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Running Head: TEST CREATION ASSIGNMENT 1

Test Creation Assignment

Megan Gibiser

The College of William and Mary

CRIN 550-01

TEST CREATION ASSIGNMENT 2

Part I: Overview and Description

Course Description and Major Goals

The Kindergarten science curriculum as per the Virginia Standards of Learning (SOLs),

builds a foundation for scientific inquiry. Through topics such as magnets, physical properties,

life processes, and shadows, students will conduct investigations to understand that scientific

knowledge is based on evidence and use their five senses to gather information. The standards

emphasize the development of important science skills such as questioning, measuring,

classifying, and sorting to help students learn about the world around them. Additionally, the

curriculum introduces students to the idea of change over time and presents fundamental

scientific concepts that can be expanded upon in the later grades.

Specific Unit Description

This unit focuses on the life processes and specific needs of plants. It emphasizes that

plants have several basic needs including air, light, space, water, and nutrients to survive.

Through experimentation and observation, students will understand that there are consequences

if these life needs are not met. This unit also highlights the fact that plants change as they grow

throughout their life cycle which may include changes in size, leaf growth, or flowering.

Description and Explanation of Intended Learning Outcomes (ILO)

This assessment is based on the Virginia Science SOL, K.7 which states that the student

will investigate and understand basic needs and life processes of plants and animals. Although

the SOL references both plants and animals, only the four Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

that refer to plants were used in developing this assessment. These ILOs came directly from the

Essential Knowledge, Skills, and Processes section of the SOL Curriculum Framework and were


unpacked to determine the explicit, implied, and conditional content, as well as the cognitive

level on Bloom’s Taxonomy. To see a full description of the ILOs, refer to Appendix A.

In addition to this summative assessment, both a pre-assessment and formative

assessments will be used to gauge students’ understanding. At the start of the unit, the class will

complete a KWL chart to elicit prior knowledge about plants. During instruction, formative

assessments in the form of worksheets and entries in the students’ science journal will be

evaluated. The teacher will also complete informal observations during class discussions to

determine if instruction needs to be modified to improve student learning before the final unit

test.

Description of Classroom and School Context

This unit of study is intended for a Kindergarten class at Matthew Whaley Elementary

School. The class consists of 22 students, 11 boys and 11 girls. The students come from a range

of cultural and economic backgrounds as there are two African American students, four Hispanic

and ESL students who speak Spanish as their primary language, three biracial students, and

thirteen white students. Several students qualify for free or reduced lunch. Additionally, there

are two students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), but they are only pulled out

once a week for individual instruction. Although most students read at the instructional level for

Kindergarten, two students are reading above grade level. Lesson plans are generally developed

by individual teachers, but resources and ideas are shared amongst the Kindergarten team.

Students remain with the same teacher throughout the day except during centers in which they

meet with resource teachers.

The diversity of this classroom was taken into consideration when developing the present

assessment. To accommodate students with various reading abilities, the test will be orally


administered by the teacher who will read each question one by one to the class. Also, to assist

the four ESL students, the select response items incorporated pictures whenever possible,

underlined key words, and avoided any culturally biased language. One of the supply response

items asks students for visuals as well as written responses to allow students to represent their

learning in multiple ways. For the two written responses, students will dictate what they wrote to

the teacher, so writing ability is not a factor.

Purpose of Test and Test Results

This test will be used as a summative assessment following a two week unit on plant life

cycles. The results will reflect whether students understood the concepts (rooted in the ILOs)

that were taught during class. It will also help the teacher reflect upon the effectiveness of her

instruction and make adjustments for future teaching. Students’ test results will be one variable

to consider when assigning 3rd

quarter report card grades for science.

Part II: Design Elements of Assessment

Intended Learning Outcomes

For a full list of the ILOs, see Unpacking the Curriculum (Appendix A).

Table of Specifications

A Table of Specifications (ToS) aligns test questions to the ILOS and places appropriate

weight on content based on how much it was emphasized during instruction (Gareis & Grant,

2008). A ToS also aligns content to the level of cognitive demand on Bloom’s Taxonomy. To

see a full ToS for this assessment, refer to Appendix B.

