How to Determine What Type of Traditional Assessment to Use
Earlier readings and discussions in this course have shown me the importance of aligning assessments with objectives and instruction for teachers to gain enough evidence to determine whether students have indeed learned and met the objectives set out for them to learn. A teacher’s intended objectives should direct his or her choice of what type of assessment to use in which case educators suggest the use of a test blueprint. A test blueprint is defined by Suskie as “an outline of the test that lists the learning goals that students are to demonstrate”. (Suskie, L. 2009, p. 167) and according to Walvoord and Anderson, test blueprinting is “the process of linking tests to learning goals.” (Walvoord, B. & Anderson, V. 2010, p. 13) Also, to accurately represent the degree to which a student has attained an educational objective, the form of the test item/s must be suitable for the objective (Burton, S. et al. 1991); thus, a teacher must also consider the following factors:
Further, it is a common misconception that most types of traditional assessment (TA) only test the lower level of Blooms taxonomy of learning. By reading the different examples in the assigned materials and the examples given by other students in this course, I have realized that most TA can test multiple levels of Blooms taxonomy. For example, depending on the question/s asked, a multiple choice test can measure knowledge, comprehension, application and analysis of concepts taught in class. I also realized that by using different types of TA in one test or exam, almost all if not all the levels of Blooms taxonomy may be measured thus maximizing teaching and learning.
Taking all of the above into consideration, i would start by making a test blueprint using the following legend:
Level of Difficulty: E-Easy, M-Medium, D - Difficult
Blooms Taxonomy: K-Knowledge, C-Comprehension, App-Application, An-Analysis, S-Synthesis, E-Evaluation
Type of Test Items: MC-Multiple Choice, M-Matching, T-F-True-False Items, CT-Completion Tests
Number of items: 1-100
Then, I would choose the corresponding type of test depending on the learning goal/s I wish for my students to meet, the level/s of Blooms taxonomy I wish to measure, the level of difficulty and the weight of each test item.
The following are common examples of objective assessment, their uses, advantages and disadvantages:
(1) MULTIPLE-CHOICE TESTS – are used when the objective is to have students choose a response to a statement or question from a given list of several alternative responses. They are considered the most versatile in measuring almost all levels of cognitive skills, can be machine-scored quickly and accurately, reduced guessing compared to True or False tests. However, they are difficult and time-consuming to construct, they may lead teachers to focus only on measuring low-level thinking skills, and they may still encourage guessing though to a lesser degree.
Example:
Learning objective: KNOWLEDGE- memorization of Vocabulary words and their meanings
Test Directions: In questions 1-15 each sentence has a word or phrase underlined. Below each sentence there are four other words or phrases, marked (A), (B), (C), and (D). You are to choose the one word or phrase that best keeps the meaning of the original sentence if it is substituted for the underlined word or phrase. (Davy, E. & Davy, K. 2006)
13. A familiar adage says that the early bird gets the worm.
(A) proverb
(B) lady
(C) gentleman
(D) book
(2) TRUE-FALSE ITEMS – are used to measure the recall of factual knowledge such as names, events, definitions, dates, etc. They are easy to write and provide a wide sampling of content at a time. However, they are prone to guessing and test items are often vague due to the difficulty of writing statements which are absolutely true or false.
Example:
Learning objective: KNOWLEDGE, COMPREHENSION– measure recall of facts about food safety and understand meaning of facts learned
Test Directions: Read the following statements. Decide whether a statement is True or False. Write T for statements which are True and F for statements which are False. (http://www.thebody.com/content/art13863.html) If FALSE, rewrite the sentence to make it TRUE
1. Perishable foods should not be left at room temperature longer than
six hours. __________ (http://www.thebody.com/content/art13863.html)
Rewrite: __________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________.
(3) MATCHING TESTS – are used when there are a series of homogeneous items and a teacher wishes to combine them into a single matching item to make efficient use of testing time. They are easy to write but do not require more than simple recall of factual knowledge.
Example:
Learning objective: KNOWLEDGE, COMPREHENSION - know the definitions of words and their synonyms
Test Directions: Put the number of the definition or synonym in Column B beside the appropriate word in Column A.
A B
__________ a. stereotype 1. Elementary, iniital
__________ b. meander 2. Fixed pattern representing a type of person
___________c. augment 3. Natural locality of plant or animal
___________d. habitat 4. Make complete
___________e. rudimentary 5. Move slowly and aimlessly
(4) COMPLETION TESTS – requires students to answer a question or complete a sentence or paragraph by filling in a blank/s with the correct word/s or phrase/s. They provide a wide sampling of content and minimize guessing compared to multiple-choice and true-false tests. However, they are difficult to write and more time- consuming to prepare and score. They can hardly be used to measure more than simple recall of information.
