Teacher-made Tests

Most of the test

the students take are
teacher-made tests. It means that teachers
design them. These tests are associated with
the grades on reports cards. They help
measure student’s progress- telling the
teacher and the students whether he or she is
keeping up with the class, needs extra help,
or , is far ahead of other students.
 Some of the following suggestion
can be helpful in constructing

tests.
1. Test should be balanced among the
following:
a. short answer/paragraph answer
b. words/picture/maps/diagrams
c. easy/difficult questions
d. factual knowledge/ application of
knowledge
e. knowledge/skills
2. Students should not be penalized with a low mark because
they are weak in reading or writing. These students may be
assisted in one of several ways.

a. The teacher might go over the test beforehand and read
and explain each questions.
b. Tests could be done in small groups or with a partner.
c. The teacher might form a small group during the test
and quietly read each question with the group, allowing time for
students to write their answer or give the answer orally.
d. In some cases, it may be appropriate for some students
to have a tutor/coach them beforehand.
3. The teacher might choose to use a format
different from the conventional test. For
example:

a. Make up a test that has as many
questions ( or groups of questions) as there
are students in the class.
b. A variation of this is the use of testing
stations where a variety of materials are set
up, and a group of students would answer a
set of questions or respond to some directions.
 This type of test has a number
of advantages:

a. It allows a teacher to use pictures, news articles,
special maps, artifacts, library books, among
others.
b. The students can finish the test all at the same
time.
c. If the answer are straight forward, it could be
marked by the students immediately after the test.
d. It may be advantages when testing for student’s
attainment( eg. Using an index)
When constructing either type, Popham
(2003) offers five pitfalls to avoid, all of
which interfere with making accurate

inference of students’ status. They are:

1.Unclear directions;
2.Ambiguous statements;
3.Unintentional clues;
4.Difficult vocabulary.
 Formative Assessment
Tools

Quizzes are the common formative
assessment tools that teacher use to
check for student understanding. They
are short, easy to administer, and can
quickly be corrected even by students.
- need not be written all the time.
 Clarity of Learning
Targets

Popham (2000), suggested the following
sequence of instruction:
1. Determine the specific learning targets
and their sequence for instruction
2. A standard may be composed of one
learning target
3. Each learning target typically is a sub-
unit which includes :
a. The CONTENTS ( what students must
know) connected with the learning target

b. The SKILLS ( what students must be able to
do) connected with the learning target
c. The assessment for learning that will be used
to keep students informed of their progress
and to design next steps for instruction
d. The assessment of learning should cover the
content for the entire unit
e. The lessons designed to teach students the
learning targets
 The written objectives are made
up of three building blocks

1. Condition
define the materials that will be
available ( or unavailable) when the
objectives is assessed. It generally states
what the students will be given or not
given.
2. Behavior

is a verb that describes an
observable activity- what the students
will do. The behavior is generally stated
as an action verb, such as : solve,
compare, list, explain, evaluate, identify,
or define.
3. Criterion
to as Degree) is
( also referred
the standard that is used to measure
whether or not the objective has been
achieved. The criteria might be
stated as a percentage ( 80% correct),
a time limit ( within five minutes), or
another measure or mastery.
 Learning targets

state clearly what the child will
be learning in all subject areas, these
include Reading, Language Arts,
Mathematics, Science, Social Studies,
Music, Physical Education, Health,
Art, and School Counseling.
 Levels of Assessments

The learning outcomes are defined by
level: knowledge; process or skill;
understanding; and products and
performance. These levels shall be the
outcomes reflected in the class record
and shall be given corresponding
percentage weights as follows:
1. Knowledge – 15 %weight
the substantive content of the

curriculum, the facts and information
that the students acquires.
2. Process- 25% weight
skills or cognitive operations that
the students performs on facts and
information for the constructing meaning
or understandings.
3. Understanding – 30% weight

enduring big ideas, principles and
generalization inherent to the disciple, which
may be assessed using the faucets of
understanding or other indicators of
understanding which may be specific to the
disciple.
4. Products/Performances – 30 % weight
real-life application of understanding as
evidenced by the student’s performance of
authentic tasks.
 Use of Multiple Measures

The following are some of the
tools for the different levels of
assessment:
1. The assessment at the knowledge level
should answer the questions : what do
we want students to know? How do we

want them to express or provide
evidence of what they know?
this level may be assessed using
traditional measures (eg. Paper and pencil test
using multiple choice, true or false, or
matching type of tests) if the intention is to
find out student’s knowledge of specific facts
and information.
2. The assessment at the process or skills

level should answer the questions: what do
we want students to do with what they
know? How do we want them to provide
evidence of what they can do with what
they know?
this level may be assessed by asking
learners to outline, Organize, analyze,
interpret, translate, convert or express the
information in another form or format.
3. The next level of assessment focuses on
the meanings or understanding that
students themselves make or develop.

