•Educational

Testing and Measurement

Classroom Application and Practice, 10th ed
by Tom Kubiszyn & Gary Borich

•Assessment of Student Learning 1

by Dr. Rosita Navarro

•Assessmentfor Student Learning 1

by Buendicho

*Steps in Test Construction

(http://www.cte.cornell.edu/documents/Test%20Construction
%20Manual.pdf)
TEST
CONSTRUCTION
1. Planning for the test

2. Preparing the test

3.Analyzing and revising the test

• AN OBSERVABLE BEHAVIOR
-ACTION VERB SPECIFYING THE LEARNING OUTCOME

• ANY SPECIAL CONDITIONS UNDER WHICH THE

BEHAVIOR MUST BE DISPLAYED,AND

• THE PERFORMANCE LEVEL CONSIDERED SUFFICIENT

TO DEMONSTRATE MASTERY.
1. Given a list of six scrambled words, the
students can arrange the words to form
a sentence with 98 % accuracy

2.Given a thermometer,the students can

read the correct temperature.
*LEARNING OUTCOMES ARE
ENDS (PRODUCTS);
LEARNING ACTIVITIES ARE THE
MEANS(PROCESSES)TO THE
ENDS.
1.PRACTICING THE VIOLIN.

2.RECALLING THE PARTS OF SPEECH.

3.OUTLINING THE MAIN THEME IN HOUSE

OF SEVEN GABLES.

4.STUDYING BOOLEAN ALGEBRA.

EXERCISE 2: DISTINGUISH OBSERVABLE
LEARNING OUTCOMES FROM
UNOBSERVABLE OUTCOMES.
1.CIRCLE THE INITIAL SOUND OF WORDS.
2.BE FAMILIAR WITH THE LAW.
3.UNDERSTAND THE PROCESS OF OSMOSIS.
4.ENJOY SPEAKING FRENCH.
5.CHANGE THE SPARK PLUGS ON AN ENGINE.
EXERCISE 3:DETERMINE IF THE ITEM
REQUIRES THE SAME LEARNING OUTCOME.
1.OBJECTIVE:DISCRIMININATE FACT FROM
OPINION IN THE PRESIDENT’S MOST RECENT
STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS.
TEST ITEM:GIVEN A TEXT OF THE STATE OF
THE UNION ADDRESS, LIST THREE
EXAMPLES OF FACTS AND THREE EXAMPLES
OF OPINION.
2.OBJECTIVE: THE STUDENT WILL WRITE
COMPLETE INSTRUCTIONAL
OBJECTIVES, INCLUDING
BEHAVIOR,CONDITIONS, AND CRITERIA.
TEST ITEM: DESCRIBE WHY
INSTRUCTIONAL OBJECTIVES MUST
CONTAIN AN OBSERVABLE
BEHAVIOR,CONDITIONS AND CRITERIA.
3.OBJECTIVE: USING YOUR TEXT AS A
REFERENCE, RECOGNIZE THE NAMES
OF THE VARIOUS COMPONENTS OF THE
CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM.
TEST ITEM: FROM MEMORY, LIST THE
VARIOUS COMPONENTS OF THE
CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM.
EXERCISE 4: DETERMINE IF THE TEST
ITEM REQUIRES THE SAME LEARNING
CONDITIONS.

1.OBJECTIVE:USING YOUR MAP AS A

GUIDE, MAKE A FREE HAND DRAWING
OF AUSTRALIA.
TEST ITEM: WITHOUT USING YOUR MAP,
DRAW THE CONTINENT OF AUSTRALIA.
2.OBJECTIVE: GIVEN A LIST OF WORDS,
THE STUDENT WILL ENCIRCLE THE
NOUNS WITH 95% ACCURACY.