Example:
Learning Objective: KNOWLEDGE, COMPREHENSION – know vocabulary words and their meaning, know how to use the vocabulary words above in a sentence.
Test Directions: Choose the appropriate word from the words above to complete the following sentences.
1. On Sundays, I love to ___________________ through the woods and bird watch.
2. Comprehending calculus is impossible if you have only a ___________________
knowledge of mathematics.
3. Wildlife sanctuaries protect the _______________________of birds and the plants on which they feed.
4. Absent-minded and thoughtful, Dr. James is the ________________________of a college professor.
5. He will have to find a second job to ____________________his income.
My ideal test would include a combination of at least two to three types of TA mentioned above. By doing this, I can align my student's learning objectives, , my classroom instruction and assessment to offer the best teaching-learning experience possible for my students and I.
References
Cohen & Wollack. Handbook on Test Development: Helpful Tips for Creating Reliable and Valid Classroom Tests retrieved January 28, 2013 from http://testing.wisc.edu/Handbook%20on%20Test% 20Construction.pdf
IS THIS A TRICK QUESTION? A Short Guide to Writing Effective Test Questions retrieved Januray 28, 2013 fromhttp://www.ksde.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=6P mcGOcdLB8%3D&t..
Burton, S. et al., How to Prepare Better Multiple-Choice Test Items: Guidelines for University Faculty (Utah: Brigham Young University Testing Services Utah)
Linda Suskie, Assessing Student Learning: A Common Sense Guide, 2nd ed (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2009), 167.
Barbara E. Walvoord and Virginia Johnson Anderson, Effective Grading: A Tool for Learning and Assessment in College, 2nd ed (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2010), 13.
Assessment Basics retrieved January 28, 2013 from http://www.cmu.edu/teaching/assessment/basics/alignment.html
Davy, E. & Davy, K., Master TOEFL Vocabulary (New Jersey: Peterson’s A Nelnet Company, 2006)
The Body http://www.thebody.com/content/art13863.html
Earlier readings and discussions in this course have shown me the importance of aligning assessments with objectives and instruction for teachers to gain enough evidence to determine whether students have indeed learned and met the objectives set out for them to learn. A teacher’s intended objectives should direct his or her choice of what type of assessment to use in which case educators suggest the use of a test blueprint. A test blueprint is defined by Suskie as “an outline of the test that lists the learning goals that students are to demonstrate”. (Suskie, L. 2009, p. 167) and according to Walvoord and Anderson, test blueprinting is “the process of linking tests to learning goals.” (Walvoord, B. & Anderson, V. 2010, p. 13) Also, to accurately represent the degree to which a student has attained an educational objective, the form of the test item/s must be suitable for the objective (Burton, S. et al. 1991); thus, a teacher must also consider the following factors:
- What is to be measured? Is it factual recall, memorization of names, dates, procedures or steps?
- Class size – is a teacher giving a test to 20 or 200 students
- Available time to prepare and score the test – for example, while multiple choice tests are easy to score, they are time-consuming to construct
Further, it is a common misconception that most types of traditional assessment (TA) only test the lower level of Blooms taxonomy of learning. By reading the different examples in the assigned materials and the examples given by other students in this course, I have realized that most TA can test multiple levels of Blooms taxonomy. For example, depending on the question/s asked, a multiple choice test can measure knowledge, comprehension, application and analysis of concepts taught in class. I also realized that by using different types of TA in one test or exam, almost all if not all the levels of Blooms taxonomy may be measured thus maximizing teaching and learning.
Taking all of the above into consideration, i would start by making a test blueprint using the following legend:
Level of Difficulty: E-Easy, M-Medium, D - Difficult
Blooms Taxonomy: K-Knowledge, C-Comprehension, App-Application, An-Analysis, S-Synthesis, E-Evaluation
Type of Test Items: MC-Multiple Choice, M-Matching, T-F-True-False Items, CT-Completion Tests
Number of items: 1-100
Then, I would choose the corresponding type of test depending on the learning goal/s I wish for my students to meet, the level/s of Blooms taxonomy I wish to measure, the level of difficulty and the weight of each test item.