Assessment at this level should answer the
questions: what do we want students to
understand? How do we want them to
provide evidence of their understanding?
this assessment should be able to draw
from the students the meaning or meanings
they made or their own understanding, which
may be expressed using any facets of
understanding ( eg. Explain, interpret, apply).
4. The highest level of assessment focuses

on the products or performances which
students are expected to produce through
authentic performance tasks.
Products or performance should be
reflective of what students to be able to do
with their learning.
 Level of Proficiency

The performance of students
shall be described in the
report card, based on the
following levels of proficiency:
 a. Beginning (B) –
the students at this level struggles with
his/her understanding; prerequisite and

fundamental knowledge and/ or skills have
not been acquired or developed adequately
to aid understanding.
b. Developing (D)
the students at this level processes the
minimum knowledge and skills and core
understanding, but needs help through the
performance of authentic tasks.
c. Approaching proficiency (AP)

The student at this level has developed
the fundamental knowledge and skills and
core understanding and, with little guidance
from the teacher and/or with some assistance
from peers, can transfer these understanding
through authentic performance tasks.
d. Proficient (P)
The student at this level has developed

the fundamental knowledge and skills and
core understanding, and can transfer them
independently through authentic performance
tasks.
e. Advanced (A)
The student at this level exceeds the
core requirements in terms of knowledge,
skills and understandings, and can transfer
them automatically and flexibly through
authentic performance tasks.
 Set of guiding principles for
high quality assessment

1. Students are the Key Assessment
Users
a. They look to their teachers for
evidence of their success.
b. They look to their teachers for
evidence of their success.
2. Clear and Appropriate Targets are
Essential

For students to become better
writers:
a. Start with a highly refined vision of
what good writing looks like
b. Need a sense of how to help your
students meet that standard
 Accurate Assessment is a Must

1. High quality assessment is essential in all
assessments.
2. Sound assessments arise from clear
achievements targets
3. Valid assessments arise from clear
achievements targets
4. Begin any assessment design with a clear
sense of WHY you are conducting the
assessment.
 High Quality assessments can be
achieved if:

1. Evaluation is based on clearly stated
objectives.
2. Evaluation procedures and techniques
should be selected in terms of clearly stated
objectives.
3. Evaluation should be comprehensive.
4. Evaluation should be continuous and an
integral part of the teaching-learning
process.
 
5. Evaluation should be diagnostic
and functional.
6. Evaluation should be cooperative.
7. Evaluation should be used
judiciously.
 
There are many benefits based in the
existence of learning that are
CLEAR and USABLE in order to
build clear learning targets.
1. Knowledge targets
begin with words like: know, list, name,
identify, recall. 
2. Reasoning targets
deal with the skillful use or application
of knowledge. These targets start out with
mental processes like: predict, infer, classify,
hypothesis, compare, conclude, summarize,
analyze, evaluate, generalize.
 Types of Reasoning

a. Inductive reasoning
uses specific facts or evidence to
infer general conclusions.
b. Deductive reasoning
begins with a general rule or
principles to infer specific conclusions or
solutions.
 
c. Analytical reasoning
requires examining components or
structure of something.
d. Comparative reasoning
describes similarities and
differences between two or more items.
3. Performance skills targets
require the students to demonstrate their
mastery of a learning target and to be observed.
4. Product targets 
are not used as frequently as other types but
are highly valued, calling for creation of a product.
The key of question is always” what is the intended
learning?”.
5. Dispositional targets
rarely show up on state standards but are
important because they reflect students’ attitudes
about school and learning.
Establishing Learning Targets

Educational goals
These are very general statements
of what students will know and be able
to do. Typically they are written to cover
large blocks of instructional time, such
as a semester or a year.
 Types of Learning Targets

Marzano and Kendall (1996) identified
five types of learning targets:
1. Knowledge and simple
understanding
this include mastery of facts and
information, typically through recall
2. Deep Understanding and Reasoning.


