ROSALES NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

MAPEH DEPARTMENT
LEARNING ACTION CELL
(LAC SESSION)
TABLE OF SPECIFICATION (TOS) WITH AN OVERVIEW ON TEST CONSTRUCTION
HAROLD N. CARBONEL
TEACHER III, MAPEH
Lecturer/ Discussant
 PREFATORY
1. This Training-Workshop on the TOS requires you to momentarily forget
previous lessons or workshops you have already attended with respect
to the preparation of the TOS.
2. The ensuing discussions/lecture (Table of Specifications) will be made
as pragmatic or practical as possible in order to be understood and
thereby appreciate in the long run its importance to measurement and
evaluation.
3. The participants are highly and carefully selected and recommended
so I have high expectations and strong faith that you will deliver the
goods in this undertaking.
4. The TOS requires a thorough knowledge of Bloom’s Revised
Taxonomy.
 PREFATORY
5. The TOS requires, as reference, the budgeted lessons (allocation
of time per topic in every grading period with respect to the desired
total number of days / time to be spent for the grading period.)
6. The TOS requires some simple mathematical computations that
will result to proportional allocation of test items per topic.
7. The TOS requires that previous experiences are recalled and to
some extent, it requires likewise the imagination of the TOS
constructor to concretize the actual teaching-learning process
based on previous encounters in the classroom in order to
determine more or less the domain/s where he would based from
his questions.
8. An accepted percentage of the number of items in each domain
with respect to the desired/ total number of items shall be pre-
computed to become a reference norm.
 PREFATORY
9. The TOS and the corresponding test questions (Grading period
exam) is not the all of measurement and evaluation, to my estimate this
only accounts to a little more than 10% of our efforts for others may
take the form of quizzes, long tests, summative tests, recitations, and
practical exams.
10. Since our outputs will only be the TOS, there is a need to train our
teachers on how to construct appropriate questions reflective of the
domains (LAC sessions and In-SETS at the school or district level).
11. With this effort the preparation of test questions shall still be
“Teacher-made test” but to a certain degree, it is standardized and
therefore we can compare outputs or test results between and among
schools and districts.
12. The TOS constructors shall likewise prepare the budgeted lesson to
accompany the TOS from first grading to fourth grading period.
 PREFATORY
12. The TOS constructors shall likewise prepare the
budgeted lesson to accompany the TOS from first grading
to fourth grading period.
13. The TOS constructors and the CID are tasked to make
available the TOS and budgeted lesson on or before July
16, 2018.
14. The TOS and the budgeted lessons shall be uploaded to
an appropriate medium in order that teachers can gain
access to them the soonest possible time.
15. The supervisors and principals are also tasked to
check the appropriateness of the test questions based on
the TOS .
REVISED BLOOM’S TAXONOMY:
Pathway to
Improve Thinking
 What is Bloom’s Taxonomy?

• Bloom’s Taxonomy is a classification of

thinking organized by levels of complexity. It gives
teachers and students an opportunity to learn and
practice a range of thinking and provides a simple
structure for many different kinds of questions.
What is REVISED BLOOM’S TAXONOMY?
The Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy provides the
measurement tool for thinking. The changes in RBT
occur in three broad categories.
• Terminologies
• Structure
• Emphasis
A.Visual Comparison of Two Taxonomies
(Terminology Changes)

Evaluation Creating
Synthesis Evaluating
Analysis Analyzing
Application Applying
Comprehension Understanding
Knowledge Remembering

1956 2001

(Based on Pohl, 2000, Learning to Think, Thinking to Learn, p.8)