TEST ITEM: GIVE 10 EXAMPLES OF

NOUNS AND 10 EXAMPLES OF VERBS.
WRITING
OBJECTIVE TEST
ITEMS
SUGGESTIONS FOR
WRITING TRUE-FALSE
ITEMS
1.The desired method of marking
true or false should be clearly
explained before students begin
the test.
2. Constructstatements that are
definitely true or definitely
false, without additional
qualifications. If opinion is
used, attribute it to some
source.
.Use relatively short statements
3

and eliminate extraneous

material.
4.Keep true or false statements
at approximately the same
length , and be sure that there
are approximately equal
numbers of true and false
items.
5. AVOID
USING DOUBLE-
NEGATIVE STATEMENTS.THEY
TAKE EXTRA TIME TO
DECIPHER AND ARE
DIFFICULT TO INTERPRET.
6. AVOID THE FF:
A. VERBAL CLUES, ABSOLUTES, AND
COMPLEX SENTENCES
B. BROAD GENERAL STATEMENTS THAT
ARE USUALLY NOT TRUE OR FALSE
WITHOUT FURTHER QUALIFICATIONS;
C.TERMS DENOTING INDEFINITE DEGREE
(e.g., NEVER,ONLY,OR ALWAYS);

D. PLACING ITEMS IN A SYSTEMATIC ORDER

(e.g.,TTFF, TFTF,, AND SO ON);

E.TAKING STATEMENTS DIRECTLY FROM

THE TEXT AND PRESENTING THEM OUT OF
CONTEXT
____1.High-IQ children always get high
grades in school.
____ 2. Will Rogers said, “I never met a man I didn’t
like.
____3. If a plane crashed on the Mexican-American
border, half the survivors would be buried in Mexico
and half in the United States.
WORKSHOP
MATCHING TYPE OF TEST
1.KEEP BOTH LIST OF DESCRIPTIONS AND LIST
OF OPTIONS FAIRLY SHORT AND
HOMOGENEOUS.
--SHOULD BOTH FIT ON THE SAME PAGE
--TITLE THE LISTS TO ENSURE HOMOGENEITY
AND ARRANGE THE DESCRIPTIONS AND
OPTIONS IN SOME LOGICAL ORDER. IF THIS
IS IMPOSSIBLE YOU’RE PROBABLY
INCLUDING TOO WIDE A VARIETY IN THE
EXERCISE.
2.MAKE SURE THAT ALL THE OPTIONS
ARE PLAUSIBLE DISTRACTORS FOR
EACH DESCRIPTION TO ENSURE
HOMOGENEITY OF LISTS.
3.THE LIST OF DESCRIPTIONS ON
THE LEFT SIDE SHOULD CONTAIN
THE LONGER PHRASES OR
STATEMENTS, WHEREAS THE
OPTIONS ON THE RIGHT SIDE
SHOULD CONSIST OF SHORT
PHRASES, WORDS, OR SYMBOLS.
4. EACHDESCRIPTION IN THE
LIST SHOULD BE NUMBERED
(EACH IS AN ITEM), AND THE
LIST OF OPTIONS SHOULD BE
IDENTIFIED BY LETTER.
5. INCLUDE
MORE OPTIONS THAN
DESCRIPTIONS.

6.IN THE DIRECTIONS, SPECIFY

THE BASIS FOR MATCHING AND
WHETHER OPTIONS CAN BE
USED MORE THAN ONCE.
Directions: Match A and B.
A B
1.Lincoln a.President during the 20th century
2.Nixon b.Invented the telephone
3.Whitney c.Delivered the Emancipation Proclamation
4.Ford d.Recent president to resign from office
5.Bell e.Civil rights leader
6.King f.Invented the cotton gin
7.Washington g.Our first president
8.Roosevelt h.Only president elected for more than two
terms
1.THE STEM OF THE ITEM SHOULD
CLEARLY FORMULATE A PROBLEM.

