I.

Introduction

One of the most commonly used assessment tools in education is conducting tests. In
educational practice, tests are methods used to determine students' ability to complete
certain tasks or demonstrate mastery of a skill or knowledge of content. Manichander
(2015) said that, although tests have been interchangeably used to mean assessment or
even evaluation, the distinguishing factor of a test is the fact that it is a form of assessment.

Developing a good test is like target shooting. Hitting the bull's eye requires attention and
planning; you must focus on the target, select an appropriate arrow, and take careful aim.
In other words, developing a good test requires comprehensive planning. The planning
stage provides a systematic framework that highlights major activities and emphasizes test
security and quality control procedures from the onset. Hence, the planning stage is very
crucial and should be given the necessary time and attention.

Teachers should not be in a haste to construct test items without any kind of planning
because for constructed test items to relate in a meaningful fashion to intended learning
outcomes, extensive planning is required.

II. How Do We Make a Well-planned Written Test?

Written test is used for measuring the level of achievement of cognitive objectives.

Important Steps in Planning for a Test:

1. Identifying test objectives.

2. Deciding on the type of test to be prepared.

3. Preparing a table of specification.

4. Constructing the draft test items.

5. Try-out and validation.

• Identifying Test Objectives

Why do we need to define the test objectives or learning outcomes targeted for
assessment?
In designing a well planned written test, first and foremost you should be able to identify
the intended learning outcomes in a course where written test is appropriate method to
use.

Learning objectives , sometimes referred to as learning outcomes (Melton, 1997), are the
statements that clearly describe what students are expected to achieve as a result of
instruction.

Importance of Learning Objectives:

1. Learning goals provide the teacher focus and direction on how the course is to be
handled, particularly in terms of course content, instruction, and assessment.

2. Give students opportunities to be aware of what they need to do to be successful in the

course, take control and ownership of their progress, and focus on what they should be
learning.

What are the objectives for testing?

In developing a written test, the cognitive behaviors of learning outcomes are usually
targeted. For the cognitive domain, it is important to identify the levels of behavior
expected from the students. Traditionally, Bloom’s Taxonomy was used to classify learning
objectives based on levels of complexity and specificity of the cognitive behaviors.

However, Anderson and Krathwohl, Bloom’s student and research partner, respectively,
came up with a revised taxonomy, in which the nouns used to represent the levels of
cognitive behavior were replaced by verbs, and the synthesis and evaluation were switched.

• Preparing a Table of Specifications

What is a Table of Specifications?

A table of specifications (TOS), sometimes called a test blueprint, is a tool used by teachers
to design 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 items,
numbers, placement and weights of test items; and the test format.

Importance of Table of Specifications

• It achieves balance in the test and identify the achievement of domain being measured to
ensure that a fair and representative questions appear on the test.

• It improves the validity of teacher's evaluations based on the tests constructed.

• It provides the teacher with evidence that a test has content validity, that covers what
should be covered.

GENERAL STEPS IN DEVELOPING TABLE OF SPECIFICATION

1. Determine the Objectives of the test.

This should be based on the instructional objectives. In general, the instructional objectives
or the intended learning outcomes are identified at the start, when the teacher creates the
course syllabus.

THREE TYPES OF OBJECTIVES

1. Cognitive objectives are designed to increase an individual's knowledge, understanding,

and awareness.

2. Affective objectives aim to change an individual's attitude into something desirable.

3. Psychomotor objectives are designed to build physical or motor skills.

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. There are also
cognitive objectives that are sometimes better assessed through performance-based
assessment. Those that require the 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, ranging from remembering to
creating of ideas, that could be measured using common formats for testing, such as
multiple choice, alternative response test, matching type, and even essays or open-ended
tests.

2. Determine the coverage of the test.

The next step in creating the TOS is to determine the contents of the test. Only topics or
contents that have been discussed in class and are relevant should be included in the test.
3. Calculate the weight for each topic.

Once the test coverage is determined, the weight of each topic covered in the test is
determined. The weight assigned per topic in the test is based on the relevance and the
time spent to cover each topic during instruction.The percentage of time for a topic in a test
is determined by dividing the time spent for that topic during instruction by the total
amount of time spent for all topics covered in the test.

Topic No. of Sessions Time Spent Percent of Time

(Weight)

Theories and 0.5 class session 30 min 10.0

Conceps

Psychoanalytic 1.5 class session 90 min 30.0

Theories

Trait Theories 1 class session 60 min 20.0

Humanistic Theories 0.5 class session 30 min 10.0

Cognitive Theories 0.5 class session 30 min 10.0

Behavioral Theories 0.5 class session 30 min 10.0

Social Learning 0.5 class session 30 min 10.0

Theories

Total 5 class sessions 300 min or 5 hours 100

4. Determine the number of item for the whole test.

To determine the number of items to be included in the test,the amount of time needed to
answer the items are considered. As a general rule, students are given 30-60 seconds for
each item in test formats with choices.

For one-hour class,this means that the test should not exceed 60items.However, because
you need also to give time for test paper/booklet distribution and giving instructions, the
number of items should be less, maybe just 50 items.

5. Determine the number of items per topic.

To determine the number of items to be included in the test, the weights per topic are
considered. Thus, using the examples above, for a 60-item final test, Theories &
Concepts,Humanistic Theories, Cognitive Theories, Behavioral Theories, and SocialLearning
Theories will have 5 items, Trait Theories – 10 items, and Psychoanalytic Theories – 15
items.