Changes in Terms
• Noun to Verb
• Thinking is an active process therefore verbs are more
accurate
• Knowledge is a product of thinking and was
inappropriate to describe a category of thinking and
was replaced with the word remembering.
Changes in Terms
• Comprehension became understanding and
synthesis was renamed creating in order to
better reflect the nature of the thinking
described by each category.
 LEVEL ONE : REMEMBERING
THE LEARNER IS ABLE TO RECALL, RESTATE AND REMEMBER
LEARNED INFORMATION.
- RECOGNIZING
- LISTING
- DESCRIBING
- IDENTIFYING
- RETRIEVING
- NAMING
- LOCATING
- FINDING
CAN YOU RECALL INFORMATION?
Sample Questions for Remembering
 What is _____________?
 Where is __________?
 How did it happen ____________?
 Why did __________ ?
 When did ___________?
 How would you show _______?
 Who were the main ________ ?
 Which one ________ ?
 How is __________?
 LEVEL TWO : UNDERSTANDING
THE LEARNER GRASPS THE MEANING OF INFORMATION BY
INTERPRETING AND TRANSLATING WHAT HAS BEEN LEARNED.
- INTERPRETING
- EXEMPLIFYING
- SUMMARIZING
- INFERRING
- PARAPHRASING
- CLASSIFYING
- COMPARING
- EXPLAINING
CAN YOU EXPLAIN IDEAS OR CONCEPTS?
Sample Questions for Understanding
 State in your own words…
 Which are facts? Opinions?
 What does this means…?
 Is this the same as …?
 Giving an example
 Select the best definition
Questions with what, where, why and how
questions answers could be taken between
the lines of the text through organizing,
comparing, translating, interpreting,
extrapolating, classifying, summarizing
and stating main ideas fall under
understanding.
Condense this paragraph
What would happen if … ?
What part doesn’t fit?
How would compare? Contrast?
What is the main idea of … ?
How would summarized … ?
 LEVEL THREE : APPLYING
THE LEARNER MAKES USE OF INFORMATION IN A CONTEXT
DIFFERENT FROM THE ONE IN WHICH IT WAS LEARNED.
- IMPLEMENTING
- CARRYING OUT
- USING
- EXECUTING
CAN YOU USE THE INFORMATION IN ANOTHER FAMILIAR
SITUATION?
Sample Questions for Applying

How would you organize _______ to show ________?

How would you show your understanding of _______
?
What facts would you select to show what ________?
What elements would you change __________ ?
What other way would you plan to __________?
What questions would you ask in an interview
with_______?
How would you apply what you learned to
develop_________ ?
How would you solve ___________ using what you
have learned?
 LEVEL FOUR : ANALYZING
THE LEARNER BREAKS LEARNED INFORMATION INTO ITS PARTS TO
BEST UNDERSTAND THAT INFORMATION.
- COMPARING
- ORGANIZING
- DECONSTRUCTING
- ATTRIBUTING OUTLINING
- FINDING
- STRUCTURING
- INTEGRATING
CAN YOU BREAK INFORMATION INTO PARTS TO EXPLORE
UNDERSTANDINGS AND RELATIONSHIPS?
Sample Questions for Analyzing
 Which statement is relevant?
 What is the conclusion?
 What does the author believe? Assume?
 Make a distinction between _________
 What ideas justify the conclusion?
 Which is the least essential statement?
 What literacy form is used?
 LEVEL FIVE : EVALUATING
THE LEARNER MAKES DECISIONS BASED ON IN-DEPTH
REFLECTION, CRITICISM AND ASSESSMENT.
- CHECKING
- HYPOTHESIZING
- CRITIQUING
- EXPERIMENTING
- JUDGING
- TESTING
- DETECTING
- MONITORING
CAN YOU JUSTIFY A DECISION OR COURSE OF ACTION?
Sample Questions for Evaluating
 What fallacies, consistencies,
inconsistencies appear __________?
 Which is more important ___________ ?
 Do you agree _________ ?
 What information would you use
____________ ?
 Do you agree with the ___________ ?
 How would you evaluate _________ ?
 LEVEL SIX : CREATING
THE LEARNER CREATES NEW IDEAS AND INFORMATION USING
WHAT HAS BEEN PREVIOUSLY LEARNED.
- DESIGNING
- CONSTRUCTING
- PLANNING
- PRODUCING
- INVENTING
- DEVISING
- MAKING
CAN YOU GENERATE NEW PRODUCTS, IDEAS, OR WAYS OF VIEWING
THINGS?
Sample Questions for Creating

 Can you design a _____________?

 What possible solution to _________ ?
 How many ways can you __________ ?
 Can you create a proposal which
would_________ ?
B. STRUCTURAL CHANGES

Bloom’s original cognitive taxonomy was a

one-dimensional form consisting of Factual,
Conceptual and Procedural – but these were
never fully understood for use by the teachers
because most of what educators were given in
training consisted of a simple chart with the
listing of levels and related accompanying
verbs.
The Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy takes the form of
Two-dimensional table. The Knowledge Dimension or the kind of
knowledge to be learned and second is the Cognitive Process
Dimension or the process used to learn.

