UNIT: 4
TYPES OF
TESTS
Classroom tests play a central role in the assessment of student
learning. Tests provide relevant measures of many important learning outcomes and indirect
evidence concerning others. They make expected learning outcomes explicit to students
and parents and show what types of performance are valued. The validity of the
information they provide, however, depends on the care that goes into the planning and
preparation of tests. The main goal of classroom testing is to obtain valid, reliable and
useful information concerning assessment. This requires determining what is to be
measured and then defining it precisely so that tasks that evoke the desired
performance can be constructed.
In a standard based approach to education and training, informed
by Constructivist theory, assessment informed instruction is the expectation as is
continuous improvement. One of the most widely used tools in assessment and evaluation is
the traditional or classic classroom achievement test, whether the classroom is on-
or offline. These measures are often fraught with reliability and validity problems
as the process for constructing such tests is often not followed or misunderstood,
thereby introducing
significant measurement error into the measurement process. Poor
measurement frequently leads to inaccurate data-based inferences, which in
turn leads to bad decision making. Moreover classroom tests and assessment can
be used for a variety of instructional purposes such examining the quality of teaching
learning process, students achievement individually and success of institution overall.
OBJECTIVE TYPE
Selection
Type Items
There are four types of test items in selection category of test
which are in common use. They are multiple-choice, matching, true-false, and
completion items.
1. Multiple-choice Questions
Multiple-choice test items consist of a stem or a question and
three or more alternative answers (options) with the correct answer sometimes
called the keyed response and the incorrect answers called distracters. This
form is generally better than the incomplete stem because it is simpler and
more natural.
2. True-False Questions
A True-False test item requires the student to determine whether a
statement is true or false. The chief disadvantage of this type is the
opportunity for successful guessing.
According to Gronlund (1995) the alternative response test items
that consists of a declaration statement that the pupil is asked to mark true
or false, right or wrong, correct or incorrect, yes or no, fact or opinion,
agree or disagree and the like. In each case there are only two possible
answers. Because the true-false option is the most common, this type is mostly
refers to true-false type. Students make a designation about the validity of the
statement. Also known as a “binary-choice” item because there are only two
options to select from. These types of items are more effective for assessing
knowledge, comprehension, and application outcomes as defined in the cognitive
domain of Blooms’ Taxonomy of educational objectives.
3. Matching Items:
According to Cunningham (1998), the matching items consist of two parallel columns. The column on
4. Completion Items
Like true-false items, completion items are relatively easy to
write. Perhaps the first tests classroom teachers’ construct and students take
completion tests. Like items of all other formats, though, there are good and
poor completion items. Student fills in one or more blanks in a statement.
These are also known as “Gap-Fillers.” Most effective for assessing knowledge
and comprehension learning outcomes but can be written for higher level
outcomes.
SUPPLY TYPE ITEMS
The aviation instructor is able to determine the students' level of
generalized knowledge of a subject through the use of supply-type questions.
There are four types of test items in supply type category of test. Commonly
these are completion items, short answers, restricted response and extended
response (essay type comprises the restricted and extended responses).
1. Short Answer:
Student supplies a response to a question that might consistent of
a single word or phrase. Most effective for assessing knowledge and comprehension learning outcomes but
can be written for higher level outcomes.
2. Essay questions
Essay questions are supply or constructed response type questions
and can be the best way to measure the students' higher order thinking skills, such as
applying, organizing, synthesizing, integrating, evaluating, or projecting while at the
same time providing a measure of writing skills. The student has to formulate and write
a response, which may be detailed and lengthy.
For more details download PPT
Comments
Post a Comment
any suggestion on my side