Construct Validity

Since this assessment follows the framework of the ILOs and measures what it intends to

measure, the test is high in construct validity. Students are only assessed on the scientific


knowledge learned during the unit. Other content areas such as reading and writing are not

assessed since the questions are read aloud and the students dictate their written responses to the

teacher. The test has high face validity as well because similar items are grouped (select

response first and then supply response), and it looks and reads like a science assessment.

Content Validity

This test is also high in content validity because it adequately samples the ILOs that the

unit is based on. All four ILOs are referenced, and the number of questions on the assessment

accurately reflects the level of emphasis given to topics during instruction as displayed in the

ToS. For example, describing changes in a plants life cycle was given strong emphasis so there

are four questions to assess it, while comparing young and adult plants was given low emphasis

so it is only assessed on one supply response item. Overall, the test is representative of students’

understanding of plant’s needs and their life cycles.

Rationale of Assessment Item Types

This assessment consists of seven select response items and three supply response items.

Since Kindergarten students generally take a longer time to complete supply response due to

their developing writing skills, more emphasis was placed on select response. However, some

supply response items were necessary to assess students at the higher levels of cognitive demand.

For example, to reach the analysis and evaluation levels on Bloom’s taxonomy, students needed

to develop original answers.

The true/false and multiple choice question types were used to assess the knowledge and

comprehension levels of Bloom’s taxonomy including recall of vocabulary and understanding of

basic processes. Item eight was incorporated to assess students understanding of the entire plant

life cycle which was greatly emphasized during instruction. However, each response was only


worth .5, to prevent students from losing many points if they mixed up part of the order. Item

nine asks for a short written response and item ten elicits a picture and a written response since

they are both accessing the analysis and evaluation levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy. Not only

would this have been difficult to assess with select response, but the supply response provides

greater insight into students’ thinking.

Potential Reliability Threats

There are some threats to reliability that may be found within this assessment. For

example, the majority of this assessment is true/ false, multiple choice, or sequencing, so it is

possible that students may guess at the answers. This may make it difficult to distinguish

students who knew the material from those who did not. However, every effort was made to

follow proper rules for item construction. For example, the true/ false questions are objective, do

not contain negatives, and focus on one central idea. Likewise, the multiple choice questions all

provided four plausible choices and did not give hints to the answer. One test item does ask

students to circle two answer choices. Although this change is bolded and will be emphasized

while reading the test, it could potentially confuse students and decrease reliability.

After the assessment was constructed, cooperating teacher Debbie Zanca proofread the

test. As a veteran teacher she understands what question types would be developmentally

appropriate for Kindergarten and reviewed the questions for grammatical and spelling mistakes.

This greatly reduces the possibility of error within the test items. Other attempts to avoid

systematic error include reading the test orally to students, providing visuals for reference,

avoiding culturally biased language, and allowing students to dictate their written responses to

the teacher. Despite these attempts to avoid systematic error, random error is always possible.


For example, there could be a fire drill during the test or noise in the hall that would distract

students and decrease overall reliability.

Discussion of Predictive Validity

Since Kindergarteners do not take high-stakes tests such as the SOL, there is not an

immediate concern for predictive validity. However, since this assessment is based directly on

the ILOs, students’ performance on this test would be a good predictor of how they would fare

on a similar standardized assessment. Individual students’ scores should be consistent between

the two tests or other factors such as content and construct validity would need to be reassessed

(Gareis & Grant, 2008). It is important to note that performance on one assessment may not

always be predictive of another assessment with similar content if there is random error such as

differences in the testing environments.

Scoring and Grading Procedures

This assessment will be worth a total of 18 points. The select response questions (except

for item one) are worth one point each. Item one is worth two points since there are two correct

responses. Students will get one point for each need identified. The supply response items vary

in weight. Item eight is worth two points (each correct ordinal number is worth .5 points), item

nine is worth two points, and item ten is worth six points as specified in the supply response

rubrics (See Appendix E).

