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Preface…Preface…
Preface…Preface…
Preface…
A notable concern of many teachers is that they frequently have
the task of constructing tests but have relatively little training or
information to rely on in this task. Is This a Trick Question? is an
information sourcebook for writing effective test questions. The
central focus of the sourcebook’s content is derived from standards
developed by the National Center for Research on Evaluation, Stan-
dards, and Student Testing (CRESST).
CRESST’s criteria for establishing the technical quality of a test
encompasses seven areas: cognitive complexity, content quality,
meaningfulness, language appropriateness, transfer and
generalizability, fairness, and reliability. Each aspect is discussed in
the sourcebook in a straight-forward, jargon-free style.
Part One contains information concerning general test construction
and introduces the six levels of intellectual understanding: knowl-
edge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evalua-
tion. These levels of understanding assist in categorizing test
questions, with knowledge as the lowest level. Since teachers tend
to construct questions in the knowledge category 80% to 90% of the
time, throughout the sourcebook are examples of or suggestions for
developing higher order thinking skills. This supports Kansas’
current Quality Performance Accreditation initiative which has
established content and performance standards that cannot be
measured by low-level tests.
Part Two of the information sourcebook is devoted to actual test
question construction. Because of the diversity of assessment
options, the sourcebook focuses primarily on paper-and-pencil
tests, the most common type of teacher-prepared assessment. Five
test item types are discussed: multiple choice, true-false, matching,
completion, and essay. Information covers the appropriate use of
each item type, advantages and disadvantages of each item type,
and characteristics of well written items. Suggestions for addressing
higher order thinking skills for each item type are also presented.
This sourcebook was developed to accomplish three outcomes:
! Teachers will know and follow appropriate principles for devel-
oping and using assessment methods in their teaching, avoiding
common pitfalls in student assessment.
Research indicates…
Teachers tend to use tests that
they have prepared themselves
much more often than any other
type of test. (How Teaching Mat-
ters, NCATE, Oct. 2000)
While assessment options are di-
verse, most classroom educators
rely on text and curriculum-em-
bedded questions and tests that
are overwhelmingly classified as
paper-and-pencil ( National Com-
mission on Teaching and
America’s Future, 1996).
Formal training in paper-and-pen-
cil test construction may occur at
the preservice level (52% of the
time) or as inservice preparation
(21%). A significant number of
professional educators (48%) re-
port no formal training in devel-
oping, administering, scoring, and
interpreting tests (Education
Week, “National Survey of Public
School Teachers, 2000”).
Students report a higher level of
test anxiety over teacher-made
tests (64%) than over standard-
ized tests (30%). The top three
reasons why: poor test construc-
tion, irrelevant or obscure mate-
rial coverage, and unclear direc-
tions. (NCATE, “Summary Data
on Teacher Effectiveness, Teacher
Quality, and Teacher Qualifica-
tions”, 2001.)
(Continued on next page…)