The Cognitive Process Dimensions

The
Knowledge
Dimensions Remembering Understanding Applying Analyzing Evaluating Creating

Factual

Conceptual

Procedural

Metacognitive
 Conceptual Knowledge

- is knowledge of classification,
principles, generalizations, theories,
models or structure pertinent to a
particular disciplinary area.
 Factual Knowledge

- Refers to the essential facts,

terminology, details or elements student
must know or be familiar with in order
to solve a problem in it.
 Procedural Knowledge

-Refers to information or knowledge that

helps students to do something specific
to a discipline subject, area of study.
It also refers to methods of inquiry, very
specific or finite skills, algorithms,
techniques and particulars.
 Meta-cognitive Knowledge

- is a strategic or reflective knowledge

about how to go solving problems,
cognitive tasks to include contextual and
conditional knowledge and knowledge
of self.
C. CHANGE IN EMPHASIS

Emphasis is the third and final

category of changes. It is placed upon
its use as a more “authentic tool for
curriculum planning, instructional
delivery and assessment”.
•More authentic tool for curriculum planning,
instructional delivery and assessment
•Aimed at a broader audience
•Easily applied to all levels of schooling
•The revision emphasizes explanation and
description of subcategories.
 BLOOM’S REVISED TAXONOMY Suggested Percentage
Allocation
CREATING
Generating new ideas, products, or ways of viewing things
10%
Designing, constructing, planning, producing, inventing

Higher-order EVALUATING
Justifying a decision or course of action 30%
Thinking Checking, hypothesizing, critiquing, experimenting, judging
10%

ANALYZING
Breaking information into parts to explore understandings and
relationships 10%
Comparing, organizing, deconstructing, interrogating, finding.

APPLYING
Using information in another familiar situation 20%
Implementing, carrying out, using, executing

UNDERSTANDING
Explaining ideas or concepts 20%
Interpreting, summarizing, paraphrasing, classifying, explaining

REMEMBERING
30%
Recalling information
Recognizing, listing, describing, retrieving, naming, finding.
How to Construct Table of Specification

1.Determine the desired number of

test items.
 TABLE OF SPECIFICATIONS
_________________ _________________ _________________ _________________
Subject Grade Grading period School Year
DOMAINS
Total Number
Time Of Test items
Topic Spent/
Understandin Evaluatin
Frequency Remembering Applying Analyzing Creating
g g
Actual Adjusted

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

TOTAL
50
How to Construct Table of Specification

2. List the topics with the corresponding

allocation of time

• The reference is the budgeted lesson.

 TABLE OF SPECIFICATIONS
_________________ _________________ _________________ _________________
Subject Grade Grading period School Year
DOMAINS
Total Number
Time Of Test items
Topic Spent/
Understandin Evaluatin
Frequency Remembering Applying Analyzing Creating
g g
Actual Adjusted

1. 3
2. 4
3. 1
4. 6
5. 8
6. 5
7. 8
8. 2
9. 4
10. 4
45
TOTAL
50
 How to Construct Table of Specification
3. Determine the total number of items per topic by using the formula:
Time Spent / Frequency per topic divided by the total number of frequency
in the grading period times total number of items.

Time Spent / Frequency per Topic Total Number of items

Total Frequency in the grading period

Example:

3 50 = 3.33
45
 TABLE OF SPECIFICATIONS
_________________ _________________ _________________ _________________
Subject Grade Grading period School Year
DOMAINS
Total Number
Time Of Test items
Topic Spent/
Understandin Evaluatin
Frequency Remembering Applying Analyzing Creating
g g
Actual Adjusted

1. 3 3.33
2. 4 4.44
3. 1 1.11
4. 6 6.66
5. 8 8.88
6. 5 5.55
7. 8 8.88
8. 2 2.22
9. 4 4.44
10. 4 4.44
45 49.95
TOTAL
50
How to Construct Table of Specification

4. Round off the value to become

whole numbers.
 TABLE OF SPECIFICATIONS
_________________ _________________ _________________ _________________
Subject Grade Grading period School Year
DOMAINS
Total Number
Time Of Test items
Topic Spent/
Understandin Evaluatin
Frequency Remembering Applying Analyzing Creating
g g
Actual Adjusted