In order to remain objective when grading, the teacher will follow the detailed criteria in

the rubrics and highlight the criteria that the student meets. The teacher will score the students’

tests anonymously by covering up the students’ names. This will limit unintended bias based on

past experiences with that student (Gareis & Grant, 2008). Also, the teacher will review scored

responses at a later time to improve intra-rater reliability, and ensure that mood or time of day


did not affect the scoring procedures. Finally, the teacher will score each supply response item

for all students before moving on to the next question. This will help to get a general picture of

the students’ responses and be more consistent when scoring. Afterward, the teacher will record

the total number of points received for each student. Since Kindergarteners do not receive letter

grades, the test will not affect their final grades for science, but it will provide information on

student learning that can dictate the effectiveness of instruction and be shared with parents

during conferences.

Part III: Test and Answer Key

Plant Life Cycles Unit Test

See Appendix C

Test Answer Key

See Appendix D


References

Gareis, C. R., & Grant, L. W. (2008). Teacher-Made Assessments: How to Connect Curriculum,

Instruction, and Student Learning. Larchmont, NY: Eye on Education, Inc.


Appendix A: Unpacking the Curriculum

Intended Learning Outcome

Underline the content and circle the word(s) that provides an

indication of the cognitive level(s)

Content

List the explicit, implied, and conditional content

(p. 58-59)

Cognitive Level on Blooms’

Taxonomy Provide the cognitive level(s) in

terms of Bloom’s Taxonomy (p. 61)

The student will describe the life needs of plants.

The life needs are nutrients, water, air, light, and a

place that has adequate space for them to grow.

Explicit – the life needs of plants (nutrients, water,

air, light, adequate space to grow)

Implied – what a plant is, what nutrients, air, light,

and space are, what a life need is

Conditional – none

“describe”= knowledge

(remembering specific terms)

The student will predict what will happen to

animals and plants if life needs are not met.

Explicit – what will happen to plants and animals

Implied – what the life needs of plants are, cause

and effect, how to make predictions

Conditional – if life needs are not met

“predict”= evaluation

(making judgments)

The student will describe some simple changes

that plants undergo during their life cycles. This

may include size, presence of leaves and branches,

fruits, and seeds.

Explicit – simple changes that plants undergo

during their life cycles

Implied – what is a life cycle, what are leaves,

branches, fruit, and seeds, define: change

Conditional – none

“describe”= comprehension

(need to understand the meaning

of content)

The student will compare and contrast young plants

and animals with their parents, using pictures and/or

live organisms.

Explicit – compare and contrast young plants and

animals with their parents

Implied – how to compare and contrast, difference

between parents and young

Conditional – using pictures and/ or live organisms

“compare and contrast”=

analysis (understand relationships)


Appendix B: Table of Specifications

Content

Bloom’s Taxonomy

Knowledge Comprehension Application Analysis Synthesis Evaluation

The student will describe the life needs

of plants. The life needs are nutrients,

water, air, light, and a place that has

adequate space for them to grow.

X

1, 3, 7

S

The student will predict what will

happen to animals and plants if life

needs are not met.

X

6, 10

M

The student will describe some simple

changes that plants undergo during their

life cycles. This may include size,

presence of leaves and branches, fruits,

and seeds.

X

2, 4, 5, 8

S

The student will compare and contrast

young plants and animals with their

parents, using pictures and/or live

organisms.

X

9

L

Indicate the emphasis of the instructional content and importance for each item. S= Strong M=Moderate L=Low


Appendix C: Plant Life Cycles Unit Test

Note: The teacher will read the directions, and all words in questions 1-6. In questions 7-10, the

teacher is prompted on what sections to read to the students.

Name ___________________________________________________

Directions: Circle the correct response(s).

1. Circle 2 things that plants need to survive.

2. A plant begins its life cycle as a __________ .

A. flower

B. seed

C. soil

D. fruit

3. A plant needs air to grow.

True

False


4. Which of the following pictures shows a seedling?

A.

