Assessment Literacy

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Selected-response Tests

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Selected Response

2

Test-designer creates correct responses

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• Test-taker selects correct response

• Test-taker does not generate and answer

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Selected Response

4

Stand-alone items

Item stem is linked to a stimulus such as:• Reading passage• Graph, table• Photo, video

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Selected Response

5

Appropriate for either:

Lower-order• Knowledge• Comprehension

Higher-order• Application• Analysis• Synthesis• Evaluation

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Selected Response

6

Easier to write acceptable items(valid, reliable, unbiased) for…

• Lower-order• Than• Higher-order

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Selected-response Types

• True-false

• Matching

• Multiple-choice

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Challenging True-False

Stem:

• Choice A: True or False• Choice B: True or False• Choice C: True or False• Choice D: True or False

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Advantages

Selected-response items are

Efficient • Cover content breadth or depth more quickly• Easier to score and analyze• Easier to interpret and report

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Disadvantages

Difficult

• to write good higher-order items

• to distinguish between knowing and guessing

• to measure performance directlye.g., writing a persuasive essay

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Disadvantages

Selected-response format encouragesDrill-and-kill

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Use textbook end-of-chapter and end-of-unit SR items with extreme caution

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Design and Development Steps

1. Know the material and learning progression2. Create test blueprint3. Write items4. Develop answer key5. Field-test items6. Perform analysis of test, items, distractors7. Revise/edit accordingly

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How-to Write Good Selected-response Test Items

Is This a Trick Question?

A Short Guide to Writing Effective Test Questions

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Persistence Pays Off

Persistence is to item-writing

As ____ is to piano virtuosity.

A. PracticeB. PracticeC. PracticeD. PracticeE. All of the above