Test Defined
Test is a systematic procedure
for measuring an individual’s behavior (Brown, 1991).
Uses
of Test
School administrators utilize test results for making
decisions regarding the promotion or retention of students; improvement or
enrichment of the curriculum; and conduct of staff development programs for
teachers
Supervisors use test results in discovering learning areas needing
special attention and identifying teacher’s weaknesses and learning
competencies not mastered by the students.
Teachers, on the other hand, utilize tests for numerous purposes.
Through testing, teachers are able to- gather information about the
effectiveness of instruction; give feedback to students about their progress;
and assign grades.
Parents, too, derive benefits from tests administered to their children.
Type
of Tests
As to mode of response, test can be oral, written, or performance.
1. Oral Test –
it is a test wherein the test taker gives his answer orally.
2. Written Test –
it is a test where answers to questions are written by the test taker.
3. Performance Test –p it is one in
which the test taker creates an answer or a product that demonstrates his
knowledge or skill, as in cooking and baking.
As to ease of Quantification of response, test can either be objective
or subjective.
1. Objective Test –
It is a paper and pencil test wherein students' answers can be compared and
quantified to yield a numerical score.
2. Subjective Test –< /span> it
is a paper-and-pencil test which is not easily quantified as students are given
the freedom to write their answer to a question, such as an essay test. Thus,
the answer to this type of test is divergent.
As to mode of administration, tests can either be individual or group.
1. Individual Test –
It is a test administered to one student at a time.
2. Group Test –
It is one administered to a group of students simultaneously.
As to test constructor, tests can be classified into standardized and
unstandardized.
1. Standardized Test –
It is a test prepared by an expert or specialist. This type of test samples
behavior under uniform procedures.
2. Unstandardized Test –
It is one prepared by teachers for use classroom, with no established norms for
scoring and interpretation of results.
As to the mode of interpreting results, tests can either be
norm-referenced or criterion-referenced.
1. Norm-referenced Test –
It is a test that evaluates a student’s performance by comparing it to the
performance of a group of students on the same test.
2. Criterion –referenced Test – It is a test that
measures a student’s performance against an agreed upon or pre-established
level of performance.
As to the nature of the answer, tests can be categorized into the
following types:
1. Personality Test –
It is a test designed for assessing some aspects of an individual’s
personality. Some areas tested in this kind of test include the following;
emotional and social adjustment; dominance and submission; value orientation;
disposition; emotional stability; frustration level; and degree of introversion
or extroversion.
2. Intelligence Test –
It is a test that measures the mental ability of an individual.
3. Aptitude Test –
It is a test designed for the purpose of predicting the likelihood of an
individual’s success in a learning area or field of endeavor.
4. Achievement Test –
It is attest given to students to determine what a student has learned from
formal instruction in school.
5. Summative Test –
It is a test given at the end of instruction to determine students’ learning
and assign grades.
6. Diagnostic Test –
It is a test administered to students to identify their specific strengths and
weaknesses in past and present learning.
7. Formative Test –
It is a test given to improve teaching and learning while it is going on. A
test given after teaching the lesson for the day is an example of this type of
test.
8. Socio-metric Test –
It is a test used in discovering learners’ likes and dislikes , preferences,
and their social acceptance, as well as social relationship existing in a
group.
9. Trade Test –
It is a test designed to measure an individual’s skill or competence in an
occupation or vocation.
Two Test-Preparation
Guidelines
The first guideline
Professional Ethics Guideline:
No test-preparation practice should violate the ethical norms of the education
profession
Ethical:
Giving general instruction on
district objectives without referring to the objectives that the standardized
tests measure;
Typically Ethical:
Teaching test-taking skills.
The second guideline
Educational Defensibility
Guideline: No test-preparation practice should increase students’ test
scores without simultaneously increasing students’ mastery of the assessment
domain tested
Unethical:
Providing practice or instruction on
a published parallel form of the same test;
Providing practice or instruction on
the test itself.
Steps in Constructing Classroom
Tests
1.) Identification of
instructional objectives and learning outcomes.
2.) Listing of the Topics to be
covered by the Test.
3.) Preparation of a Table of
Specification (TOS).
4.) Selection of the
Appropriate Types of Tests.
5.) Writing of Test Items.
6.) Sequencing the Items.
7.) Writing the Directions or
Instructions.
8.) Preparation of the Answer
Sheet And scoring Key.
Preparing and assembling a test more
effectively
1.) Provide general directions
for the test
2.) Arrange items
systematically
3.) Place the most difficult
questions near the end of the test so that students have time to answer more
questions.