2. BE SURE THAT THERE IS ONE AND

ONLY ONE CORRECT ANSWER
3.BE SURE WRONG ANSWER CHOICES
(DISTRACTORS) ARE PLAUSIBLE.
--ELIMINATE UNINTENTIONAL
GRAMMATICAL CLUES.
--KEEP THE LENGTH AND FORM OF ALL
THE ANSWER CHOICES EQUAL.
--ROTATE THE POSITION OF THE CORRECT
ANSWER FROM ITEM TO ITEM
RANDOMLY.
4.USE NEGATIVE QUESTIONS OR
STATEMENTS ONLY IF THE
KNOWLEDGE BEING TESTED
REQUIRES IT.
-- IN MOST CASES IT IS MORE IMPORTANT
FOR THE STUDENT TO KNOW WHAT A
SPECIFIC ITEM OF INFORMATION IS
RATHER THAN WHAT IT IS NOT.
5. INCLUDE FROM THREE TO FIVE
OPTIONS.

6. TO INCREASE THE DIFFICULTY OF A

MULTIPLE-CHOICE ITEM, INCREASE
THE SIMILARITY OF CONTENT AMONG
THE OPTIONS.
7.USE THE OPTION “NONE OF THE ABOVE”
SPARINGLY AND ONLY WHEN THE KEYED
ANSWER CAN BE CLASSIFIED
UNEQUIVOCALLY AS RIGHT OR WRONG.

8. AVOID USING “ALL OF THE ABOVE”. IT IS

USUALLY THE CORRECT ANSWER AND
MAKES THE ITEM TOO EASY FOR
STUDENTS WITH PARTIAL INFORMATION.
____ 1.In what year did humans first set foot on
the Moon?
a. 1975

b. 1957

c. 1969

d. 1963
___ 2. The free-floating structures within the cell
that synthesize protein are called
a.chromosomes
b.lysosomes
c.mitochondria
d.free ribosomes
___3.The principal value of a balanced diet is
that it
a.increases your intelligence.
b.gives you something to talk about with friends.
c.promotes mental health.
d. promotes physical health.
e. improves self-discipline
___4.Some test items
a.are too difficult
b.are objective
c.are poorly constructed
d.have multiple defensible answers
___5. The square root of 256 is
a. 14
b. 16
c. 4 x 4
d. both a and c
e.all of the above
f. none of the above
1.IF AT ALL POSSIBLE,ITEMS SHOULD
REQUIRE A SINGLE-WORD ANSWER OR A
BRIEF AND DEFINITE STATEMENT.
--AVOID STATEMENTS THAT ARE SO
INDEFINITE THAT THEY MAY BE
LOGICALLY ANSWERED BY SEVERAL
TERMS.
a. Poor item: World War II ended in ___.

b. Better item: World War II ended in the year ____.

