise language.
7. In the correct alternatives, paraphrase statements from the text.
8. Exclude clues to correct answer.
II. Guidelines for Writing Objective Items
III. Guidelines for Writing Objective Items
9. Provide one correct answer.
10. Edit the Items.
Alternate Response Items
Involves the selection of one of two alternatives– true / false– yes / no– right / wrong– fact / opinion
Mainly for Knowledge & Comprehension– Can be written at higher levels
True / False
Word statements clearly. Vague or ambiguous wording will confuse students.
Avoid overgeneralizing.
– Poor: Heavy smoking causes lung cancer. T F
– Better: Heavy smoking often causes lung cancer. T F
Avoid Trick questions.
– i.e., General Wolseley led Canadian troops to Manitoba in 1870.
– 3 tricks: Colonel, British, Not yet a province
Do not use trivial statements to “pad out” the number of questions and marks to arrive at a predetermined level.
True / False
Statements should be entirely true, or entirely false:
– Unacceptable:• In King Lear, Regan ordered Gloucester’s eyes to be
plucked out and Gloucester died when he jumped off the cliff of Dover.
– Acceptable:• In King Lear, Regan ordered Gloucester’s eyes to be
plucked out. (T)
• In King Lear, Gloucester died when he jumped off the cliff at Dover. (F)
True / False
Avoid using universal descriptors such as “never”, “none”, “always”, and “all”. – Testwise students will recognize that there are few
absolutes.
Avoid negative words, as they are often overlooked by students.– Poor: It was not unheard of for Henry VIII to close
monasteries in England. T F
– Better: Henry VIII closed some monasteries in England. (T)
True / False Do not include two ideas in one statement unless you are
evaluating student’s understanding of cause and effect relationships.
– Poor: Porpoises are able to communicate because they are mammals. T F
– Better: Porpoises are mammals. T FPorpoises are able to communicate. T
F
Provide a “T” and “F” beside each statement and ask students to circle correct answer.
– Avoids problem of students writing illegible letters.
True / False & Variations Include more false than true statments in any given test
and vary the number of false statements from test to test.
– tendency to mark more statements true than false.– discrimination between those who know the content
and those who do not is greater for false expressions.
Avoid using negative statements.– Under the demands of the testing situation, students
may fail to see the negative qualifier.
Matching Items
Consist of
– a column of premises
– a column of responses
– directions for matching the two.
Similar to multiple choice, but easier and more efficient to construct
Can be written to assess Knowledge, Comprehension, Application, Analysis level behaviors
Guidelines for Writing Matching Items
Provide clear instructions on how to indicate the correct answers.
Indicate whether the same response can be used more than once.
Maintain grammatical consistency within and between columns.
– within a column: either sentence or point form
– between columns: one or the other
Ensure that any matching question appears entirely on one page.
2. Guidelines for Writing Matching Items
Provide an unequal number of premises and responses– reduces guessing and elimination– increases measure of comprehension
Avoid designing questions which require students to draw lines between premise and response. – confusing for student and marker– provide space for letter or number answers
3. Guidelines for Writing Matching Items
Make sure lists are homogeneous.– i.e., do not include items testing names, dates, and
events.– Instead, make every response plausible
Make the wording of the premises longer than the wording of the responses.
Identify the items in one list with numbers and those in the second list with letters.
Example:
Directions: 1. On the line to the right of each phrase in Column I, write the letter for the
word in Column II that best matches the phrase.
2. Each word in Column II may be used once, more than once, or not at all.
Column I Column II1. Name of the answer in addition problems.2. Name of the answer in subtraction problems.3. Name of the answer in multiplication problems.4. Name of the answer in division problems.
A. DifferenceB. DividendC. MultiplicandD. ProductE. QuotientF. SubtrahendG. Sum
Short Answer Test Items
Typically, the student is asked to reply with a word, phrase, name, or sentence, rather than a more extended response.
– Direct Questions / Short Answer
• Who is the current Prime Minister of Canada?
– Incomplete Sentences / Fill In the Blanks
• The current Prime Minister of Canada is _____?
Items are fairly easy to construct and mark
Assess mainly knowledge, comprehension, and some application.
Guidelines for Writing Short Answer Items
Questions must be carefully worded so that all students understand the specific nature of the question asked and the answer required.
– Poor: Wellington defeated Napoleon in _____ ?
– Better: In what battle fought in 1815 did Wellington defeat Napoleon?
OR
In what year did Wellington defeat Napoleon at Waterloo?
II. Guidelines for Writing Short Answer Items
Word completion or fillin questions so that missing information is at, or near the end of, the sentence. Makes reading and responding easier.
– Poor: In the year ______ , Canada turned 100 years old.
– Better: Canada turned 100 years old in the year _____ .
Instructions and teacher’s expectations about filling in blanks should be made clear. Indicate whether each blank of equal length represents one word or several words, whether long blanks require sentences or phrases, and whether synonymous terms are accepted.
