MODULE 9: PLANNING THE TEST

A. Students’ Knowledge of Learning Targets and Assessments

B. Overall Test Development Process
C. Identifying Purpose of Test
D. Specifying Learning Outcomes
E. Preparing a Test Blueprint

WEEK NUMBER: 9

TIME ALLOTMENT: 3 Hours

OBJECTIVES:
By the end of this module, the students shall be able to prepare a table of specifications aligned with
the specified learning outcomes.

LEARNING CONTENT:

PLANNING THE TEST

Introduction

Assessment in a classroom environment is accountability focused as it reflects the success of the

teacher and learners in the teaching-learning process. The test results can be inferred to speak of how well
the learners have studied hard to hurdle the subject or course and the teachers, of how well they have
delivered instruction. Teachers use summative testing as their principal means to arrive at objective
measures of students’ performance, a practice also well accepted by stakeholders. This chapter intends to
assist you and the teachers in planning for the development of classroom-based test to ensure their validity
for measuring student achievement. It will provide guidance on specifying the purpose of the test from the
very outset, identifying what essential learning outcomes to be measured, and preparing a test blueprint
that will guide the construction of items.

Discussion

A. Overall Test Development Process • Planning the Test

 Assessment is a critical step in the learning process. It determines whether or not the course’s
learning objectives have been met. A learning objective is what students should know or be able
to do by the time a lesson is completed. Assessment affects many facets of education, including
student grades, and advancement as well as curriculum, and instructional needs.
 Assessment is a key component of learning because it helps students learn. When students are
able to see how they are doing in a class, they are able to determine whether or not they
understand course material.
 Assessment can also help motivate students. If students know they are doing poorly, they may
begin to work harder.

• Planning
 “Planning is deciding in advance – what to do when to do & how to do. It bridges the gap from
where we are and where we want to be”.
 It is the process of thinking about the activities required to achieve a desired goal. It is the
first and foremost activity to achieve desired results.

Classroom test and assessment play a central role in the evaluation of student learning like:

1. Motivate Students
2. Maintain Learning Atmosphere
3. Check Instructional Effectiveness
 4. Measures Achievements
5. Identify Areas for Review
• Test Development Process
The process of test construction for classroom testing applies the same initial steps in the
construction of any instrument designed to measure a psychological construct. Figure 9.1 illustrates
these common steps shared by various authorities:

a. Planning Phase
 Where purpose of the test is identified, learning outcomes to be assessed clearly specified and
lastly a table of specifications is prepared to guide the item construction phase.

b. Item Construction Phase

 Where test items are constructed following the appropriate format for the specified learning
outcomes of instruction.

c. Review Phase
 Where items are examined by the teacher or his/her peers, prior administration based on
judgment of their alignment to content and behavior component of the instructional
competencies, and after the administration, based on the analysis of student’s performance in
each item.

Identify purpose of the test

Planning Specifying learning

Phase outcomes to be based

Prepare test specifications

Item Construction Construct pool of items

Phase

Review Review and revise items

Phase
Figure 9.1 Test
Development Process for Classroom Test

B. Identifying Purpose of Test

• Tests currently are being used to evaluate students, teachers, and the entire educational system.

• Classroom Formative Assessments - seek to uncover what students know and can do to get
feedback on what they need to alter or work on farther to improve their learning.

• Multiple Choice Items - lend themselves well in detecting and diagnosing the source of difficulty
in items of misconceptions and areas of confusion.
C. Specifying Learning Outcomes
• LEARNING OUTCOMES - are statements that describe significant and essential learning that
learners have achieved, and can reliably demonstrate at the end of a course or program. In
other words, learning outcomes identify what the learner will know and be able to do by the
end of a course or program.

 Learning outcomes refer to observable and measurable

• knowledge
• skills
• attitudes

• SUMMATIVE TEST - may be seen as assessment of learning, which occurs at the end of a
particular unit.

• CLASSROOM TEST - Classroom assessment is both a teaching approach and a set of

techniques. The approach is that the more you know about what and how students are
learning; the better you can plan learning activities to structure your teaching.
 This type of test is a post instructional assessment tool expected to cover the curriculum
standard in terms of measurable and demonstrable student outcome. It can be used as pre –
instructional assessment tool to diagnose what the learners learns of the new lesson for
instructional adjustment on the part of the teacher. Utilizing the test as a means to inform the
learners how they are learning and how they are progressing.

D. Preparing a Test Blueprint • Test Blue Print/Table Of Specification

 An outline of the test that lists the learning goals that students are to demonstrate.
 The process/best practice strategy of linking assessment to learning goals.