4.) Provide ample margins.
5.) Number the items
consecutively.
6.) Before administering the
test, prepare answer keys and scoring procedures.
7.) Make sure all copies of the
test are legible and free of typographical or grammatical errors
Definition of terms
Testing is
a technique of obtaining information needed for evaluation purposes. It also
refers to the administration, scoring and interpretation of an instrument
designed to draw out information about a performance in sample of particular
area of behavior. Tests are devices to obtain such information..
Test administration is
concerned with the physical and psychological setting in which students takes
the test. It aims to establish both a physical and psychological setting that
permits the students to do their best on the test.
Test Scoring may be done by competent persons or sometimes by the use of
scoring machines. Scores provide a summary of each student’s performance. The
process of scoring the test involves measurement that is using numbers to
represent an individual’s performance level or characteristics.
Test Interpretation- interpretation of the test scores on any test
should not take place without a thorough knowledge of the technical aspects of
the test, the test results, and its limitations. For example, a raw score of 48
is meaningful only if it is verbally interpreted either good or fair.
Guidelines
in administering the test:
Ø Provide a quiet,
comfortable setting.
Ø Try to anticipate and
avoid questions through good directions.
Ø Provide a good
psychological setting by encouraging the students to do their best.
Ø Discourage cheating
through seating arrangements, circulating around the room, and enforcement of
rules and penalties.
Ø Help students keep
track of time.
Here
are some physical, psychological and other things to consider in administering
the test.
Psychological
consideration:
Student benefit- when
students have been exposed to good testing practice, many of them are
enthusiastic concerning the return of the test and are willing to discuss items
which they have missed.
Optimum
Motivation- informing the students ahead about the test and the nature of the
test can encourage them to study ahead of time and expect a high result of the
test.
Test
Anxiety- can cause distraction on the part of the student in taking the test.
Physical
condition:
Acclimatization- some
students have difficulty in becoming accustomed to a new climate or a different
environment. For this reason, testing should, if possible, be carried out in
the regular classroom where the class meets.
Noise-high
noise levels during testing may result in lower test scores.
Lighting-
rooms that has inadequate light can affect the performance of the students.
Heating
and Ventilation- it is also important to consider the temperature of the room
and the ventilation. A too hot or too cold temperature can have an effect on
the students during the test.
Others:
The administrator- the role of the teacher as the administrator is that of
communicating to the students what they are to do and the conditions for doing
it.
Cheating-
cheating on tests may be created by the stress or pressure placed upon a
student by the parents, but it is likely more to be a product of lack of
preparation and little study on the part of the students.
Test
Scoring
Guidelines
in scoring a test
•&νβσπ;Test scores should be
based upon topics that were taught and items that are clearly written.
•&νβσπ;Make sure the same
rules are used to score all students.
•&νβσπ;Be alert for the
following distracters that may impede the objectivity of essay scores: writing
styles, grammar and spelling, neatness, scorer fatigue, prior student
performance and carry over effects.
•&νβσπ;Define what constitutes
a good answer before administering an essay question.
•&νβσπ;Score all answers to
the first essay question before moving on to the succeeding essay question.
•&νβσπ;Read essay questions
a second time after initial scoring.
•&νβσπ;Carry out post-test
review in order to locate faulty items and when necessary to make scoring
adjustments.
Scoring Selection Items are easy to score. To score selection items, the
teacher compares a key, which lists the correct answer to each question, to the
answers given by the students. The number of matches indicates the students
score. Scoring selection items is usually quite objective.
Objective
scoringrefers
to those tests where independent scorers will arrive at the same or similar
scores. On the other hand, subjective scoring refers to those tests
where independent scorers would not arrive at the same or similar scores.
Interpreting
the test results
Some factors that can impact the valid and useful interpretations of test
scores are the following: Psychometric factors
Factors such as reliability, norms, standard error of measurement, and validity
of the instrument are important when interpreting the test results..
Test-taker
Factors
Factors such as, the test-taker’s group membership and how that membership may
impact the results of the test is a critical factor in the interpretation of
the results. It involves the test taker’s gender, age, ethnicity, race,
socioeconomic status, marital status, and others that affect the individual’s
results.
Contextual
factors
These refers to the relationship of the test to the instructional program,
opportunity to learn, quality of the educational program, work and home
environment and other factors that would assist in understanding the test
results. For example, if the test does not align to the curriculum standards
and how those standards are taught in the classroom, the test may not provide
the useful information.