III. Guidelines for Writing Short Answer Items
When an answer is to be expressed in numerical units, the unit should be stated. – Poor: If a room measures 7 metres by 4 metres, the
perimeter is _____ .– Better: If a room measures 7 metres by 4 metres, the
perimeter is _____ metres (or m).
Do not use too many blanks in completion items. The emphasis should be on knowledge and comprehension, not mind reading!
– Consider: In the year _____ , Prime Minister _________ signed the __________ , which led to a ___________ which was __________ .
Multiple Choice ItemsInterpretive Exercise
Guidelines for WritingAdvantages & Disadvantages
1. The capital city of Canada is1. The capital city of Canada is a. Vancouvera. Vancouver b. Montrealb. Montreal c. Torontoc. Toronto*d. Ottawa*d. Ottawa
Terminology: Multiple Choice
1. Stem: presents the problem
2. Keyed Response: correct or best answer
3. Distracters: appear to be reasonable answers to the
examinee who does not know the content
4. Options: include the distracters and the keyed
response.
44
11
22
33
Ambiguity
Extrinsic
– Desirable quality in
multiple choice
items– Outside the item
– Allows discrimination between those who know material and those who do not.
Intrinsic– Undesirable
– Should be avoided
– Inside the item
• poor wording
• more than one answer
– Even those who know
content have difficulty
choosing correct answer
Types of Multiple Choice Items
Correct Answer*
– Only one correct response
Best Answer
– requires examinee to select alternative
closest to being correct
– fine distinctions
Multiple Answer
– More than one correct or best answer
Interpretive Exercise
Usually begins with verbal, tabular or graphic
information which is the basis for 1 or more
multiple choice questions.– map, passage from a story, a poem, a cartoon
Can challenge students at various levels of
understanding– application, analysis, synthesis, evaluation
Exercise contains all information needed to
answer questions
Readily adaptive to the more important
outcomes of disciplines.
Interpretive Exercises (con’t)
Examples
If student answers incorrectly it is because
they have not mastered the thinking or
reasoning required by the question, NOT
because they failed to memorize background
information.
Math questions: give students the formulas,
test ability to apply concepts, rather than
ability to memorize formulas.
Guidelines for Writing: Multiple Choice Items
State stem in the form of a question.– Weak– Canada is
• a) a country• b) where you live• c) between the Pacific and Atlantic
oceans• d) all of the above
– Better– Between which two oceans is Canada located?
• a) Atlantic and Indian• b) Atlantic and Pacific• c) Pacific and Indian
Guidelines for Writing: Stems
Place most of the subject matter in the Stem– ensures full statement of problem
Eliminate extraneous material from the Stem– goal is to measure student achievement, not to present
new material
– maximize use of time for demonstrating understanding,
not reading ability
Avoid Negatively phrased Stems– students may miss the qualifier
– use only when learning outcome requires this type of
differentiation
I. Guidelines for Writing: MC
Ensure similarity among alternatives with regard to:– grammatical structure
– length
– mode of expression
Grammatical errors provide unintentional clues to the answer
When in doubt, students will select the longest alternative as the correct answer
Example: Length of Alternatives
Neurotics are more likely than psychotics to
a. be dangerous to societyb. have delusional symptomsc. be dangerous to themselves*d. have insight into their own inappropriate behavior but nevertheless feel rather helpless in terms of dealing with their difficulties
II. Guidelines for Writing: MC
Make one of the alternatives the most clearly
correct or best answer– exception: multiple answer form
– reduces intrinsic ambiguity
– reduces frustration during test
Make distracters plausible– desire to attract students who really do NOT know the
answer to the question
– create distracters from elements of the correct response
– improves reliability of item
Example: Undemanding Distracters
Mickey Mouse’s two nephews are
a) Huey, Dewey and Louie
b) Clarabelle Cow
*c) Morty and Ferdy
d) Abbott and Costello
The Role of Humour?
III. Guidelines for Writing: MCAvoid parallel language between the Stem and
the Correct Response– gives clues to keyed response
– emphasizes testwiseness, not knowledge
Randomly distribute answers across the alternative positions– inexperienced test writers emphasize “b” and “c”
alternatives (hide the answer!!)
– do NOT use an interpretable order of keyed responses
IV. Guidelines for Writing: MC
Use qualifiers such as “all of the
above” and “none of the above”
sparingly– testwise students will use process of
elimination to select answer– do NOT use to “pad out” the distracters
because you cannot think of another one.
Advantages of Multiple Choice Items
allow more adequate sampling of content.
tend to more effectively structure the problem to be addressed
items can be more efficiently and reliably scored than supply items
different response alternatives can provide diagnostic feedback (item analysis)
items can be constructed to address various levels of cognitive complexity
Disadvantages of Mult.Choice Itemsdifficult & time consuming to construct good
items– leads to emphasis on other selected response item types
can lead the instructor to favour simple recall of facts
high degree of dependence on student’s reading and instructor’s writing ability– can be difficult to achieve clarity of expression
measuring synthesis and evaluation can be difficult
inappropriate for measuring outcomes that require skilled performance
Wrap-Up
