Development of

Classroom Assessment
Tools
 General Principles of Testing
1. Measure all instructional objectives.
2. Cover all the learning tasks.
3. Use appropriate test items.
4. Make test valid and reliable.
5. Use test to improve learning.
Principles of High Quality Assessment
• Assessing the performance of every student is
a very critical task for classroom teacher.
• It is very important that a classroom teacher
should prepare the assessment tool
appropriately.
 Clarity of the Learning Target
• When a teacher plans for his classroom
instruction, the learning target should be
clearly stated and must be focused on student
learning objectives rather than teacher
activity.
• The learning outcomes must be SMART.
 Appropriateness of Assessment Tool
1. Objective Test
2. Subjective Test
3. Performance Assessment
4. Portfolio Assessment
5. Oral Questioning
6. Observational Technique
7. Self-report
Different Qualities of Assessment Tool
1. Validity
2. Reliability
3. Fairness
4. Objectivity
5. Scorability
6. Adequacy
7. Administrability
8. Practically and Efficiency
 Step in Developing Assessment Tools
1. Examine the instructional objectives of the
topics previously discussed.
2. Make a table of specification (TOS).
3. Construct the test items.
4. Assemble the test items.
5. Check the assembled test items.
6. Write directions.
7. Make the answers key.
8. Analyze and improve the test items.
 Examine the Instructional Objectives
of the Topics Previously Discussed
• The first step in developing an achievement
test is to examine and go back to the
instructional objectives so that you can match
with the test items to be constructed.
 Table of Specification (TOS)
• Is a chart or table that details the content and
level of cognitive level assessed on a test as
well as the types and emphases of test items
(Gareis and Grant, 2008).
• Provides the test constructor a way to ensure
that the assessment is based from the
intended learning outcomes.
 Preparing a Table of Specification
A. Selecting the learning outcomes to be
measured.
B. Make an outline of the subject matter to be
covered in the test.
C. Decide on the number of items per subtopic.
D. Make the two-way chart as shown in the
format 2 and format 3 of a Table of
Specification.
E. Construct the test items.
 Different Formats if Table of
Specification