B.

C.

D.

5. The arrow points to the plant’s ____________.

A. stem

B. roots

C. flower

D. leaves


6. What will happen if a plant does not have enough space?

A. It will grow big and strong.

B. It will lose its leaves.

C. It will grow fruit.

D. It will die.

7. Plants get nutrients from the soil.

True

False

8. The teacher reads: Put the stages of the plant life cycle in order by writing

the numbers 1 to 4 in the boxes below. Write the number 1 below the first stage,

the number 2 below the second stage, and so on.


9. The teacher reads: Write one way that the adult plant is different from the

young plant.

Write your response below.

__________________________

__________________________

__________________________

__________________________

Adult Plant Young Plant


10. The teacher reads: Predict what will happen to this seedling if it is kept in a

dark closet and not watered. Draw a colored picture of what the plant will look like

in ten days. Then write a sentence explaining what will happen to the plant and why.

The plant looks like this today. The plant will look like this in 10 days.

Draw your picture here.

Write your sentence below.

_________________________________

_________________________________

_________________________________

_________________________________

_________________________________


Appendix D: Test Answer Key

Name ___________________________________________________

Directions: Circle the correct response(s).

1. Circle 2 things that plants need to survive.

2. A plant begins its life cycle as a __________.

A. flower

B. seed

C. soil

D. fruit

3. A plant needs air to grow.

True

False


4. Which of the following pictures shows a seedling?

A.

B.

C.

D.

5. The arrow points to the plant’s ____________.

A. stem

B. roots

C. flower

D. leaves


6. What will happen if a plant does not have enough space?

A. It will grow healthy and strong.

B. It will lose its leaves.

C. It will grow fruit.

D. It will not grow.

7. Plants get nutrients from the soil.

True

False

8. The teacher reads: Put the stages of the plant life cycle in order by writing

the numbers 1 to 4 in the boxes below. Write the number 1 below the first stage,

the number 2 below the second stage, and so on.

1 2 3 4


9. The teacher reads: Write at least one way that the adult plant is different

from the young plant.

Write your response below. (SAMPLE RESPONSE)

The adult tree is bigger and has fruit.

10. The teacher reads: Predict what will happen to this seedling if it is kept in a

dark closet and not watered. Draw a colored picture of what the plant will look like

in ten days. Then write a sentence explaining what will happen to the plant and why.

The plant looks like this today. The plant will look like this in 10 days.

Draw your picture here.

Write your sentence below. (SAMPLE RESPONSE)

_The seedling will die because plants___

need sunlight and water to grow.______

Adult Plant Young Plant


Appendix E: Supply Response Rubrics

Holistic Rubric (To be used for item 9)

In Full Bloom (2 points)

The student identified more than one difference between

the young plant and the adult plant. (fruit, size, branches)

Budding Scientist (1 point)

The student identified one difference between the young

plant and the adult plant. (fruit, size, branches)

Needs Room to Grow (0 points)

The student did not identify a difference between the two

plants.

Analytical Rubric (To be used for item 10)

Criteria

In Full Bloom

Budding Scientist

Needs Room to Grow

Picture

The student provides a

detailed and colored

drawing of a wilted/

dead seedling in the

planter. (3pts)

The student’s drawing

shows a wilted/dead

plant, but the plant is

not a seedling or is

shown in a different

environment. (2pts)

The student’s drawing

is off topic or shows a

healthy plant. (0pts)

Sentence

The student writes a

sentence that explains

that the plant will die

because it needs light/

sunlight and water to

survive. (3pts)

The student writes that

the plant will die, but

doesn’t explain why.

(2pts)

The student’s sentence

is incorrect (says the

plant will be healthy or

specifies the wrong life

needs). (0pts)

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Test Creation Assignment Megan Gibiser The College of ...megibiser.wmwikis.net/file/view/Megan_Gibiser_Test+Creation... · Test Creation Assignment Megan Gibiser The College of William