2. BE SURE THE QUESTION OR
STATEMENT POSES A PROBLEM TO
THE EXAMINEE.
--A DIRECT QUESTION IS OFTEN MORE
DESIRABLE THAN AN INCOMPLETE
STATEMENT BECAUSE IT PROVIDES
MORE STRUCTURE.
3.BE SURE THE ANSWER THAT THE
STUDENT IS REQUIRED TO PRODUCE
IS FACTUALLY CORRECT.
--BE SURE THE LANGUAGE USED IN THE
QUESTION IS PRECISE AND ACCURATE
IN RELATION TO THE SUBJECT
MATTER AREA BEING TESTED.
4.OMIT ONLY KEY WORDS;
--DO NOT ELIMINATE SO MANY
ELEMENTS THAT THE SENSE OF THE
CONTENT IS IMPAIRED.
a.Poor item: The ___ type of test item is usually
more ___than the ____type.
b.Better item: The supply type of test item is
usually graded less objectivity than the
____type.
5.WORD THE STATEMENT SUCH THAT
THE BLANK IS NEAR THE END OF THE
SENTENCE RATHER THAN NEAR THE
BEGINNING.THIS WILL PREVENT
AWKWARD SENTENCES.
6.IF THE PROBLEM REQUIRES A
NUMERICAL ANSWER, INDICATE THE
UNITS IN WHICH IT IS TO BE
EXPRESSED.
___1. The evolutionary theory of [Darwin]
is based on the principle of [survival of the
fittest].
___2. Columbus discovered America in [1942].
___3.The capital of Mexico is[Mexico City].
___4.In what year did Gerald Ford become
president of the United States?[1973]
* Write test items according to rules of
construction for the type(s) chosen.
* Select the items to be included in the test
according to table of specifications.
* Review and edit items according to
guidelines.
* Arrange items: decide on
* a. grouping of items,
* b. sequence of items within groups
* c. sequence of groupings.
* Prepare directions for the test; if necessary,
prepare directions for individual items (e.g.,
matching type) or for sections
* Decide on method of scoring.
TEST
CONSTRUCTION
WORKSHOP
QUANTITATIVE
ITEM ANALYSIS
• A NUMERICAL METHOD FOR
ANALYZING TEST ITEMS
* IS IDEALLY SUITED FOR MULTIPLE-
CHOICE TYPE FORMATS
• MOST APPROPRIATE ON A NORM-
REFERENCED TEST
• INTERESTED IN SPREADING OUT
STUDENTS OR DISCRIMINATING THEM
*IS A TECHNIQUE TO ASSESS THE
QUALITY OR UTILITY OF AN ITEM
*IDENTIFY DISTRACTORS OR RESPONSE
OPTIONS THAT ARE NOT DOING WHAT
ARE SUPPOSED TO BE DOING
• LESS USEFUL IN COMPLETION OR
ESSAY TYPE
• NOT APPROPRIATE FOR CRT
 QUALITATIVE AND MODIFIED
QUANTITATIVE ITEM ANALYSIS
PROCEDURES ARE MOST APPROPRIATE
ITEM ANALYSIS
1. DESIRABLE
--CAN BE RETAINED FOR
SUBSEQUENT USE

2. UNDESIRABLE
--EITHER BE REVISED OR REJECTED
A. DIFFICULTY OF AN ITEM

B. DISCRIMINATING POWER OF AN
ITEM

C.MEASURES OF ATTRACTIVENESS
-REFERS TO THE PROPORTION OF THE
NUMBER OF STUDENTS IN THE UPPER
AND LOWER GROUPS WHO ANSWERED
AN ITEM CORRECTLY.

-IN CLASSROOM ACHIEVEMENT TEST, THE

DESIRED INDICES OF DIFFICULTY NOT
LOWER THAN 0.20 NOR HIGHER THAN 0.8
THE AVERAGE INDEX OF DIFFICULTY FROM
0.30 OR 0.40 TO A MAXIMUM OF 0.60
FORMULA:

DF = (PUG + PLG)/2
where
PUG = proportion of the upper group
PLG = proportion of the lower group who
got an item right
S1: Compute p.
= (number of students selecting
correct answer)/ (total number of
students attempting the item)
 A B C D*
3 0 18 9

Ex. p = 9/30 = 3/10 = 0.3

INDEX RANGE DIFFICULTY LEVEL

0.00 – 0.20 VERY DIFFICULT

0.21 – 0.40 DIFFICULT
0.41 – 0.60 MODERATELY
DIFFICULT
0.61 – 0.80 EASY
0.81 -1.00 VERY EASY
Q1:Were the students who answered it
correctly those who did well on the
over all test?

