CHAPTER III

DEVELOPMENT OF

ASSESSTMENT TOOLS: KNOWLEDGE

AND REASONING

3.1 TYPES OF OBJECTIVE TESTS

1. True-false items2. Multiple-choice type items3. Matching types4. Enumeration and filling of the

blocks5. Essays

* True-false items, multiple-choice type items, matching types, and enumeration and filling of the blocks – used to tests the first four to five levels of hierarchy of educational objectives.

* Essay - used for testing higher order thinking skills.

- are easier to construct than the other types of objective tests but the difficulty with objectives grades are derived from essay examinations often discourage teachers from using this particular form of examination in actual practice.

Development of Objectives Tests - require careful planning

and expertise in terms of actual test construction. The more seasoned teachers can produce true-false items that can test even higher order thinking skills and not just mere rote memory learning.

3.2 PLANNING A TEST AND CONSTRUCTION OF TABLE OF SPECIFICATIONS (TOS)

IMPORTANT STEPS IN PLANNING FOR A TEST:

1. Identifying test objectives2. Deciding on the type of objective

test to be prepared3. Preparing a table of

specifications (TOS)4. Constructing the draft test items5. Try-out and validation

1. Identifying Test Objectives- an objective test, if it is to be

comprehensive, must cover the various levels of Bloom’s taxonomy. Each objective consists of a statement of what is to be achieved and, preferably, by how many percent of the students.

Example:

We want to construct a test on the topic: “subject-verb agreement in English” for a Grade V class. The following are the typical objectives:

FIVE TYPICAL OBJECTIVES

A. Knowledge – the students must be able to identify the subject and the verb in a given sentence.

B. Comprehension – the students must be able to determine the appropriate form of a verb to be used given the subject of a sentence.

C. Application – the students must be able to write sentences observing rules on subject-verb agreement.

D. Analysis – the students must be able to break down a given sentence into its subject and predicate.

E. Synthesis – the students must be able to formulate rules to be followed regarding subject-verb agreement.

2. Deciding on the Type of Objective Test

- the test objectives dictate the kind of objective tests that will be designed and constructed by the teacher. For instance, for the first four (4) levels, we may want to construct a multiple-choice type of test while for application and judgment, we may opt to give an essay test or a modified essay test.

3. Preparing a Table of Specifications (TOS)

- a test map that guides the teacher in constructing a test. The TOS ensures that there is a balance between items that test lower level thinking skills and those which test higher order thinking skills (or alternatively, a balance between easy and difficult items)

Level Objective Item Numbers

NO

%

Knowledge * Identify subject-verb

1,3,5,7,9 5 16.67%

Comprehension * Forming appropriate verb forms

2,4,6,8,10 5 16.67%

Application * Determining subject and predicate

11,13,15, 17,19

5 16.67%

Analysis * Formulating rules on agreement

12,14,16, 18,20

5 16.67%

Synthesis * Writing of sentences observing on subject-verb agreement

PART ll 10pts 33.32%

TOTAL 30 100%

4. Constructing the Test Items- the actual construction of the test

items follow the TOS. As a general rule, it is advised that the actual number of items to be constructed in the draft double the desired number of items,. For instance, if there are five knowledge level items should be included in the draft. The subsequent test try-out and item analysis will most likely eliminate many of the constructed items in the draft (either they are too difficult, too easy or non-discriminatory), hence, it will be necessary to construct more items than will actually be included in the final test form.

5. Item Analysis and Try-Out- the test draft is tried out to

a group of pupils or students. The purpose of this try out is to determine the: (a) item characteristics through item analysis, and (b) characteristics of the test itself-validity, reliability, and practicality.

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Prepared by:

Masikat,April Rhose

BSIED-II

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