• Uses of a Blueprint
 For the assessment of table of test specification in examination
 Evaluating time and strategy to achieve desired outcome
 Education administrators for curriculum development
 Curriculum developers to design sequenced career development learning opportunities.

• Features of a Blueprint
 It is a matrix or chart reporting the number and type of the test question.
 The question represents the topic in the content area
 The question is based on the learning objective from each topic.

• Purpose of Blueprint
 Provide conceptual map of the examination format and the content area.
 Type of measurement tool for assessing the items weighting the respective column of
learning objectives.
 Blueprint is seen as readily available documents which contains the list of topics covered
under each module with its identified learning objectives.
 Content validity of assessment.
 To identify the achievement domains being measured and to ensure that a fair and
representative sample of question appear on the test.
 The teachers cannot measure every topic or objective and cannot asks every question they
might wish to answer.

• DESIGNING A TABLE OF SPECIFICATIONS.

Tables of specification typically are designed base on the list of course objectives, topics
covered in class, amount of the spent on those topics, textbook chapter topics.
  Three steps are involved in creating a table of specification
1. Choosing the measurement goals and domain to be covered.
2. Breaking the domain to be covered independent parts-concepts, terms, procedures,
application.
3. Constructing the Table.

• STEPS TO PREPARE TEST BLUEPRINT

1. Content analysis
2. Determination of learning objectives.
3. Determination of no. of items for each topic based on learning objectives.
4. Determining the types of questions.
A table of specification takes different forms depending on what a teacher wants to show.

1. ONE WAY GRID

Objectives/Skills Number of items/points
Identify the statements with errors in verb use. 10

Supply the correct verb forms in a paragraph 10

Prepare a news article reporting a past school 20
activity

Total Items/Points 40

 Shows a plan of testing different learning outcomes within the same topic area (Verbs)
 Used for skill-oriented subjects like language and reading or classroom formative tests focusing
on specific skills.

2. TWO WAY GRID OR THREE-WAY GRID

Number of
Content Outcome/Skill Test Format
items/points
A. Verb usage Identify the statements with errors
in verb use. Objective 10

Supply the correct verb forms in a

paragraph Objective 10

B. Communicative Prepare a news article reporting a

writing past school activity
Performance 20

Total points 40

 Both elements are shown and how (type of test)  Column 1, displays the topic
or content

Two types:

1. OBJECTIVE ITEMS – they have single right or best answer for every item based on
the key to correction prepared in advance.
 2. PERFORMANCE TASK – require learners to construct or create a response, written
or oral or perform a task.

 They are also referred to as the non – objective items since scoring relies on
corrector’s judgment guided by a rubric or standard scoring prepared ahead.

 Column 2, displays the target instructional outcomes or the skills  Column 3,

the item format recommended for use.

 A classroom test can consist purely of objective items but inclusion of

performance tasks provides a better profile of the learners’ ability across
instructional outcomes.

3. EXPANDED TOS
SUBJECT OUTCOME/SKILL OBJECTIVE PERFORMANCE
AREA ALTERNATE GAP PRODUCT ASSESSMENT
FORM FILLING
a. Verb Identify the 10 items
usage statements with (25%)
errors in verb use
Supply the correct 10 items
verb forms in a (25%)
paragraph
b. Prepare a news 20 points
Constructive article reporting a (50%)
Writing past school activity
Total 40 points (100%)
Rubrics for Grammatical Accuracy (10
points) and Clarity of message (10 points)
can be used to evaluate the article.
 Outcome 1 may call for objective types like selection type
 Outcome 2 supply type can be used (fill in the blanks, enumeration)
 Outcome 3 performance task calling to produce a real output or product. It is non-objective since
the teacher will use the scoring scale to rate finished products. The finished product could be rated
using the grammatical and clarity of message as criteria for the rubric.

Competencies

Unit Analysis
Comprehending Applying (Problem No. of items
(Concepts) (Computation) Solving)
A. Whole Numbers 5 12 5 22
B. Rational Numbers 5 8 2 15
C. Geometry 10 5 3 18
D. Measurement 5 5 5 15
Total Item 25 30 15 70
 Weight 45%
25% 30% 100%
(3 pts./item

 Items for the first two outcomes can be measured using objective items while problem solving can
be either objective or non – objective depending on how it was designed to be scored.
 This TOS variant illustrates the logic of giving greater value to higher cognitive outcome level.
 Clarity and specificity of the test blueprint in terms of what to test serve as primary evidences of
the content validity of a teacher made test
 Final version of the test should mirror the test blueprint prepared.
Miller, Linn & Grolund (2009) – tone down a learning outcome covering a wider domain.
Instructional Objectives
Subject Type Number of items
Use correct verb Use correct verb
forms with singular forms with plural
subjects subjects