Q2: DID THE DISTRACTORS FOOL

THOSE WHO DID WELL OR
POORLY ON THE TEST?
Q1: WHY DO WE ADMINISTER TESTS?
A1: TO FIND OUT WHO HAS MASTERED
THE MATERIAL AND WHO HAS NOT(i.e.,
TO DISCRIMINATE BETWEEN THESE
TWO GROUPS).
Q2: WILL A TEST DISCRIMINATE BETWEEN
THESE GROUPS BETTER IF EACH ITEM
ON THE TEST DISCRIMINATES BETWEEN
THOSE WHO DID AND DID NOT DO WELL
ON THE TEST OVER ALL?
THE TEST WILL DO A GOOD JOB OF
DISCRIMINATING BETWEEN THOSE
WHO KNOW THEIR STUFF AND THOSE
WHO DON’T.
TO THE EXTENT THAT STUDENTS WHO
DO POORLY ON THE OVERALL TEST
ANSWER INDIVIDUAL
ITEMS CORRECTLY
NEGATIVE DISCRIMINATION INDEX= THE
TEST LOSES ITS ABILITY TO
DISCRIMINATE.
Q: HOW CAN I TELL WHETHER THE KEY
FOR ANY QUESTION IS CHOSEN MORE
FREQUENTLY BY BETTER STUDENTS(i.e.,
THE ITEM IS POSITIVELY
DISCRIMINATING) OR THE POORER
STUDENTS (i.e.,THE ITEM IS NEGATIVELY
DISCRIMINATING)?
ANSWER: FOLLOW THE DISCRIMINATION
INDEX PROCEDURE
IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE
PROPORTION OF HIGH PERFORMING
STUDENTS WHO GOT THE ITEM
CORRECTLY

IS THE DEGREE TO WHICH THE ITEM

DISCRIMINATES BETWEEN THE HIGH
PERFORMING GROUP AND THE LOW
PERFORMING GROUP
M1:IF THE PROPORTION OF
STUDENTS WHO GOT AN ITEM
RIGHT IN THE UPPER PERFORMING
GROUP IS GREATER THAN THE
PROPORTION OF THE LOW
PERFORMING GROUP.
OR, THOSE WHO DID WELL ON THE
OVERALL TEST CHOSE THE
CORRECT ANSWER FOR A
PARTICULAR ITEM MORE OFTEN
THAN THOSE WHO DID POORLY ON
THE OVERALL TEST
IF THE PROPORTION OF STUDENTS
WHO GOT AN ITEM RIGHT IN THE
LOWER PERFORMING GROUP IS
GREATER THAN THE PROPORTION
OF THE UPPER PERFORMING
GROUP.
OR, THOSE WHO DID POORLY ON
THE OVERALL TEST CHOSE THE
CORRECT ANSWER FOR A
PARTICULAR ITEM MORE OFTEN
THAN THOSE WHO DID WELL ON
THE OVER ALL TEST.
PROPORTION UPPER GROUP =
PROPORTION LOWER
S1: ARRANGE THE PAPERS FROM
HIGHEST TO LOWEST SCORE.

S2:SEPARATE THE PAPERS INTO AN

UPPER GROUP AND A LOWER GROUP
BASED ON TOTAL TEST SCORES. DO
SO BY INCLUDING HALF OF YOUR
PAPERS IN EACH GROUP.
S3: FOR EACH ITEM, COUNT THE
NUMBER IN THE UPPER GROUP
AND THE NUMBER IN THE LOWER
GROUP THAT CHOSE EACH
ALTERNATIVE.
S4:RECORD YOUR INFORMATION
FOR EACH ITEM IN THE
FOLLOWING
OPTIONS A
FORM
B C* D

UPPER 1 0 11 3

LOWER 2 0 7 6

Example for item X (class size = 30)

D =[(Number who got item correct in upper
group) – ( Number who got item correct in
lower group)] / [Number of students in either
group
Note: if group sizes are unequal, choose the
higher number)
p = number selecting correct answer
total number taking test
= 14/30
= 0.467(moderately difficult)
D=No.correct(upper)-No. correct (lower)
Number in either group
= 4 – 10
15
= -6 / 15
= -0.40 (negatively discriminating)
DISCRIMINATION ITEM EVALUATION
INDEX
0.40 AND UP VERY GOOD ITEM
0.30 -0.39 REASONABLY GOOD BUT SUBJECT TOIMPROVEMENT
0.20 -0.29 MARGINAL ITEM,USUALLY NEEDING AND BEING
SUBJ TO IMPROVEMENT
BELOW 0.19 POOR ITEM, TO BE REJECTED OR IMPROVED BY
REVISION