CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
TEST DEVELOPMENT
21.1 Objectives
By the end of this section, you will be able to:
i. recognize the steps involved in creating a test for a classroom setting,
ii. prepare a table of specification
iii. carry out moderation process of test item
iv. carry out test item writing
21.2 Introduction
Testing essentially consists of four main steps: creating and developing the exam, administering the test, scoring the test, and reviewing the test results. Each of these actions can lead to a legitimate assessment of every Testee as well as a trustworthy test. You will discover how to construct tests for use in the classroom in this chapter. Additionally, construct the specification table. Following that, you will learn how to create the specification table, control the output of the item, and prepare the item for usage.
21.3 Test Development
The primary purpose of teacher-created assessments is to acquire valid, trustworthy, and valuable information about each student's performance within a certain period. This requires good preparation such that the sampling of exam questions is representative of the entire cog native domain. A good examination designed to measure particular learning objectives should assess fundamental course material. If mathematics learning outcomes are to be assessed, the test should be based on what pupils have studied in mathematics, not in physics or geography. The test is best seen as a sample if the questions are drawn from the extensive material provided. Priority number one when picking a sample test is creating a high degree of validity. This entails the creation of a test that includes the material taught, as well as the weighting of each item so that each topic studied is emphasized proportionally to all other topics, in line with its relative significance. Special care must be taken to prevent having too many or none on a particular issue, or too few or none on others. An description of the sampling technique for the classroom exam is provided below.
21.3.1 Steps in Creating a Classroom Examination
Tests administered in the classroom are an assessment tool used to examine the level of achievement made by instructor and student during classroom instruction. Numerous professors create tests, which frequently fail owing to inadequate and poor design; therefore, tests must be well-planned to fulfill their goal. The following serves as a guidance for designing a classroom examination.
§ Establish the purpose of the test.
§ Clearly state the learning objectives and assessment criteria; Establish the relative weight of each topic;
§ Choose the exam type (essay or objective) that is most suited;
§ Create a test blueprint to direct the design of the test.
§ Create test questions that are relevant to the learning objectives listed in the test plan.
§ Establish the scoring system and the findings' interpretation.
§ Establish the duration and length of the exam;
§ Put the components together into a test, give instructions, then administer the test.
21.3.2 Identify the Instructional Goals
The instructional aim is also known as the learning objective or course objective. It is a goal that is anticipated to be reached throughout the term of classroom education. When constructing test items for any course, the learning objectives of the course must be carefully examined. Because it is a desired learning result, students are expected to possess it upon completion of the course. The assessment of behavior in the cognitive domain of the education goal contains six level objectives: knowledge, understanding, application analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. The instructional objectives for this objective are specified. The instructional objectives and course material serve as the foundation for test creation.
21.3.3 Item Protection
The test developer should outline all of the material that will be assessed. This weighting is determined by the significance and attention placed on the content section. Item coverage is required since it is the way by which objectives are to be attained and mastery assessed.
21.3.4 Specification table/Test blueprint
Sometimes referred to as the educational blueprint. The educational blueprint is a two-dimensional chart that ties the subject matter subjects to the instructional aim in terms of behaviors and gives information regarding the focus to be placed on each sort of learning come. Table of Specifications is the shorthand name for a plan prepared by test developers (Test blue print). To create a test blueprint, you require a list of covered subjects and expected actions. The horizontal dimension of a subject-specific chart indicates cognitive domain activities, whereas the vertical dimension represents a list of subject-specific topic research. For testing, action verbs such as identify, sum, solve, simplify, evaluate, and explain are employed for the behaviors dimension, which typically consists of six objective levels (knowledge, compression, application, analysis, synthesis & evaluation.) Consider the following instructional aim if, for example, a mathematics instructor is tasked with creating an end-of-semester examination in mathematics.
§ Students should be able to do fundamental decimal operations.
§ Students should be able to determine the provided number of significant and decimal places.
§ Students must be capable of factorizing and solving quadratic expressions.
§ Students should be able to solve two-variable inequalities.
§ Students should be able to solve issues using all fundamental triangle kinds.
§ Students must be able to compute the mean, median, mode, and median.
On the basis of these aims, the relationship between the intended themes and behavior should be examined. The class attention on the subjects and the number of students' activities determine the relative value of simple topics and behavior outcomes.
The following are topic-specific information selected by the instructor.
