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Using Multiple Choice Tests for Assessment Purposes: Designing Multiple Choice Tests to Reflect and Foster Learning Outcomes. Terri Flateby, Ph.D. tlflateby@gmail.com. Overview of Assessment Process. Select or develop measureable learning outcomes (course or program)
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Using Multiple Choice Tests for Assessment Purposes:Designing Multiple Choice Tests to Reflect and Foster Learning Outcomes Terri Flateby, Ph.D. tlflateby@gmail.com
Overview of Assessment Process • Select or develop measureable learning outcomes (course or program) • Select or develop measures consistent with the outcomes • Measure learning outcomes • Analyze learning results • Make adjustments in curriculum, instructional strategies, or activities to address weaknesses • Re-evaluate learning outcomes
Purposes of Classroom Achievement Tests • Measure Individual Student’s Learning • Evaluate Class Performance • Evaluate Test and Improve Learning • Support Course and Program Outcomes
Why Use Multiple-Choice Tests to Measure Achievement of Learning Outcomes? • Efficient • More content coverage in less time • Faster to evaluate • Methods to evaluate test items • In some cases, can provide a proxy to Constructed Response measures
Above All Testing and Assessment should Promote Learning
To Promote Learning, Tests Must Be: • Valid: Tests should be an Accurate Indicator of Content and Level of Learning (Content validity) • Reliable: Tests Should Produce Consist Results
Validity • Tests must measure what you want your students to know and be able to do with the content (reach the cognitive demands of the outcomes). • Tests must be consistent with instruction and assignments, which should foster the cognitive demands.
Process of Ensuring Validity • Table of Item Specifications also called Test Blue Print – useful for classroom tests and guiding assessment • Review item performance after administering test
Test Blue Print Reflects the Important Content and Cognitive Demands
Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives (use to develop tests and outcomes) • Evaluation • Synthesis • Analysis • Application • Comprehension • Knowledge
Develop Tests to Reflect Outcomes at Program or Course Levels • Create summative test • Develop sets of items to embed in courses indicating progress toward outcomes (formative) • Develop course level tests that reflect program level objectives/outcomes
Institutional Outcome/Objective • Students will demonstrate the critical thinking skills of analysis and evaluation in the general education curriculum and in the major. Course Outcome • Students will analyze and interpret • multiple choice tests and their results.
Constructing the Test Blue Print • List important course content or topics and link to outcomes. • Identify cognitive levels expected in outcomes. • Determine number of items for entire test and each cell based on: emphasis, time, and importance.
Base Test Blueprint on: • Actual Instruction • Classroom Activities • Assignments • Curriculum at the Program Level
Questions • Validity • How to use Test Blueprint
Reliability: Repeatable or Consistent Results • If a test is administered one day and an equivalent test is administered another day the scores should remain similar from one day to another. • This is typically based upon the correlation of the two sets of scores, yet this approach is unrealistic in the classroom setting.
Guidelines to Increase Reliability* • Develop longer tests with well-constructed items. • Make sure items are positive discriminators; students who perform well on tests generally answer individual questions correctly. • Develop items of moderate difficulty; extremely easy or difficult questions do not add to reliability estimations. • *Guide for Writing and Improving Achievement Tests
Multiple Choice Items • Refer to handout
Guidelines for Developing Effective ItemsResources • In Guide for Improving Classroom Achievement Tests, T.L. Flateby • Assessment of Student Achievement, 2008, N.E. Gronlund Allyn and Bacon • Developing and Validating Multiple-Choice Test Items, 2004, Thomas Haladyna; Lawrence Erlbaum Associates • Additional articles and booklets are available at http://fod.msu.edu/OIR/Assessment/multiple-choice.asp
Questions • How to ensure Reliability and Validity
Evaluate Test Results • Kr-20: An outcome of .70 or higher. • Item discriminators should be positive • Difficulty Index; P-Value. • Analysis of Distracters.
Item Analysis • Refer to 8 Item handout
Use Results for Assessment Purposes • Analyze performance on each item according to the outcome evaluated. • Determine reasons for poor testing performance. • Faulty Item • Lack of Student Understanding • Make adjustments to remedy these problems.
Questions • Contact Terri Flateby at tlflateby@gmail.com, 813.545.5027, or http//:teresaflateby.com