Unit Three

Assessment
Assessment: is the process of defining, selecting, designing, collecting, analyzing, interpreting, and using
information to increase students' learning and development.

Tests: are assessments made under contrived circumstances especially so that they may be administered.

 In other words, all tests are assessments, but not all assessments are tests.
 We test at the end of a lesson or unit.
 A test or assessment yields information relative to an objective or goal.
Evaluation: is perhaps the most complex and least understood of the terms. Inherent in the idea of evaluation is
“value.”
 When we evaluate, what we are doing is engaging in some process that is designed to provide information
that will help us make a judgment about a given situation.
 When we evaluate, we are saying that the process will yield information regarding the worthiness,
appropriateness, goodness, validity, legality, etc., of something for which a reliable measurement or
assessment has been made.
 Teachers, in particular, are constantly evaluating students, and such evaluations are usually done in the
context of comparisons between what was intended (learning, progress, behavior) and what was obtained.
Measurement: is the process of changing students’ performance in to quantitative form.
 To sum up, we measure performance, we assess learning, and we evaluate results in terms of some set of
criteria.
Assessment Tools

 It is a systematic and standardized instruments and methods used to evaluate and measure specific
attributes, knowledge, skills, performance, or competencies, or behaviors of individuals in a consistent
and objective manner.
Forms/Types of Assessment Tools
 Assessment tools can take various forms, in addition to assessment tools, it includes feedback processes
along with methodologies for administering, scoring, and interpreting these instruments.

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 Key Features of Assessment Tools

Validity and reliability are essential factors to consider when selecting assessment tools.

 Reliability: it refers to the consistency and stability of the assessment results over time.
o To be reliable, the test needs to be consistent and free from errors.

 Validity – to be valid, the test needs to measure what it is supposed to measure.

o It refers to the degree to which an assessment tool measures what it intends to measure.
An assessment instrument

An assessment instrument is part of the assessment tool. The assessment instrument is the documented
activities developed to support the assessment method and used to collect the evidence of student competence .
An assessment instrument could include:

 Tests
 Quizs
 Assignments
 Presentations
 Debating
 Discussion
 Oral and written questions.
 Observation/demonstration checklists.
 Projects, case studies, scenarios.
 Recognition or workplace portfolios.
 And so on.

Assessment Tool v Assessment Instrument

 Assessment tools include assessment instruments.

 An assessment tool is more of a broad term and encompasses various instruments and methods for
gathering and interpreting evidence.
 An assessment instrument is more specific and refers to the actual device or method of gathering
evidence.
 An assessment instrument is part of an assessment tool.
 Instruments include tests, surveys, interviews, checklists, tasks, and observations.
 The terms assessment tools and assessment instruments are often used interchangeably. This is because
both are used to achieve similar outcomes – gather evidence.

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  The main differences are related to their scope.

Test Construction

The Meaning of Testing

Test is a systematic procedure for determining the amount of information that students have learnt. It plays a
prominent role in all types of instructional programs. It is the most widely used method of assessing
achievement in classroom instruction. Despite the widespread use of testing and its importance in evaluating
and guiding student learning, some teachers receive little or no training in how to construct good tests.

Basic Principles of Testing

A test should

 Measure clearly defined learning outcomes that are in harmony with the instructional objectives.
 Measure a representative sample of the learning outcomes and subject matter included in the instruction.
 Be including the types of test items that are most appropriate for measuring the desired learning
outcomes.
 Be designed to fit the particular uses to be made of the results.
 Be made as reliable as possible and should then be interpreted with caution.
 Be used to improve student learning.

Planning a Test

The planning of a test can take many forms, but both professional test makers and classroom teachers have
found the following series of steps to be most useful.

 Determine the purpose of the test.

 Identify the learning outcomes to be measured by the test.
 Define the learning outcomes in terms of specific, observable behavior.
 Outline the subject matter to be measured by the test.
 Prepare a table of specifications /blueprint/exam syllabus/.
 Use the table of specifications as a basis for preparing tests.

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Types of Question Types
The following array shows the most common questions types used at various cognitive levels.