A. Format 1 of Table of Specification

Specific Cognitive Level Type of Test Item Number Total Points

Objectives
Solve worded Application Multiple-choice 1 and 2 4 points
problems in
consecutive
integers.
• Specific Objectives
– Refer to the intended learning outcomes stated as
specific instructional objective covering a
particular test topic.
• Cognitive Level
– Pertains to the intellectual skill or ability to
correctly answer a test item using Bloom’s
Taxonomy of educational objectives.
• Type of Test Item
– Identifies the type or kind of test a test item
belongs to.
• Item Number
– Simply identifies the question number as it
appears in the test.
• Total Points
– Summarize the score given to a particular test.
 B. Format 2 of Table of Specification
(one way table of specification)
Contents Number of Number Cognitive Level Test Item
Class of Items Distribution
Season
K-C A HOTS
Basic Concept 1 2 1-2
Fraction
Addition Fraction 1 2 3-4
Subtraction 1 2 5-6
Fraction
Multiplication and 3 6 7-12
Division of
Fraction
Application/Proble 4 8 13-20
m Solving
Total 10 20
 C. Format 3 Table of Specification
(two-way table of specification)
Content Class
Krathwohl’s Cognitive Level
Sessions
Rem. Und. App. Eva. Creating Total Item
Items Distribution
Concept 1 2 1-2
Z-score 2 4 3-6
T-score 2 4 7-10
Stanine 3 6 11-6
Percentile 3 6 17-22
rank
Application 4 8 23-30
Total 15 30
 Construct the Test Items
• In this section, we shall discuss the different
format of objectives type of test items, the
step in developing objective and subjective
test, the advantage and its limitations.
 General Guidelines for Constructing
Test Items
1. Begin writing items far enough or in advance so
that you will have time to revise them.
2. Match item to intended outcomes at
appropriate level of difficulty to provide valid
measure of instructional objectives.
3. Be sure each items deals with an important
aspect of the content area and not with trivia.
4. Be sure the problem posed is clear and
ambiguous.
5. Be sure that the item is independent with all
the other items.
6. Be sure the item has one or best answer on
which experts would agree.
7. Prevent unintended clues to an answer in the
statement or question.
8. Avoid replication of the textbook in writing
test items; do not quote directly from the
textual materials.
9. Avoid trick or catch questions in an
achievement test.
10. Try to write items that require HOTS.
 Determining the Number of Test Items
Assessment Format Average Time to Answer
True-False 30 seconds
Multiple-choice 60 seconds
Multiple-choice of higher level 90 seconds
learning objectives
Short Answer 120 seconds
Completion 60 seconds
Matching 30 seconds per response
Short Essay 10-15 minutes
Extended Essay 30 minutes
Visual Image 30 seconds
Assemble the Test Items Guidelines
A. Group all test items with similar format.
B. Arrange test items from easy to difficult.
C. Space the test items for easy reading.
D. Keep items and option in the same page.
E. Place the illustrations near the description.
F. Check the answer key.
G. Decide where to record the answer.
 Write Directions
• Check the test directions for each item format
to be sure that it is clear for the students to
understand.
 Check the Assembled Test Items
• Before reproducing the test, it is very
important to proofread first the test items for
typographical and grammatical errors and
make necessary corrections if any.
 Make the Answer Key
• Be sure to check your answer key so that the
correct answers follow a fairly random
sequence.
 Analyze and Improve the Test
Items
• Analyze and improve the test items should be
done after checking, scoring and recording the
test.
 Different Formats of Classroom
Assessment Tools
• Type of assessment tool should always be
appropriate with the objectives of the lesson.
• There are two general types of test item to
use in achievement test using paper and
pencil test. It is classified as selection-type
items and supply type items.
Selection type or Objective Test Items
• Selection type items require students to select
the correct response from several options.
This is also known as objective test item.
Selection type items can be classified as:
multiple-choice; matching type; true or false;
or interpretative exercises.
• Objective test item requires only one correct
answer in each item.
 Kinds of Objective Type Test
A. Multiple-choice Test
– Is used to measure knowledge outcomes and
other types of learning outcomes such as
comprehension and applications.
– Multiple choice item consist of three parts: the
stem, the keyed option and the incorrect options
or alternatives.
 General Guidelines in Constructing
Multiple-choice Test
1. Make a test item that is practical or with real-
world application to the students.
2. Use diagrams or drawing when asking
question about application, analysis or
evaluation.
3. When ask to interpret or evaluate about
quotations, present actual quotation from
secondary sources like published books or
newspapers.
4. Use tables, figures, or charts when asking
question to interpret.
5. Use pictures if possible when students are
required to apply concepts and principles.
6. List the choices/options vertically not
horizontally.
7. Avoid trivial questions.
8. Use only one correct answer or best answer
format.
9. Use three to five options to discourage
guessing 10. Be sure that distracters are
plausible and effective.
11. Increase the similarity of the options to
increase the difficulty of the item.
12. Do not use ‘none of the above’ options
when asking for best answer.
13. Avoid using ‘all of the above’ options.
 Guidelines in Constructing the Stem
1. The stem should be written in question form
or completion form.
2. Do not live the blank at the beginning or at
the middle of the stem when using
completion form of a multiple-choice type of
test.
3. The stem should pose the problem
completly.
4. The stem should be clear and concise.
5. Avoid excessive and meaningless use of words
in the stem.
6. State the stem in positive form.
7. Avoid grammatical clues in the correct
answer.
Guidelines in Constructing Options
1. There should be one correct answer in each
item.
2. List options in vertical order not a horizontal
order beneath the stem.
3. Arrange the options in vertical order and use
capital letters to indicate each option such as
A, B, C, D, E.
4. No overlapping options; keep it independent.
5. All options must be homogenous in content
to increase the difficulty of an item.
6. As much as possible the length of the options
must be the same or equal.
7. Avoid using the phrase ‘all of the above’.
8. Avoid using the phrase ‘non of the above’ or ‘I
don’t know’.
 Guidelines in Constructing the
Distracters
1. The distracters should be plausible.
2. The distracters should be equally popular to
all examinees.
3. Avoid using ineffective distracters.
4. Each distracters should be chosen by at least
5% of the examinees but not more than the
key answer.
5. Revise distracters that are over attractive to
the teachers.
 Example of Multiple-choice Items
1. Knowledge Level
- The students are required only to recall.

The most stable measures of central

tendency is the _______.
A.Mean
B.Mean and Median
C.Median
D.Mode
2. Comprehension Level
- the students are required to describe.
Which of the following statements describe
normal distribution?
A.The mean is greater than the median.
B.The mean median and mode are equal.
C.The scores are more concentrated at the other
part of the distribution.
D.Most of the scores are high.
3. Application Level
- the students are asked to apply.