The following are common examples of objective assessment, their uses, advantages and disadvantages:
(1) MULTIPLE-CHOICE TESTS – are used when the objective is to have students choose a response to a statement or question from a given list of several alternative responses. They are considered the most versatile in measuring almost all levels of cognitive skills, can be machine-scored quickly and accurately, reduced guessing compared to True or False tests. However, they are difficult and time-consuming to construct, they may lead teachers to focus only on measuring low-level thinking skills, and they may still encourage guessing though to a lesser degree.
Example:
Learning objective: KNOWLEDGE- memorization of Vocabulary words and their meanings
Test Directions: In questions 1-15 each sentence has a word or phrase underlined. Below each sentence there are four other words or phrases, marked (A), (B), (C), and (D). You are to choose the one word or phrase that best keeps the meaning of the original sentence if it is substituted for the underlined word or phrase. (Davy, E. & Davy, K. 2006)
13. A familiar adage says that the early bird gets the worm.
(A) proverb
(B) lady
(C) gentleman
(D) book
(2) TRUE-FALSE ITEMS – are used to measure the recall of factual knowledge such as names, events, definitions, dates, etc. They are easy to write and provide a wide sampling of content at a time. However, they are prone to guessing and test items are often vague due to the difficulty of writing statements which are absolutely true or false.
Example:
Learning objective: KNOWLEDGE, COMPREHENSION– measure recall of facts about food safety and understand meaning of facts learned
Test Directions: Read the following statements. Decide whether a statement is True or False. Write T for statements which are True and F for statements which are False. (http://www.thebody.com/content/art13863.html) If FALSE, rewrite the sentence to make it TRUE
1. Perishable foods should not be left at room temperature longer than
six hours. __________ (http://www.thebody.com/content/art13863.html)
Rewrite: __________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________.
(3) MATCHING TESTS – are used when there are a series of homogeneous items and a teacher wishes to combine them into a single matching item to make efficient use of testing time. They are easy to write but do not require more than simple recall of factual knowledge.
Example:
Learning objective: KNOWLEDGE, COMPREHENSION - know the definitions of words and their synonyms
Test Directions: Put the number of the definition or synonym in Column B beside the appropriate word in Column A.
A B
__________ a. stereotype 1. Elementary, iniital
__________ b. meander 2. Fixed pattern representing a type of person
___________c. augment 3. Natural locality of plant or animal
___________d. habitat 4. Make complete
___________e. rudimentary 5. Move slowly and aimlessly
(4) COMPLETION TESTS – requires students to answer a question or complete a sentence or paragraph by filling in a blank/s with the correct word/s or phrase/s. They provide a wide sampling of content and minimize guessing compared to multiple-choice and true-false tests. However, they are difficult to write and more time- consuming to prepare and score. They can hardly be used to measure more than simple recall of information.
Example:
Learning Objective: KNOWLEDGE, COMPREHENSION – know vocabulary words and their meaning, know how to use the vocabulary words above in a sentence.
Test Directions: Choose the appropriate word from the words above to complete the following sentences.
1. On Sundays, I love to ___________________ through the woods and bird watch.
2. Comprehending calculus is impossible if you have only a ___________________
knowledge of mathematics.
3. Wildlife sanctuaries protect the _______________________of birds and the plants on which they feed.
4. Absent-minded and thoughtful, Dr. James is the ________________________of a college professor.
5. He will have to find a second job to ____________________his income.
My ideal test would include a combination of at least two to three types of TA mentioned above. By doing this, I can align my student's learning objectives, , my classroom instruction and assessment to offer the best teaching-learning experience possible for my students and I.
References
Cohen & Wollack. Handbook on Test Development: Helpful Tips for Creating Reliable and Valid Classroom Tests retrieved January 28, 2013 from http://testing.wisc.edu/Handbook%20on%20Test% 20Construction.pdf
IS THIS A TRICK QUESTION? A Short Guide to Writing Effective Test Questions retrieved Januray 28, 2013 fromhttp://www.ksde.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=6P mcGOcdLB8%3D&t..
Burton, S. et al., How to Prepare Better Multiple-Choice Test Items: Guidelines for University Faculty (Utah: Brigham Young University Testing Services Utah)
Linda Suskie, Assessing Student Learning: A Common Sense Guide, 2nd ed (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2009), 167.
Barbara E. Walvoord and Virginia Johnson Anderson, Effective Grading: A Tool for Learning and Assessment in College, 2nd ed (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2010), 13.
Assessment Basics retrieved January 28, 2013 from http://www.cmu.edu/teaching/assessment/basics/alignment.html
Davy, E. & Davy, K., Master TOEFL Vocabulary (New Jersey: Peterson’s A Nelnet Company, 2006)
The Body http://www.thebody.com/content/art13863.html
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