Factual Knowledge Application Analysis and Evaluation

Multiple Choice
True/False Multiple Choice
Matching Short Answer
Completion Problems Multiple Choice
Short Answer Essay Essay

Types of Tests

There are two general categories of test items, namely, objective items and subjective items.

1. Objective Type Tests

Objective items are those items which require students to select the correct response from several alternatives to
answer a question. Objective items include: true/false items, matching items, and multiple choice items.

A. True/False Items

The true-false item is simply a declarative statement that the student must judge as true or false.

Rules for constructing true-false items

 Include only one central, significant idea in each statement.

 Word the statement so precisely that it can unequivocally be judged true or false.
 Keep the statements short, and use simple language structure.
 Use negative statements sparingly, and avoid double negatives.
 Avoid extraneous clues to the answer.

B. Matching Items

The matching item is a modification of the multiple-choice form. Instead of the possible responses being listed
underneath each individual stem, a series of stems, called premises, is listed in one column and the responses
are listed in another column.

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Rules for constructing matching items

 Include only homogeneous material in each matching type of test.

 Keep the lists of items short and place the brief responses on the right.
 Use a larger or smaller number of responses than premises, and permit the responses to be used more
than once.
 Specify in the directions the basis for matching, and indicate if each response may be used once or more
than once.

C. Multiple Choice Items

The multiple-choice item consists of a stem, which presents a problem situation, and several alternatives,
which provide possible solutions to the problem. The stem may be a question or an incomplete statement. The
alternatives include the correct answer and several plausible wrong answers, called distracters. The function
of the latter is to distract those students who are uncertain of the answer.

Rules for constructing multiple-choice items

 Design each item to measure an important learning outcome.

 Present a single clearly formulated problem in the stem of the item.
 State the stem of the item in simple, clear language.
 State the stem of the item in positive form, whenever possible.
 Make certain that the intended answer is correct or clearly best.
 Make all alternatives grammatically consistent with the stem of the item and parallel in form.
 Avoid verbal clues that might enable students to select the correct answer or to eliminate an incorrect
alternative.
 Make the distracters plausible and attractive to the uninformed.
 Vary the relative length of the correct answer to eliminate length as a clue.
 Avoid using the alternative “all of the above”, and using “none of the above” with extreme caution.
 Vary the position of the correct answer randomly.
2. Subjective Type Tests

Subjective or essay items permit the student to organize and present an original answer. Subjective items
include short answer essay, extended-response essay, and problem-solving and performance test items.

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A. Short-Answer Items

Rules for constructing short-answer items

 State the item so that only a single, brief answer is possible.

 Start with a direct question, and switch to an incomplete statement only when greater conciseness is
achievable.
 The words to be supplied should relate to the main point of the statement.
 Place the blanks at the end of the statement.
 Avoid extraneous clues to the answer.
 For numerical answers, indicate the degree of precision expected and the units in which they are to be
expressed.

B. Constructing Essay Tests

Rules for constructing essay tests

 Use essay questions to measure complex learning only.

 Relate the questions as directly as possible to the learning outcomes being measured.
 Formulate questions that present a clear task to the student.
 Do not permit students a choice of questions unless the learning outcome requires it.
 Provide ample time for answering the questions and suggest a time limit for answering each question.

Rules for scoring essay tests

 Evaluate answers to essay questions in terms of the learning outcomes being measured.
 Score restricted response answers by the point method, using a model answer as a guide.
 Score extended response answers by the rating method, using defined criteria as a guide.
 Mark all of the students’ answers to one question before proceeding to the next question.
 Mark answers to essay questions without knowing the identity of the student.

Activities

1. Discuss and note down the difference among the following terms: testing, assessment, measurement, and
evaluation.

2. Construct at least five True/False test items related to one of your courses and discuss them with your
colleagues.

3. Construct a set of matching items consisting of at least five premises related to your course and compare with
your colleagues.

4. Construct individually three short answer type items related to one of your courses/modules/ and discuss the
items with your colleagues.

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5. Construct individually three essay type items related to one of your courses and ask your colleagues to give
you comments.