Dr. Marciano B.

Melchor
University of Ha’il, KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA
May 2013
 A Table of Specifications is a two-way
chart which describes the topics to be covered
by a test and the number of items or points
which will be associated with each topic.
 Kubiszyn & Borich, (2003) emphasized the
following significance and components of TOS:
1. A Table of Specifications consists of a two-way
chart or grid relating instructional objectives to the
instructional content.
The column of the chart lists the objectives or
"levels of skills" (Gredlcr, 1999) to be addressed;
The rows list the key concepts or content the test
is to measure.
According to Bloom, et al. (1971),
"We have found it useful to represent the
relation of content and behaviors in the form of
a two dimensional table with the objectives on
one axis, the content on the other”.
2. A Table of Specifications identifies not only
the content areas covered in class, it identifies
the performance objectives at each level of the
cognitive domain of Bloom's Taxonomy.

Teachers can be assured that they are measuring

students' learning across a wide range of
content and readings as well as cognitive
processes requiring higher order thinking.
3. A Table of Specifications is developed before
the test is written. In fact it should be
constructed before the actual teaching begins.
4. The purpose of a Table of Specifications is to
identify the achievement domains being
measured and to ensure that a fair and
representative sample of questions appear on
the test.
 Carey (1988) pointed out that the time
available for testing depended not only on the
length of the class period but also on students'
attention spans.
1. A true-false test item takes 15 seconds to
answer unless the student is asked to provide
the correct answer for false questions. Then
the time increases to 30-45 seconds.

2. A seven item matching exercise takes 60-90

seconds.
3. A four response multiple choice test item that
asks for an answer regarding a term, fact,
definition, rule or principle (knowledge level
item) takes 30 seconds. The same type of test
item that is at the application level may take 60
seconds.
4. Any test item format that requires solving a
problem, analyzing, synthesizing information
or evaluating examples adds 30-60 seconds to
a question.
5. Short-answer test items take 30-45 seconds.

6. An essay test takes 60 seconds for each point

to be compared and contrasted.
 If an individual can perform the most
difficult aspects of the objective, the
instructor can "assume" the lower levels
can be done.
However, if testing the lower levels, the
instructor cannot "assume" the individual can
perform the higher levels.
 The cornerstone of classroom assessment
practices is the validity of the judgments about
students’ learning and knowledge.
A TOS is one tool that teachers can use to
support their professional judgment when
creating or selecting test for use with their
students.
 In order to understand how to best modify a
TOS to meet your needs, it is important to
understand the goal of this strategy: improving
validity of a teacher’s evaluations based on a
given assessment. Validity is the degree to which
the evaluations or judgments we make as teachers
about our students can be trusted based on the
quality of evidence we gathered (Wolming
& Wilkstrom, 2010).
 From the literatures we have known that
standardized tests are valid.
The question needs to he asked if GPAs are a
valid measures of student achievement?
GPAs are based in large measure on teacher
made tests. If teacher made tests are not valid,
how can a students GPA be valid?
The use of a Table of Specifications can
provide teacher made tests validity (Notar,
Charles, 2004).
 Lei, Bassiri and Schultz,(2001) found that
a college GPA was an unreliable predictor of
student achievement. Since we assume that
norm referenced tests are valid measures, the
tendency is to put more weight on those results
concerning student achievement.
 According to Ooster (2003) the faculty
made tests will likely have poor content
validity, "cause for concern because each
assessment instrument depends on its
validity more than on any other factor."
 A Table of Specifications benefits students in
two ways.
First, it improves the validity of teacher-
made tests.
Second, it can improve student learning as
well.
 A Table of Specifications helps to ensure
that there is a match between what is taught
and what is tested. Classroom assessment
should be driven by classroom teaching which
itself is driven by course goals and objectives.

Tables of Specifications provide the link

between teaching and testing. (University of
Kansas, 2013)
 Teachers can collaborate with students ,
teachers or colleagues on the construction of the
Table of Specifications:
 what are the main ideas and topics,
 what emphasis should be placed on each topic,
 what should be on the test?

Open discussion and negotiation of these

issues can encourage higher levels of
understanding while also modeling good learning
and study skills.
THANK YOU …..