1. 3 3.33 3
2. 4 4.44 4
3. 1 1.11 1
4. 6 6.66 7
5. 8 8.88 9
6. 5 5.55 6
7. 8 8.88 9
8. 2 2.22 2
9. 4 4.44 4
10. 4 4.44 4
45 49.95 49
TOTAL
50
How to Construct Table of Specification

5. Adjust or Balance by either adding

or subtracting (any of the topic
totals) so that the sum will amount
to the desired number of test items.
 TABLE OF SPECIFICATIONS
_________________ _________________ _________________ _________________
Subject Grade Grading period School Year
DOMAINS
Total Number
Time Of Test items
Topic Spent/
Understandin Evaluatin
Frequency Remembering Applying Analyzing Creating
g g
Actual Adjusted

1. 3 3.33 3
2. 4 4.44 4
3. 1 1.11 1+1
4. 6 6.66 7
5. 8 8.88 9
6. 5 5.55 6
7. 8 8.88 9
8. 2 2.22 2
9. 4 4.44 4
10. 4 4.44 4
45 49.95 49
TOTAL
50
How to Construct Table of Specification

6. Scatter the items per topic per domain

Determine the number of items per complexity /

level of cognitive domain.
In this case, we have already a
pre-computed value of 30-20-20-30
(10-10-10)
 TABLE OF SPECIFICATIONS
_________________ _________________ _________________ _________________
Subject Grade Grading period School Year
DOMAINS
Total Number
Time Of Test items
Topic Spent/
Understandin Evaluatin
Frequency Remembering Applying Analyzing Creating
g g
Actual Adjusted

1. 3 3.33 3
2. 4 4.44 4
3. 1 1.11 1+1
4. 6 6.66 7
5. 8 8.88 9
6. 5 5.55 6
7. 8 8.88 9
8. 2 2.22 2
9. 4 4.44 4
10. 4 4.44 4
45 15 10 10 5 5 5 49.95 49
TOTAL
30% 20% 20% 30% ( Higher-order Thinking) 50
 How to Construct Table of Specification
7. On the basis of your experience / analysis start allocating the
items with respect to the total number of items per domain and the
total number of items per topic beginning with the higher-order
thinking domains down to remembering. It is suggested that the
order of complexity from creating to remembering is not altered.

 Review the topics, reflect on previous experiences, and imagine

the teaching learning processes (TLP) that can go with the
topics. You may use teaching guides and other similar materials.

 Be mindful of the total points per topic.

 TABLE OF SPECIFICATIONS
_________________ _________________ _________________ _________________
Subject Grade Grading period School Year
DOMAINS
Total Number
Time Of Test items
Topic Spent/
Understandin Evaluatin
Frequency Remembering Applying Analyzing Creating
g g
Actual Adjusted

1. 3 3.33 3
2. 4 4.44 4
3. 1 1.11 1+1
4. 6 1 6.66 7
5. 8 2 8.88 9
6. 5 5.55 6
7. 8 2 8.88 9
8. 2 2.22 2
9. 4 4.44 4
10. 4 4.44 4
45 15 10 10 5 5 5 49.95 49
TOTAL
50
 TABLE OF SPECIFICATIONS
_________________ _________________ _________________ _________________
Subject Grade Grading period School Year
DOMAINS
Total Number
Time Of Test items
Topic Spent/
Understandin Evaluatin
Frequency Remembering Applying Analyzing Creating
g g
Actual Adjusted

1. 3 3.33 3
2. 4 1 4.44 4
3. 1 1.11 1+1
4. 6 1 1 6.66 7
5. 8 2 8.88 9
6. 5 2 5.55 6
7. 8 2 8.88 9
8. 2 2.22 2
9. 4 1 4.44 4
10. 4 4.44 4
45 15 10 10 5 5 5 49.95 49
TOTAL
50
 TABLE OF SPECIFICATIONS
_________________ _________________ _________________ _________________
Subject Grade Grading period School Year
DOMAINS
Total Number
Time Of Test items
Topic Spent/
Understandin Evaluatin
Frequency Remembering Applying Analyzing Creating
g g
Actual Adjusted

1. 3 1 3.33 3
2. 4 1 1 4.44 4
3. 1 1.11 1+1
4. 6 1 1 6.66 7
5. 8 2 2 8.88 9
6. 5 2 5.55 6
7. 8 2 8.88 9
8. 2 2.22 2
9. 4 1 4.44 4
10. 4 1 4.44 4
45 15 10 10 5 5 5 49.95 49
TOTAL
50
 TABLE OF SPECIFICATIONS
_________________ _________________ _________________ _________________
Subject Grade Grading period School Year
DOMAINS
Total Number
Time Of Test items
Topic Spent/
Understandin Evaluatin
Frequency Remembering Applying Analyzing Creating
g g
Actual Adjusted