Factors to Consider when
Constructing a Good Test
v Potential Pitfall –
constructing a good test items requires technical knowledge of the principles
of assessment. Be sure to proofread the test items.
v Avoid Ambiguity – hence, a
good test item should be clearly stated.
v Keep it Simple – uncommon vocabulary
should be avoided.
v Consider time efficiency –
sufficient space between items and sections allows students to isolate any one
question with ease.
The above-mentioned points add up to
determine the success or failure of a test in accomplishing its purpose of
measuring students’ learning. A good test must possess the following attributes
or qualities:
v Validity – it is the degree to
which a test measures what it seeks to measure.
v Reliability – it is the
accuracy with which a test consistently measures that which it does
measure.
v Objectivity – it is the extent
to which personal biases or subjective judgment of the test scorer is
eliminated in checking the students’ responses to the test items, as there is
only one correct answer for each question.
v Scorability – it is easy to
score or check as an answer key and answer sheet are provided.
v Administrability – it is easy
to administer as a clear and simple instructions are provided to students,
proctors and scorers.
v Relevance – the test item
should be directly related to the course objectives and actual instruction.
v Balance – refers to the degree
to which the proportion of item testing particular outcomes corresponds to the
ideal test.
v Efficiency – refers to the
number of meaningful responses per unit of time.
v Difficulty – the test item
should be appropriate in difficulty level to the group being tested.
v Discrimination – for a
norm-referenced test, the ability of an item to discriminate is generally
indexed by the difference between the proportion of good and poor students who
respond correctly. For a criteron-referenced test, discrimination is usually
associated with pretest and posttest differences of the ability of the test or
item to distinguish competent from less competent students.
v Fairness – the teacher should
construct and administer the test in a manner that allows students an equal
chance to demonstrate their knowledge or skills.
The teacher needs to be familiar
with the different types of test items and how best to write them.
v True/False Questions – should
be written without ambiguity. The statement should be clear and the decision
whether the statement is true or false should not depend on an obscure
interpretation of the statement.
v Multiple Choice Questions -
the choices should contain all information required to make a decision whether
on not to choose it.
v Fill-in-the-Blank Question –
avoid so many blanks that the student is unable to determine what is to be
completed.
v Sometimes/Always/Never Questions
– must be stated carefully and should contain enough information to permit the
student decide whether the statement is true sometimes, always, or never.
Definition of Term
Tests are the devices or
instruments used to obtain information. It provides the teachers with
information that can aid them in improving instruction. Tests also provide the
students with information that aid them in understanding themselves better.
Tests likewise provide parents with information about their children’s
performance that can aid them in educational and vocational planning. Finally,
test provides school administrators for planning and evaluating the
effectiveness of educational programs.
Uses of Tests
In general, tests serve three
functions:
1. Instructional Uses
Tests help students identify their
own specific strengths and weaknesses making them more aware of how they can
improve themselves. Tests on the other hand provide teachers with information
that is helpful in providing more effective instructional guidance for
individual students and the whole class as well.
2. Guidance Uses
Tests results are useful in
predicting individual’s success in a field of study and aid him too, in
choosing an appropriate course of study.
3. Administration Uses
Test results provide information to
the administration that they can use as basis for assessing curricular
strengths and weaknesses. They are useful for evaluating educational programs.
Other productive uses of test
Improvement of the Curriculum.
Poor performance in the test may indicate that the curriculum needs to be
revised or special units need to be developed for the improvement of their performance.
Improvement of the Teacher. In
a reliable grading system, the class average is the grade the teacher has
earned.
Improvement of the
Instructional Materials. Tests measure how effective instructional materials
are in bringing about intended changes.
Individualization. Effective
tests always indicate differences in student learning. These can be bases for
individual help.
Selection. When enrollment
opportunity or any other opportunity is limited, a test can be used to screen
those who are more qualified.
Placement. Tests can be used
to determine to which category a student belongs.
Guidance and Counselling.
Results from appropriate tests, particularly standardized test, can help
teachers and counselors guide students in assessing future academic career and
career possibilities.
Research. Tests can be
feedback tools to find effective methods of teaching and learn more about
students, their interests and their goals.
Selling and Interpreting the
School to the Community. Effective tests help the community understand what the
students are learning since test items are representative of the content
instruction.
Identification of the
Exceptional Children. Tests can reveal exceptional students in the classroom.
More often not, these students are overlooked and left unattended.