What is the standard deviation of the following

scores of 10 students in mathematics quiz, 10,
13, 16, 16, 17, 19, 20, 20, 25?
A.3.90
B.3.95
C.4.50
D.4.25
4. Analysis Level
- the students are required to distinguish.
What is the statistical test used when you test
the mean difference between pre-test and
post-test?
A.Analysis of variance
B.T-test
C.Correlation
D.Regression analysis
 Advantage of Multiple-choice Test
1. Measure learning outcomes from the knowledge
to evaluation level.
2. Scoring is highly objective, easy and reliable.
3. Scores are more reliable than subjective type of
test.
4. Measures board samples of content within a
short span of time.
5. Distracters can provide diagnostic information.
6. Item analysis can reveal the difficulty of an item
and can discriminate the good and poor
performing students.
 Disadvantage of Multiple-choice Test
1. Time consuming to construct a good item.
2. Difficult to find effective and plausible distracters.
3. Scores can be influence by the reading ability of
the examinees.
4. In some cases, there is more than one justifiable
correct answer.
5. Ineffective in assessing the problem solving skills
of the students.
6. Not applicable when assessing the students’
ability to organize and express ideas.
 B. Matching Type Test
• Matching Type Test has two column, the
column A which contains the description and
must be place at the left side while column B
contains options and placed at the right side.
 Guidelines in constructing Matching
Type of Test
1. The description and options must be short and
homogenous.
2. The description must be written at the left side
and marked it with Column A and the options
must be written at the right side and marked it
with Column B to save time for the examinees.
3. There should be more options than descriptions
or indicate in the directions that each option may
be used more than once to decrease the chance
of guessing.
4. Matching directions should specify the basis for
matching.
5. Avoid too many correct answers.
6. When using names, always include the
complete name (first and surname) to avoid
ambiguities.
7. Use numbers for the descriptions and letters
for the options to avoid confusions to the
students that have a reading problem.
8. Arrange the options into a chronological order
or alphabetical order.
9. The descriptions and options must be written
in the same page.
10. A minimum of three items and a maximum
of seven items for elementary level and a
maximum of seventeen items for secondary
and tertiary levels.
 Advantage of Matching Type Test
1. It is simpler to construct than a multiple-choice
type of test.
2. It reduces the effect of guessing compared to the
multiple-choice and true or false type of test.
3. It is appropriate to assess the association
between facts.
4. Provides easy, accurate, efficient, objective and
reliable test scores.
5. More content can be covered in the given set of
test.
 C. True or False Type
• A “force-choice test”
• The students are required to choose the
answer true or false in recognition to a correct
statement or incorrect statement.
 Guidelines in constructing True or
False Test
1. Avoid writing a very long statement.
2. Avoid trivial questions.
3. It should contain only one idea in each item
except for statement showing the relationship
between cause and effect.
4. It can be used for establishing cause and
effect.
5. Avoid using opinion-based statement, it it
cannot be avoided the statement should be
attributed to somebody.
6. Avoid using negative or double negatives.
7. Avoid specific determiner such as “some”,
“always”, “all”, “none” for they tend to appear in
the statement that are false.
8. Avoid specific determiner such as “some”
“sometimes,” and “may” that tend to appear in
the statement that are true.
9. The number of true items must be the same
with the number of false items.
10. Avoid grammatical clues that lead to a correct
answer such as the article (a, an, the).
11. Avoid statement directly taken from the
textbook.
12. Avoid arranging the statement in a logical
order such as (TTTTT-FFFFF, TFTFTFTF,
TTFFTTFFTT)
13. Directions should indicate where or how the
students should mark their answer.
 Advantage of a True or False Test
1. It covers a lot of content in a short span of
time.
2. It is easier to prepared compared to multiple-
choice and matching type test.
3. It is easier to score because it can be scored
objectively compared to a test that depends
on the judgement of the caters.
4. It is useful when there are two alternatives
only.
5. The score is more reliable than essay test.
Disadvantages of True or False Test
1. Limited only to low level of thinking skills
such as knowledge and comprehension, or
recognition or recall information.
2. High probability of guessing the correct
answer (50%) compared to multiple-choice
which consist of four options (25%).
 Supply Type or Subject Type of Test
Items
• Require students to create and supply their
own answer or perform a certain task to show
mastery of knowledge or skills.
• Also known as constructed response test.
Constructed response test are classified
as:
A. Short answer or completion type
B. Essay type items (restricted or extended
response)
 Subjective Test Items
• Requires the student to organize and present
an original answer (essay test) and perform
task to show mastery of learning
(performance-base assessment and portfolio
assessment) or supply a word or phrase to
answer a certain question (complition or short
item type of test).
 Essay test
• Is a form of subjective type of test.
• Measures complex cognitive skills or process.
Kinds of Subjective Type Test Item
A. Completion Type or Short Answers Test
- Is an alternative form of assessment because the
examinee needs to supply or create appropriate
words, symbols or numbers to answer a question
or complete a statement.
Two Ways of Constructing Completion
Type or Short Answer Type Test
• Question form; and
• Complete the statement form
 Guidelines in Constructing Completion
Type or Short Answer Type Test
1. The item should require a single word answer.
2. Be sure that the language used in the statement is
precise and accurate in relation to the subject matter
being tested.
3. Be sure to omit only key words.
4. Do not leave the blank at the beginning or within the
statement.
5. Use direct question rather than incomplete
statement.
6. Be sure to indicate the units in which the statement
requires numerical answers.
7. Be sure the answer of the student is required to
produce is factually correct.
 Essay Item
• Ability to organize and present their original
ideas.

