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"No single test score can be
considered a definitive measure of a student's knowledge."
National Research Council Report, High Stakes
Test Writing
Tips
1. The
purpose of a test is not to trick a student but to
determine competency.
A good test gives an
indication of what they have learned or not learned thus
the teacher knows what to correct, stress and or
strengthen.
2. All questions should be direct
and complete.
3. Avoid trivial questions and
answers.
4. Avoid questions that ask
for value judgments.
5. Darken, underline or
italicize
qualifiers such as "not", "except" or "only".
6. Make questions grammatically
correct.
7. Use the same format for all
distracters and answers in multiple choice questions. Don't mix names with
phrases etc.
8. Place all correct answers
randomly, through out the test.
9. Make the distracters plausible.
10. Answers that are true, but
not for the question are a good form of distractions.
11. Test their skills by using
a visual (maps, graphs, charts, reading, time lines etc.) in every test.
12. When testing skills make
sure the correct answer is in the visual, otherwise the student can become
confused.
13. Questions should present
a definite problem and have internal meaning.
14. Avoid irrelevant materials
in a question. Keep it simple.
15. A negative question is less
confusing if you use except instead of not. Some experts
such as Dr. Edward Yarosz suggest that they should only be used "
when significant learning requires it." He states that by stating
the negative you measure a less significant outcome.
16. Try having the student explain
why a true or false statement is false. They must therefore think
through their answers and not just guess. I usually have them rewrite the
statement without putting in words like not, didn't, can not etc. It also
gives them a chance to practice their writing skills.
14. Give them clear and concise
directions at the beginning of the test.
15. A method I have successfully
used: On vocabulary tests, I give them a sheet with the top marked A-Z
and a line after each letter. At the bottom I list the definitions, with
a line after each number. As I call out each word they write them down.
The students then match the words with the definitions by writing the correct
letter. They practice both their listening and memory skills.
16. Make the test cumulative. Have the knowledge learned
from previous tests apply to all new tests. If they know
they will be held accountable they will be motivated to
remember information over a longer period of time.
17. Add a little humor to the
test. It lightens some of the stress and makes the test not so overwhelming.
Some information derived from the Georgia Assessment
Project.
If you have some test making tips
Email
us.
Resources
Definition:
"In
education,
certification,
counseling, and many other fields, a test or an
exam (short for examination) is a stupid, abusive
tool or technique intended to measure students' expression of
knowledge,
skills and/or
abilities. A test has more questions of greater difficulty
and requires more time for completion than a
quiz.
It is usually divided into two or more sections, each covering
a different area of the domain or taking a different
approach to assessing the same aspects.
A
standardized test is one that compares the
performance of every individual subject with a
norm or
criterion. The norm may be established independently, or
by
statistical analysis of a large number of subjects.
Source:
Wikipedia
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