The Road

To
Test Construction
“The ultimate purpose of Test
Construction is to improve the
educational program of the school and
to make it more effective. Thus, it
should be considered as an essential
part of the complete learning process
for the improvement of teaching and
learning.”
FE S. J. HIDALGO
 OBJECTIVES
• Identify the six cognitive domains of
learning.

• Discuss the features of the six domains of

learning.

• Construct test items that are congruent to

the objectives and learning outcomes.
HOW do we know
that our students
have learned what
we have taught
them?
The 3 DOMAINS of Learning

Source : http://agsc.tamu.edu/402/
PPT_FILES/ TAXONOMY%20OF
%20EDUCATIONAL
%20OBJECTIVES2.ppt
 AFFECTIVE DOMAIN
• EMOTIONAL LEARNING: FEELING

Concerned with attitudes,

appreciations, interests, values and
adjustments.
 PSYCHOMOTOR DOMAIN

• PHYSICAL LEARNING: DOING

Emphasizes speed, accuracy, dexterity, and

physical skills
 COGNITIVE DOMAIN
• Often referred to as Instructional or Behavioral
Objectives

• One of the major categories in the Taxonomy of

Educational Objectives

• Most used of the domains

 ACTIVITY 1
1. Examine the list of learning
competencies in all grading period.

2. Select five least mastered

competencies in each grading
period.

3. Construct 20 test items based on the

selected least mastered
competencies.
4. Categorized the questions into
six cognitive levels.

5. Post your work in the

designated corners.

6. Presentation of group output.

1. How do you find the task given to you?

2. How did you feel when you categorized

the test questions into 6 cognitive domains?

3. What helped you in classifying the test questions?

4. In cases where the classification/clustering of test items

was not the same as your team mates, how did you
resolve the situation?

5. Did you encounter difficulty in

constructing test items that reflects the
6 cognitive domains? Why?

6. What are the issues and concerns that you have in

constructing test
 Bloom’s Taxonomy
• Created hierarchy of cognitive skills that is
often used to categorize the levels of
cognitive involvement (thinking skills).
• Arranged in hierarchical form, moving from
the lowest level of cognition (thinking) to
the highest level of cognition (or from the
least complex to the most complex):
• Provide structure to assist teachers in
writing objectives and assessments.

• Assist teachers in recognizing the various

levels of question asking.

• Serves as guide in constructing test

questions that will develop the learner’s
intellectual abilities and critical thinking.

K to
 COGNITIVE
DOMAIN
• Bloom’s Taxonomy Evaluation

is an order of Synthesis

learning with six Analysis

levels. Application

Comprehension

Knowledge
 Category Key Words (verbs)
Remembering: Recall previous ed defines, describes, identifies, knows,
information.
learn labels, lists, matches, names,
recalls,
outlines, recognizes, reproduces,
selects, states

Understanding: Comprehending the comprehends, converts, defends,

meaning, translation, and distinguishes, estimates, explains, extends,
interpretation
interpolation, of instructions and generalizes, gives an example, infers,
problems. State a problem in one's own interprets, paraphrases, predicts, rewrites,
words. summarizes, translates.

Applying: Use a concept in a new applies, changes, computes, constructs,

situation or unprompted use of an demonstrates, discovers, manipulates,
abstraction. Applies what was learned in modifies, operates, predicts,
the classroom into novel situations in the prepares, produces, relates, shows, solves,
work place. uses.
Category Key Words (verbs)
Analyzing: Separates material or concept s analyzes, breaks compares,
into component parts so that itdown, contrasts,
s
organizational structure may be differentiates,
diagrams, discriminates, distinguishes,
deconstructs,
understood. Distinguishes facts identifies, illustrates, infers,
between and inferences. outlines, relates, selects, separates.

Evaluating: Make judgments about the appraises, compares, concludes, contrasts,

value of ideas criticizes, critiques, defends,
discriminates,
describes, evaluates, explains,
interprets, justifies,
relates, supports. summarizes,

Creating: Builds a structure or pattern categorizes, combines,

from diverse elements. Put parts together to composes, creates, devises, designs,
compiles,
form a whole, with emphasis on creating a explains, generates, modifies, organizes,
new meaning or structure plans, rearranges, reconstructs, relates,
reorganizes, revises, rewrites, summarizes,
tells, writes.
TEST CONSTRUCTION
 Test Construction

•
It is estimated that 90% of all
test questions asked in the US are
of “Low Level” – knowledge and
comprehension.
(Wilen, W.W., 1992)
Test Construction Observations
• Test items are copied from books,
and other instructional materials.

• Test items are recycled over periods of

time.

• Test items do not match objectives of the

lessons.

• Tests items are constructed without

careful thinking/analysis/planning.
 OLD TESTS THINKING

Tests are normally used to

figure student success
failure
out makeand
comparisons among
students and their standing in
school.
 NEW TESTS THINKING

Tests should respect the

uniqueness of eachstudent. It
should be used enhance
to student learning,
classroom to real life experiences.
relating
TABLE OF SPECIFICATIONS
 When to construct TOS?
• The TOS should be done before
constructing the tests but it is ideal to
construct it before the instruction begins to
ensure that the test has instructional
validity.
 ACTIVITY 2
Prepare the First Summative Test in your
learning area with table of specification
that would assess student along:
A – Knowledge
B – Process/Skills
C – Understanding
D–
Product/Performa
nce
Reflection:
• How would your learning on constructing
effective test items help you as a Teacher?

• How would it help your students and

the school?
 Things to Remember:
• Test items should :
– be congruent with the terminal and performance
objectives
– measure the exact behavior and response
stated in the objective
– guide the process of writing the
assessment items
– prescribe the form of test item that is
most appropriate for assessing achievement
of the objective
Thank You !