“Type of Essay Items”

• Extended response essay
• Restricted response essay
Restricted Response Essay Questions
Restricted response usually limits both the
content and the response by restricting the
scope of the topic to be discussed.
Useful for measuring learning outcomes
requiring interpretation and application of
data in a specific area.
 Example of Restricted Response
• Describe two situations that demonstrate the
application of the law of supply and demand.
Do not use those examples discussed in class.
• State the main differences between the
Vietnam War and previous wars in which the
United States has participated.
Extended Response Essay Questions
Extended response question allows student to
select information that they think is pertinent,
to organize the answer in accordance with
their best judgment, and to integrate and
evaluate ideas as they think suitable.
They do not set limits on the length or exact
content to be discussed.
Examples of Extended Response Essay
Questions
• Compare developments in international
relations in the administrations of President
William Clinton and President George W.
Bush. Cite examples when possible.
• Imagine that you and a friend found a magic
wand. Write a story about an adventure that
you and your friend had with the magic
wand.
 Types of complex outcomes and
related terms for writing essay
questions
Outcomes Sample Verb Sample Questions
Comparing compare, clarify, describe Describe the situation and
differences between Phil.
Educ. And Singapore Educ.
System.
Interpreting convert, draw, estimate, Summarizes briefly the
summarizes content of second SONA of
the present President.
inferring Derive, draw, estimate Using the facts presented,
what is most likely to
happen when ___?
Applying Arrange, compute, Solve the solution set of
describe, solve the equation X2+3X-24=0
using factoring method.
Analyzing Breakdown, describe, List and describe the
differentiate, list characteristics of a
good assessment
instrument.
Creating Compose, design, Formulate a
draw, formulate hypothesis about
”Mathematics
Attitude”
Synthesizing Arrange, combine, Design a scoring guide
design in evaluating portfolio
assessment.

Generalizing Construct, develop, Explain the function of

explain assessment of
learning.

Evaluating Appraise, criticise, Describe the strengths

describe and weaknesses of
 Guideline in constructing essay test
items
1. Construct essay question used to measure complex learning
outcomes only.
2. Relate directly to the learning outcomes to be measured.
3. Formulate essay questions that present a clear task to be
performed.
4. An item should be stated precisely.
5. All students should be required to answer the same question.
6. Number of points and time spend in answering the question
must be indicated in each item.
7. Specify the number of words, paragraphs or the number of
sentence for the answer.
8. The scoring system must be discussed or presented to the
students
 Advantage of Essay Test
1. It is easier to prepare and less time consuming
compared to other paper and pencil test.
2. It measures HOTS.
3. It allows students’ freedom to express individually in
answering the given question.
4. Students have the chance to express their own
ideas.
5. It reduces guessing answer compared to any of the
objective type of test.
6. It presents more realistic task to the students.
7. It emphasizes on the integration and application of
ideas.
 Disadvantage of Essay Test
1. It cannot provide an objective measure of the
achievement of the students.
2. It needs so much time to grade and prepare
scoring criteria.
3. The scores are usually not reliable most specially
without scoring criteria.
4. It measures limited amount of contents and
objectives.
5. Low variation of scores.
6. It usually encourages bluffing.
 Suggestions for Grading Essay Test
1. Decide on a policy for dealing with incorrect,
irrelevant or illegal responses.
2. Keep scores of the previous read items out of
sight.
3. The student’s identity should remain
anonymous while his/her paper is being
graded.
4. Read and evaluate each student’s answer to
the same question before grading the next
question.
5. Provide students with general grading criteria
by which they will evaluated prior to the
examination.
6. Use analytic scoring or holistic scoring.
7. Answer the test question your self by writing
the ideal answer to it so that you can develop
the scoring criteria from your answer.
8. Write your comments on their papers.