First Person Subjects 5 5 10

Second Person Subjects 5 5 10

Third Person Subjects 5 5 10

Total Items 15 15 30

With this type of specifications, the teacher can easily detect the areas the learners have gained mastery
in and those which needs remediation.
Other Variant of Expanded TOS

COGNITIVE SKILLS ASSESSED

TOTAL
Instructional No. of Lower Order Thinking Skills (LOTS) Higher Order Thinking Skills (LOTS)
TOPICS
Time (hrs) Items
Item Item
Test Type Location Points % Test Type Location Points % Points %

Test I.
1 Cell Theory 2 3 Completion (1-3) 3 5.00 3 5.00

Test III.
2 Cell Structure 3 4 Binary Choice 4 6.67 4 6.67
(1-4)
Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic Test III.
3 s 2 3 Binary Choice (5-7) 3 5.00 3 5.00
Cell
Test I.
4 Cell Types 3 4 Completion (4-7) 4 6.67 4 6.67
Test II.
Test III.
5 Cell Modifications 2 3 Binary Choice (8-10) 3 5.00 3 5.00

Test IV.
Multiple Choice (1-10) 10 16.67
Test II.
6 Cell Cycle 12 15 Short Answer 4 6.67 19 31.67
(1-4) Test VI.
Essay (1) 5 8.33

Test I.
Completion 4 6.67
(8-10) Test VI.
7 Transport Mechanisms 8 10 Essay 5 8.33 14 23.33
Test II. (2)
Short Answer (6-10) 5 8.33

Test V.
8 Biological Molecules 8 10 Matching Type 10 16.67 10 16.67
(1-10)
TOTAL 40 52 40 66.67 20 33.33 60 100.00
Summary

A table of specifications (TOS) is a chart that teachers and test developers use in item writing. It
ensures that the test developed assesses the content taught and the learning experience given to the
students. It also helps align the test with learning objectives and their cognitive levels. Moreover, it defines
the amount of the test to assess each objective. In nutshell, a Table of Specifications precisely illustrates
the scope and focus of a test. The basic purpose of making a TOS is to enable teachers to determine the
content area of the test; develop items that reflect student learning across cognitive levels; allocate a specific
amount of instructional time needed for each topic/SLOs; make sure that no important learning objective is
left out of the assessment; produce valid test items; assess learning objectives that are actually included in
the instructional process; and ensure proportional emphasis on each learning objective.

REFERENCES:

1. De Guzman, E. & Adamos, J. (2015). Assessment of Student Learning 1. Adri

2. ana Publishing Co., Inc.
3. Paler-Calmorin, L. (2011). Assessment of Student Learning 1. Rex Book Store, Inc.
 LEARNING ACTIVITY/TASK
Module 9

General Guidelines:

1. Your output must be encoded thru MS Word with your name, course and year level, week number,
course number, and course description.

Example: DELA CRUZ, JUAN D. BSEd 3 WEEK 1

EDUC 107a – ASSESSMENT IN LEARNING 1

2. Send your answers to Microsoft Teams EDUC 107a “Assignments Tab”.

3. Your answer sheet should be sent in PDF form and name your file with this format: Surname-Course
Number-Week Number-Learning Task Number (all in capitalized letter).

Example: DELA CRUZ-EDUC 107a-WEEK 1-LEARNING TASK 1.

LEARNING ACTIVITY 2. TOS CREATION. Choose any subject from the K-12 Curriculum (Senior High
School or Junior High School) aligned with your major. Create your own table of specification covering one
quarter. Other variant of expanded TOS must be used as a format of the TOS (see attached excel file for
the template) (50 points)

The ToS must have the following test types:

a. Completion (at least 10 items)

b. Short – answer Items (at least 10 items)
c. Binary Choice (at least 10 items)
d. Multiple Choice (at least 10 items)
e. Matching Type (at least 10 items)
f. Restricted Essay
g. Extended Essay

RUBRICS FOR LEARNING ACTIVITY 2

Completeness of Test Type 20 points

Correctness of Formula 20 points
Format 10 points
Total 50 points

CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED WEEK 9 MODULE!

KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!

Prepared by: Reviewed/Approved:

ELVIRA D. TAGUDIN, LPT , MSME ANGELO K. LAHINA, LPT, MAT
Instructor Program Head, Teacher Education