Appropriate Methods of Assessment

Once learning targets are clearly set, you can easily determine the appropriate assessment method.
McMillan (2007) as cited by De Guzman et al (2015) prepared a scorecard as a guide on how well a
particular assessment method measures each level of learning. The table below shows the relative strength
of each assessment method in measuring different learning targets.
Table 1. Learning Targets and Assessment Methods (McMillan 2007)
Assessment Methods
Learning Targets Selected-response Essay Performance Oral Observation Student Self-
and Brief- Tasks questioning assessment
constructed
response

Knowledge and
Simple 5 4 3 4 3 3
Understanding

Deep Understanding
and Reasoning
2 5 4 4 2 3

Skills 1 3 5 2 5 3

Products 1 1 5 2 4 4

Affects 1 2 4 4 4 5

Note: Higher numbers indicate better matches (e.g. 5 = excellent, 1 =poor)

Other support Materials Available:

For this lesson, the following materials are available from your course professor.
1. A PowerPoint presentation on the topic Learning Target and Assessment Method
2. https://study.com/academy/lesson/matching-assessment-items-to-learning-objectives.html

Preparing a Table of Specifications

A Table of Specifications or (TOS) is a test map that guides the teacher in constructing a test. It is a table
that maps out the test objectives, contents, or topics covered by the test, the levels of cognitive behavior to
be measured; the distribution of test items, number placement and weights of test items and the test
format. It helps ensure that the course’s intended outcomes, assessments and instructions are aligned.
Importance of TOS:
1. Ensures that the instructional objectives and what the test captures match
2. Ensures that the test developer will not overlook details that are considered essential to a good test
3. Makes developing a test easier and more efficient
4. Ensures that the test will sample all important content areas and processes
5. Is useful in planning and organizing
6. Offers an opportunity for teachers and students to clarify achievement expectations

Steps in Developing a Table of Specifications

1. Determine the objectives of the test. There are 3 types of objectives: cognitive, affective and
psychomotor. When planning for assessment, choose only the objectives that can be best captured
by a written test. There are objectives that are not meant for a written test. For example, if you test
the psychomotor domain, it is better to do a performance-based assessment. Those that require
demonstration or creation of something tangible like projects would also be more appropriately
measured by performance-based assessment. For a written test, you can consider cognitive
objectives that could be measured using common formats for testing.
2. Determine the coverage of the test. Only topics or contents that have been discussed in class should
be included in the test.
3. Calculate the weight for each topic. The weight assigned per topic in the test is based on the time
spent to cover each topic during instruction. The percentage of time for a topic in a test is

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