1. 3 1 1 3.33 3
2. 4 1 1 1 4.44 4
3. 1 1.11 1+1
4. 6 2 1 1 6.66 7
5. 8 2 2 8.88 9
6. 5 2 5.55 6
7. 8 2 2 8.88 9
8. 2 1 2.22 2
9. 4 2 1 4.44 4
10. 4 1 1 4.44 4
45 15 10 10 5 5 5 49.95 49
TOTAL
50
 TABLE OF SPECIFICATIONS
_________________ _________________ _________________ _________________
Subject Grade Grading period School Year
DOMAINS
Total Number
Time Of Test items
Topic Spent/
Understandin Evaluatin
Frequency Remembering Applying Analyzing Creating
g g
Actual Adjusted

1. 3 1 1 3.33 3
2. 4 1 1 1 4.44 4
3. 1 1 1.11 1+1
4. 6 2 2 1 1 6.66 7
5. 8 2 2 2 8.88 9
6. 5 2 2 5.55 6
7. 8 2 2 2 8.88 9
8. 2 1 2.22 2
9. 4 2 1 4.44 4
10. 4 1 1 1 4.44 4
45 15 10 10 5 5 5 49.95 49
TOTAL
50
 TABLE OF SPECIFICATIONS
_________________ _________________ _________________ _________________
Subject Grade Grading period School Year
DOMAINS
Total Number
Time Of Test items
Topic Spent/
Understandin Evaluatin
Frequency Remembering Applying Analyzing Creating
g g
Actual Adjusted

1. 3 1 1 1 3.33 3
2. 4 1 1 1 1 4.44 4
3. 1 2 1.11 1+1
4. 6 2 1 2 1 1 6.66 7
5. 8 3 2 2 2 8.88 9
6. 5 2 2 2 5.55 6
7. 8 3 2 2 2 8.88 9
8. 2 1 1 2.22 2
9. 4 1 2 1 4.44 4
10. 4 1 1 1 1 4.44 4
49.95 49
TOTAL 45 15 10 10 5 5 5
50
 Item Placement

A. Items 1-15 (Type of Question is to measure remembering which cut across

all topics within the grading period.)

B. Items 16-25 (Type of Question is to measure understanding…)

C. Items 26-35 (Type of Question is to measure applying…)

D. Items 36-40 (Type of Question is to measure analyzing..)

E. Items 41-45 (Type of Question is to measure evaluating…)

F. Items 46-50 (Type of Question is to measure creating…)

 Benefits
Benefitsof
ofthe
theTable
Tableof
ofSpecification
Specification
1. Test Items are proportionally distributed to all topics in the grading
period (Number of time spent in the topic is proportional to the
number of items from the topic which means that the more time that
the teacher spend in the topic, the more test questions should be
constructed from that topic)
a. This ensures that the techer has to cover all topics listed/
budgeted in the grading period.
b. There is therefore sense or urgency.

c. Remediation becomes spontaneous.

d. Assures high “Time on task” rate.

 Benefits of the Table of Specification

2. Items are significantly scattered along Bloom’s Taxonomy

(Complexity) / cognitive domain with respect to a desired percentage
which may adhere to the Psychology of learning and evaluation.

a. Assures that all levels of complexity (R-C) are given emphasis.

b. Assures varied learning activities inside the classrooms.

c. Ensures that Higher-order Thinking skills are developed across all

levels
 Benefits of the Table of Specification

3. It is easier to construct a test question because the TOS serves as

a blueprint.

• In fact the teacher, (provided she has mastery of her lesson and
with the aid of the TOS), she can construct test questions without
using any textbooks and there is assurance that test questions are
constructed in her own words and therefore the test questions
appeal or relate better to the pupils/ students.
 ROSALES NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

MAPEH DEPARTMENT
LEARNING ACTION CELL
(LAC SESSION)
TABLE OF SPECIFICATION (TOS) WITH AN OVERVIEW ON TEST CONSTRUCTION
HAROLD N. CARBONEL
TEACHER III, MAPEH
Lecturer/ Discussant