1. Subject: Number and Numeration
2. Algebra Processes 30%
3. Geography 20%
4. Everyday figures 10%
As percentage weights are allocated to each content, as necessary. If 20 things are to be created, the following will determine the number of items to be specified for each topic:
§ Quantity and Numeration 40% of 20 things equals 8
§ Algebra Processes 30% of 20 things is 6 items
§ Geometry 20% of 20 things equals 4 items
§ Normal Statistics 10% of 20% equals 2 things
The most appropriate method for weighing the material of an objective exam is to allocate the number of test items to be completed for each topic. More questions are given to the more significant while fewer are given to the less significant. Thus, the overall number of test items is related to their weight in the entire exam (that is, to educational objectives at higher and lower cognitive). In our example mathematics examination, forty percent of the questions should focus on number and numeration (8items) 30% of the exam questions for Algebra processes (6-items), 20% of the test questions for geometry (4-items), and 100% of the test questions for daily statistics concern algebraic processes (2items). As illustrated in the table below, the table of specifications for an essay test is created by designing a two-dimensional chart with contents vertically and objectives horizontally:
TABLE OF SPECIFICATION/TEST BLUEPRINT
CONTENT | Knowledge | Comprehension | Application | Analysis | Synthesis | Evaluation |
Number and Numeration | 2 | -- | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
Algebra Processes | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -- | - |
Geometry | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | -- | -- |
Everyday Statistics | 1 | 1 | --- | ---- | --- | --- |
Total | 6 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 1 |
Once a thoroughly crafted table of specifications has been created, the test developer will have the direction necessary to construct test questions with a high degree of content validity. It should be emphasized that while choosing the exam style, both objective and essay questions should be employed appropriately depending on the course objectives and the desired behavior outcomes.
21.4 Item Format
Using the test blueprint, the professional test constructor is then responsible for executing the actual test items as designed. Following are rules for writing items:
i. As a test developer, the table of specifications is the blueprint for your item authoring and should be adhered to.
ii. The test developer should produce a larger number of items than specified in the test blueprint. This will allow for items that do not pass item analysis hurdles.
iii. In item writing, the test creator should be clear and avoid misleading terminology.
iv. In addition to generating test items at the proper level of difficulty as defined in the test blueprint, the test developer must also employ the relevant action verbs for each cognitive domain level. Included are the terms describe, explain, debate, enumerate, create, draw, compare and contrast, etc.
v. a suitable scoring guide must be developed at the time of item creation.
vi. To verify test items, subject specialists/experts should be included, and their observations should be taken into account while drafting the final item.
vii. Reviewing and picking the best things based on the test blueprint should follow the writing.
The instructions for all tests must be clear, precise, unambiguous, and goal-oriented in order to suit the learning goals and requirements of testers.
21.5 Test Moderation
Examining and critiquing test exercises by one or more specialists is a component of test creation. This procedure is known as test item moderation. After the construction of exam items, they are vetted by a school's subject head or a topic specialist who provides insightful feedback. After any required revisions and modifications, the test items are sent to external assessors (subject experts or specialists) for their comments. This must be sent together with the marking system for carrying out successful exercises in order for the exam to have construct and content validity.
21.6 Summary
In conclusion of this chapter:
§ You have acquired knowledge of test development as a strategy to direct the building of test items.
§ The Table of Specifications, also known as the Test Blueprint, is the building blueprint for the test.
§ The test blueprint instructs the test builder on how to develop a test. This provides construct and content validity to the test.
§ Test item authoring guidelines were outlined and discussed
§ The internal and external moderation of examination items was considered.
Student Exercise
1. Mention significant construction steps
2. What is a blueprint for a test?
3. Describe three functions of the test blueprint.
4. Provide a summary of the test blueprint.
5. A mathematics instructor devoted twenty weeks to the following topics:
Topic Number of weeks
Number & Numeration 4 weeks
Areas of Plane shapes 5 weeks
Algebra Processes 1 week
Bearing 3 weeks
Latitude & Longitude 2 weeks
Everyday Statistics 5 weeks
Total20 weeks
Using the information in the above, construct a table of specification for a 60 items test that will ensure adequate representation of the topics covered within this period.
References
National Teachers’ Institute (1990). NCE/DLS on Course on Education Cycle 3
National Teachers’ Institute & National Open University of Nigeria (2010). General Education
National Teachers’ Institute (1990). PGDE by DLS on PDE 705