Evaluation of Learning
Program. Ideally, tests should evaluate the effectiveness of each element in
learning program, not just blanket the information of the total learning
environment.
Classification of Test
Tests may be classified according
to:
1. Mode of Administration
v Individual Test – test
administered on a one-on-one basis using oral instructions.
v Group Test – they are the
tests administered t6o a group of individuals.
2. Scoring
v Objective Test – independent
scorers agree on a number of points the answer should receive.
v Subjective Test – these are
then given different values by the scorers.
3. Sort of response being
emphasized
v Power Test – allows examinees
a generous time limit to be able to answer every item. Difficult questions are
emphasized.
v Speed Test – with severely
limited time constraints but the items are very easy.
4. Types of response the
examinees must make
v Performance Test – requires
students to perform a task.
v Paper-and-pencil Test –
examinees are asked to write on a paper.
5. What is measured
v Sample Test – limited
representative test designed to measure the total behavior of the examinee,
although no test can exhaustively measure all the knowledge of an individual.
v Sign Test – designed to obtain
diagnostic sings to suggest that some form of remediation is needed.
6. Nature of the groups being
compared
v Teacher-made-test – the
subject being taught by the same teacher who constructed the test.
v Standardized Test –
constructed by the specialists working with the curriculum experts and
teachers.
Other Types of Tests
v Norm-Reference – standardized
tests compare to students’ performance.
v Criterion-Reference – a
student’s performance is measured against a standard.
v Survey – surveys tests
typically provide an overview of general comprehension and word knowledge.
v Diagnostic Test – asses a
number of areas in greater depth.
v Formal Test – they are
designed to be given according to a standard set of circumstances, they have
time limits, and they have sets of direction which to are to be followed
exactly.
v Informal Test – they are
constructed by teachers and have unknown validity and reliability.
v Static (summative) Test –
measures what the student had learned.
The table of
specificationsis
the teacher’s blueprint in constructing a test for classroom use.
A TOS is matrix where the rows consist of specific topics or skills and
the objectives cast in terms of Bloom’s Taxonomy. It is sometimes called a test
blueprint, test grid, or content validity chart.
When
to Prepare Specifications
Ideally and to be of most benefit, the TOS should be prepared before the
beginning of instruction
Steps
to observe in preparing a table of test specifications.
1. List
down the topics covered for inclusion in the test.
2. Determine
the objectives to be assessed by the test.
3. Specify
the number of days/ hours spent for teaching a particular topic.
4. Determine
percentage allocation of test items for each of the topics covered. The formula
to be applied is as follows:
% for a Topic = Total number of days/hours spent divided by the total number of
days/hours spent teaching the topic.
5. Determine
the number of items to construct for each topic. This can be done by
multiplying the percentage allocation for each topic by the total number of
items to be constructed.
6. Distribute
the number of items to the objectives to be tested. The number of items
allocated for each objective depends on the degree of importance attached by
the teacher to it.
The table of
specificationsis
the teacher’s blueprint in constructing a test for classroom use.
A TOS is matrix where the rows consist of specific topics or skills and
the objectives cast in terms of Bloom’s Taxonomy. It is sometimes called a test
blueprint, test grid, or content validity chart.
When
to Prepare Specifications
Ideally and to be of most benefit, the TOS should be prepared before the
beginning of instruction
Steps
to observe in preparing a table of test specifications.
1. List
down the topics covered for inclusion in the test.
2. Determine
the objectives to be assessed by the test.
3. Specify
the number of days/ hours spent for teaching a particular topic.
4. Determine
percentage allocation of test items for each of the topics covered. The formula
to be applied is as follows:
% for a Topic = Total number of days/hours spent divided by the total number of
days/hours spent teaching the topic.
5. Determine
the number of items to construct for each topic. This can be done by
multiplying the percentage allocation for each topic by the total number of
items to be constructed.
6. Distribute
the number of items to the objectives to be tested. The number of items
allocated for each objective depends on the degree of importance attached by
the teacher to it.
REFLECTION:
To conduct evaluation about the performance of the students we
need to have this systematic procedure to measure the quality, ability, skill
or knowledge the so called test. Effective testing is very important because it
is a key to have an excellent way of evaluating students, that’s why this
module serves us or caters us what really a test is, the uses of it,
classification, characteristics, types, how to construct and factors that we
need to consider in constructing a good test. To sum up this module gives us
the information about the test, because a test is really a necessity in
examining, measuring, assessing student’s performance. It show to us how really
a test matter in the learning assessment.
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