this include problem solving, critical
thinking, synthesis, comparing, higher order
thinking skills, and judgment.
3. Skills
this involves something that a student
must demonstrate in a way other than
answering questions.
4. Products 
this includes a sample of students
work(eg. Paper, report)
5. Affective
this include altitudes, values,
interests, feelings, and beliefs.
 Bloom’s Taxonomy

Three types of learning
1. Cognitive – mental skills( knowledge)
2. Affective- growth in feelings or
emotional areas ( attitude)
3. Psychomotor- manual or physical
skills ( Skills)
 Cognitive Domain
-  and the
Involves knowledge
development of intellectual skills.
1. Knowledge. Recall data or
information.
2. Comprehension. Understand the
meaning, translation, interpolation,
and interpretation of instructions and
problems.
3. Application. Use a concept in a new
situation or unprompted use of an
abstraction. Applieswhat was learned in
the classroom into novel situations in the
works place.
4. Analysis. Separates materials or
concepts into component parts so that its
organizational structure may be
understood. Distinguishes between facts
and inferences.
 
5. Synthesis. Builds a structure or
pattern from diverse elements. Puts parts
together to form a whole, with emphasis
on creating a new meaning or structure.
6. Evaluation. Make judgments about
the value of ideas or materials.
 Affective Domain

Five major categories are listed from
the simplest behavior to the most
complex.
1. Receiving Phenomena. Awareness,
willingness to hear, selected attention.
example. Listen to others with
respect.
2. Responding to phenomena. Active
participation on the part of the learners.

Example. Participate in the class
discussions.
3. Valuing. The worth or value a person
attaches to a particular object,
phenomenon, or behavior.
Example. Demonstrate belief in the
democratic process. Is sensitive towards
individual and cultural differences (value
diversity).
4. Organization. Organizes values into priories
by constructing different values, resolving
conflicts between them, and creating unique
value system.

Example. Recognize the need for balance
between freedom and responsible behavior.
5. Internalizing Values (characterization). Has
a value system that controls their behavior.
Example.
Show self-reliance when working
independently.
Cooperate in group activities (displays
teamwork).
Psychomotor Domain

Seven major categories are listed
from the simplest behavior to the
most complex:
1. Perception. The ability to use sensory
cues to guide motor activity.
example. Detect non-verbal
communication cues.
2. Set. Readiness to act. It includes
 emotional sets.
mental, physical, and

Example. Know and act upon a

sequence of steps in a
manufacturing process.
3. Guided Response. The early stages in
learning a complex  skill that includes
imitation and trial and error.

Example. Perform a mathematical

equation as demonstrated.
 
4. Mechanism. This is the
intermediate stage in learning a
complex skill.

Examples. Use personal computer.

 
5. Complex Overt Response. The
skillful performance of motor acts that
involve complex movement patterns.

Example. Operate a computer quickly

and accurately.
 
6. Adaptation. Skills are well developed
and the individual can modify movement
patterns to fit special requirements.

Examples. Responds effectively to

unexpected experiences.
 
7. Origination. Creating new
movement patterns to fit a particular
situation or specific problem.

Example. Construct a new theory.

Three types of standards:

1. Subject Area standards
focus on the content to be taught and
mastered. For example, some standards for
earth and space.
2. Thinking and reasoning standards
are often embedded in content
standards, but focus on how students
demonstrate their thinking processes and
reasoning strategies.
 
3. Lifelong learning standards
focus on interpersonal and
intrapersonal skills. Interpersonal skills
address how well learners communicate
and work with others. Intrapersonal
standards address how one regulates
one’s attitudes, such as self-control.
 What is a Test
 by people to
Test is a deliberate attempt
acquire information about themselves or
others( Anastasi 1988).
Test serve three functions:
1. They provide information that are useful
for improvement of instruction;
2. In making administrative decisions; and
3. For guidance purposes.
 
The word “test” is usually used to describe a systematic
procedure for obtaining a sample of student behavior.

There are 3 basic concepts in

understanding what a test is:
1. A Test Focuses on a Particular
Domain.
 
What is domain? A test is designed to
measure a particular body of knowledge,
skills, abilities, or performance which are of
interest to the test user.

A construct is a theoretical idea developed to

describe and to organize some aspect of
existing knowledge.
2. A test is a sample of behavior,
product, answer, or performance from
the domain. 
What is sampling? A test is a sample of
behavior, products, or performances
from a larger domain of interest.
3. A test is made up of items.

