Developing Table of Specifications

Lecture 3
 Introduction
• Purpose:
– help you develop a table of specification for use in
both classroom and terminal testing
– present and explain common elements of tables
of specifications

Table of specifications 2
 Definition of TOS
• A technical term given to the plan for writing items for a
test.
– reflect s what has been taught in the instructional sequence;
– i.e., the testing mode is a mirror of the instructional mode.
• The instructional mode has basically two dimensions:
– content matter
– intellectual process, i.e., the intellectual level with which the
students engage a specific content or unit of information.
• Bloom’s taxonomy can help to define the process.

• All Achievement tests should be content-process valid.

Table of specifications 3
 Validity

• “Does the question measure what it is

supposed to measure?”
• content validity of a test means that the test
items should be representative of the materials
taught in the class
• Have an adequate sampling of the domain of
information presented in the instructional mode

Table of specifications 4
 Example

• Suppose you are teaching History Paper and your test

consists of one essay question:
“Describe the events leading up to the first world war”.
• Do you think that that one question represents the
content of the course? Obviously, no!
• This is one disadvantage of the essay question and
one reason why a test paper requires a varied format
of testing questions

Table of specifications 5
 Validity...

• The process part of content-process validity means that the

level of intellectual reasoning that we use in the instructional
mode should find its way into the testing mode;
– if you never ask a synthesising question in class (instructional
mode), its probably inappropriate to include a synthesising
question in the testing mode.
– If you require students to memorize facts most of the time (level 1,
knowledge of Bloom’s taxonomy) its unfair to require students to
apply information (Application, level 3 of Bloom’s taxonomy) or to
integrate information (level 5, synthesis of Bloom’s Taxonomy) on a
test.

Table of specifications 6
 TOS is a matrix
• TOS is a two dimensional matrix; one is for
content; the other is for process.

Table of specifications 7
 Objectives
Content Knows common Knows specific Understands Interprets charts
area terms Illustration 1 principles and
concepts and graphs
generalizations
Vitamins Vitamin A, B,C.D, E, Solvability Sources Order of
G, H, K naming Recommended development
Allowances
Minerals Calcium, Iron, Function Sources Chemical
Iodine, Copper, Recommended elements and
Phosphorous, Allowances percentages in
Potassium,Fluorine, human body
Sodium, Chlorine
Magnesium
Carbohydr Monosaccharides Conversions Sources Classification of
ates Disaccharides Digestion Recommended carbohydrates
Polysaccharides Energy value Allowances
Fats Oils Consumption Sources Percentages of fats
Energy value Recommended in typical foods
Blood fats Allowances

Proteins Amino acids Nutritive value Sources Essential amino

Kwashiorkor Recommended acids
Allowances
Water Roughage Solvent Sources Water balance of
Retention Recommended an average person
Distribution in
Table of specifications Allowances 8
body
Content Objectives
Knows Understands Skills in

Symbol Specifi Influence of Use of Constructi Interpreti Total

and c facts each factor measurin ng ng number
terms on weather g devices weather weather of items
formation maps maps

Air pressure 2 3 3 Observe Evaluate 3 11

pupils maps
using construct
Wind 4 2 8 measurin ed by 2 16
g devices pupils
Temperatur 2 2 2 (rating (check 2 8
e scale) list)
Humidity 2 1 2 5 10
Clouds 2 2 1 5
# of items 12 10 16 12 50
% of items 24 20 32 24

Table of specifications 9
Content Objectives
area
Knows Knows Understan Applies Interprets Total
common specific ds principles charts and
terms facts principles and graphs
and generaliza
generaliza tions
tions
Food 2 6 2 10
Clothing 2 6 2 10
Transporta 4 2 2 2 10
tion
Communi 4 2 5 2 5 15
cation
Shelter 5 5 5 15
City life 4 2 6 8 20
Farm life 4 1 6 8 20
Total 20 20 25 25 10 100

Table of specifications 10