Topic Percent of Time No. of Items

(Weight)

Theories and 10.0 5

Conceps

Psychoanalytic 30.0 15
Theories

Trait Theories 20.0 10

Humanistic Theories 10.0 5

Cognitive Theories 10.0 5

Behavioral Theories 10.0 5

Social Learning 10.0 5

Theories

Total 100 50 items

Different Formats of a Test Table of Specifications

1. One-Way TOS

A one-way TOS maps out the content or topic, test objectives, number of hours
spent, and format, and placement of items. This type of TOS is easy to develop and
use because is just works around the objectives without considering the different
levels of cognitive behaviors. However, a one-way TOS cannot ensure that all levels
of cognitive behaviors that should have been develop by the course are covered in
the test.

Topic Test Objectives No. of Format and No. and

Hours Placement of Percent of
Spent Items Items

Theories and Recognize important 0.5 Multiple Choice 5

Concepts concepts in personality
 Topic Test Objectives No. of Format and No. and
Hours Placement of Percent of
Spent Items Items

theories Item #s 1-5 (10.0%)

Psychoanalytic Identify the different 1.5 Multiple Choice 15

Theories theories of personality
Item #s 6-20 (30.0%)
under the Psychoanalytic
model

Etc.

TOTAL 5 50

(100%)

2. Two-Way TOS

A two-way TOS reflects not only the content, time spend, and number of items but
also the levels of cognitive behavior targerted per test content based on the theory
behind cognitive testing. For example, the common framework for testing at present
in the DepEd Classroom Assessment Policy is the Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy
(DepEd, 2015). One advantage of this format is that it allows one to see the levels of
cognitive skills and demension of knowledge that are emphasized by the test. It also
shows the framework of assessment used in the development of the test. However,
this format is more complex than one-way format.

No. of KD* Level of Cognitive Behavior, Item Format, No.

Percent and Placement of Items
Content Time
of Items
Spent R U AP AN E C

Theories and 0.5 5 F 1.3

Concepts
(10.0%) #1-3

C 1.2

#4-5
 No. of KD* Level of Cognitive Behavior, Item Format, No.
Percent and Placement of Items
Content Time
of Items
Psychoanalytic Spent
1.5 15 F 1.2
Theories
(30.0%) #6-7

C 1.2 1.2

#8-9 #10-
11

P 1.2 1.2

#12- #14-
13 15

M 1.3 II.1 II.1

#16- #41 #42

18

Etc.

Scoring 1 point per 3 points per 5 points per

item item item

OVERALL TOTAL 5 50 20 20 10

(100%

3. Three-Way TOS

This type of TOS reflects the features of one-way and two-way TOS. One advantage
of this format is that it challenges the test writer to classify objectives based on the
theory behind the assessment. It also shows the variability of thinking skills targeted
by the test. However, it takes a much longer to develop this type of

TOS.
 Learning Time No. of Level of Cognitive Behavior, Item Format,
Objectives Spent Items No. and Placement of Items
Content
R U AP AN E C

Theories and Recognize 0.5 5 I.3 I.2

Concepts important hours
(10.0% #1-3 #4-5
concepts in
)
personality (F) (C)
theories

Psychoanalytic Identify the 1.5 15 I.2 I.2 I.2 I.2 II.1 II.1
Theories different hours
(30.0% #6-7 #8-9 #10 #14- #41 #42
theories of
) -11 15
personality (F) (C) (M) (M)
under the (C) (P)
Psychoanalytic
model
1.2 1.3

#12 #16-
-13 18

(P) (M)

Etc.

Scoring 1 point per 3 points 5 points per

item per item item

OVERALL TOTAL 50 20 20 10

(100%
)

III. Conclusion

Tests and exams often play a significant role in the overall assessment of students' learning.
Therefore, as teachers, it is essential that we pay particular attention to the manner in
which we construct these instruments. When designing a written test, the most important
component is to be sure there is a match between the objectives of the unit/course/lesson
being assessed and the questions or test items that you have developed.
Before we administer the test, we must have a well-defined assessment tool. A table of
specifications is a helpful tool that we can use to design a well-written assessment. It maps
out the test objectives, contents or topics covered by the test, the levels of cognitive
behavior to be measured, the distribution of items, number, placement, and weight of
items, and the test format.

Creating tests and other forms of assessment can be a challenging task. As a teacher, it is
our responsibility to create tests that will offer reliable and useful information. By providing
a comprehensive plan, we can develop tests that will contribute to the learning of the
students.

IV. Reference

Manichander, T. (2016). Assessment in Education. https://www.lulu.com/shop/dr-t-

manichander/assessment-in-education/paperback/product-22744630.html

Deborah Delight Macapagong. Planning a Test Construction (Video). Youtube.

https://youtu.be/GboF88KMJcc

Tantan HD. (April, 2021) Table of Specification (Video). YouTube.

https://youtu.be/w6F4_6hKQ94
 LESSON 4

Planning a Written Test

Silipinin, John Arvin (BSED-ENGLISH)

Guijo, Ynna (BSED-ENGLISH)

Reyna, Reniel Marie (BEED)

Tapang, Fiona (BEED)

Mr. Vikzon Estrella

Instructor